Posted on July 2, 2009 at 11:00 AM
Filed under: Joint Ventures and Alliances
Tagged: Astellas Pharma , Lazard & Co. , Maxygen

Biotechnology firm Maxygen Inc. (NASDAQ:MAXY) has gotten a life-saving assist from Astellas Pharma Inc. of Japan. The companies are forming a joint venture that will keep Maxygen operating in a brutal market for developmental stage biotechs with no marketable products and sky-high R&D costs.  As this Deal Pipeline timeline shows (subscription required),...  Continue reading

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Posted on July 1, 2009 at 3:37 PM
Filed under: Joint Ventures and Alliances
Tagged: JAKKS Pacific , Joint Venture , THQ , World Wrestling Entertainment , WWE

Add another round to the three-way grudge match between Jakks Pacific Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK), THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) and World Wrestling Entertainment. At issue is a WWE video game license owned by a joint venture operated by toymaker Jakks and video game publisher THQ. Jakks on Wednesday said it intended to exercise an...  Continue reading

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Posted on July 1, 2009 at 2:52 PM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy | Divesting and Restructuring | Joint Ventures and Alliances
Tagged: paramount , Viacom Inc.

The business is profitable but not growing, and one of these days it will start shrinking. Several rivals are in exactly the same boat.It's a classic recipe for co-opetition -- in this case, combining manufacturing and back-office operations in a joint venture with one or more rivals to cut costs,...  Continue reading

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Posted on July 1, 2009 at 10:22 AM
Filed under: Joint Ventures and Alliances
Tagged: Advent International , Bank of America Corp. , Fifth Third Bancorp , First Data Corp , Joint Venture

Fifth Third Bancorp  (NASDAQ:FITB) and the private equity firm Advent International Corp. have completed their $2.35 billion processing joint venture. As The Deal Pipeline subscribers learned in March, Advent agreed to acquire 51% of the Cincinnati bank's payment processing division for $561 million in cash. Fifth Third loaned $1.25 billion...  Continue reading

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Posted on June 30, 2009 at 5:04 PM
Filed under: Detroit Breakdown | Divesting and Restructuring | Joint Ventures and Alliances
Tagged: general motors corp. , NUMMI , Toyota Motor Corp.

General Motors Corp.'s decision to drop out of a California joint venture has created a difficult decision for partner Toyota Motor Corp.Bankrupt GM said Monday that its 50% stake in the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., or Nummi, facility in Freemont would not be part of the revitalized company that...  Continue reading

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Posted on June 30, 2009 at 4:44 PM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy | Divesting and Restructuring | Growth Strategy | Joint Ventures and Alliances
Tagged: areva sa , Constellation Energy Group , mitsubishi heavy industries

French nuclear engineering giant Areva SA is expected to put its transmission and distribution business up for sale to finance new investment, Paris-based Paul Whitfield reports on The Deal Pipeline (subscription required).The decision, and a related move by state-controlled Areva to seek outside investors, is the latest example of the...  Continue reading

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Posted on June 29, 2009 at 3:29 PM
Filed under: Acquisitions | Corporate Strategy | Deal International | Growth Strategy | Joint Ventures and Alliances | Middle market | Sector Watch | Trends
Tagged: Bayer , Eli Lilly , FCCB , Merial , Novartis , Pfizer , Provimi , Sanofi , Vétoquinol , Virbac , Wockhardt , Wyeth

In a broader effort to focus on its human pharmaceutical business and raise cash (as well as investor confidence), Indian generic drug maker Wockhardt Ltd. is selling its animal health division to France's Vétoquinol. The deal marks Vétoquinol's entrance into India. Earlier this month, Wockhardt sold its German business Esparma...  Continue reading

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Posted on June 29, 2009 at 2:10 PM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy | Joint Ventures and Alliances
Tagged: bank of america corp. , first data corp

On Monday credit and debit card processor First Data Corp. -- a highly leveraged portfolio company of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. -- announced the formation of a payments joint venture with Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC).The JV will be based in Atlanta, have 1,000 employees, and it expects to...  Continue reading

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Posted on June 25, 2009 at 2:09 PM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy | Joint Ventures and Alliances
Tagged: airtran airways , frontier airlines , midwest air group , republic airways

Republic Airways Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:RJET), which announced deals to acquire two different airlines earlier this week, is apparently wasting little time getting its new subsidiaries to work together.Indianapolis-based Republic, which currently provides small jet service for larger airlines, in a 24-hour period struck deals worth a combined $140 million to...  Continue reading

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Posted on June 24, 2009 at 1:19 PM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy | Deal International | Growth Strategy | Information Technology | Joint Ventures and Alliances | People
Tagged: Anand Chandrasekher , Conan O'Brien , Intel , Nokia , smart phones , Tonight Show

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) and Nokia Corp. (NYSE:NOK), which have worked together on research projects, will now turn to the task of manufacturing, collaborating on smartphones and perhaps a new class of wireless device. Intel, the world's largest computer chipmaker, will sell chips to Nokia, while licensing some of Nokia's modem...  Continue reading

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