Monday, November 25, 2024

DFW Real Estate Investment Group Accelerate Infrastructure Opportunities Raises $780 Million

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Accelerate Infrastructure Opportunities has secured a $780 million capital raise, comprised of a $630 million equity commitment from funds and co-investors managed by CBRE Investment Management and $150 million from inaugural asset-backed securitization.

“We are grateful to CBRE IM and its partners for their investments that allow us to continue to execute and scale our leading infrastructure real estate strategy,” Accelerate Founder and CEO Brennan Potts said. “All our investors recognize the significant need for investment in infrastructure real estate to support the build out of a connected and sustainable economy. Accelerate is here to help meet that need.”

CBRE IM and Accelerate initially partnered in December 2022 to launch its infrastructure site acquisition strategy. Over the past two years, Accelerate has acquired interests in over 200 properties in 38 states under renewable, transportation infrastructure, and digital assets. The company manages and operates real estate sites under critical infrastructure sites that produce sustainable cash flow.

“Combining Accelerate’s high-performing, value-based team with the expertise and breadth of the CBRE platform has allowed Accelerate to quickly win market share across multiple infrastructure sectors and cement its leadership position,” CBRE IM Managing Director Rob Shaw said. Accelerate’s proven track record, creative structuring and long-term partnership focus positions Accelerate to be the partner of choice to help landowners, brokers and infrastructure companies realize the full value of the land underneath critical infrastructure assets.”

Siemens Signs Agreement to Acquire Altair Engineering

Siemens is acquiring Michigan-based Altair Engineering, a computational science and artificial intelligence company that provides software and cloud solutions in simulation and analysis, data science, AI, and high-performance computing that will be combined with Siemens Xcelerator. The deal is worth $10.6 billion.

“This acquisition confirms our position as leader in the industrial software and will enable us to provide an even more comprehensive offering to our customers,” said Timo Nenwtich, Seimens Digital Industries Software CFO, via LinkedIn. “I am truly excited for all the talents, products and capabilities to join our organization.

Altair was founded in 1985 before going public in 2017. Today the company has over 3,500 employees with around 1,400 employees working in research and development. The acquisition is expected to be finalized in the second half of 2025, allowing Siemens to strengthen its position in industrial software and manufacturing processes.

“This acquisition represents the culmination of nearly 40 years in which Altair has grown from a startup in Detroit to a world-class software and technology company,” Altair Founder and CEO James Scapa said. “We believe this combination of two strongly complementary leaders in the engineering software space brings together Altair’s broad portfolio in simulation, data science, and HPC with Siemens’ strong position in mechanical and EDA design. Siemens’ outstanding technology, strategic customer relationships, and honest, technical culture is an excellent fit for Altair to continue its journey driving innovation with computational intelligence.”

Enterprise Browser Company Island Secures Participation From Citi Ventures in Series D

Island has secured a commitment from Citi Ventures, the venture capital arm of Citigroup for its Series D funding round. Island created the enterprise browser, which streamlines and strengthens security postures and reduces cost by modernizes IT infrastructures.

“Enterprises with the most rigorous data security requirements continue to simplify their IT stacks with an enterprise browser,” Island Co-founder and CEO Mike Fey said. “CIOs, CISOs, and their teams have the ideal platform to enhance cybersecurity and drive down costs while delighting end users with unmatched productivity gains. Citi Ventures can bring unique perspective and support to help us expand our footprint in the critically important financial services market worldwide.” 

Coatue Management and Sequoia Capital led the Series D, valuing Island at $3 billion. The investment will allow Island to continue to build security and IT needs directly into its browser, ensuring the safety protections for a multitude of functions.

“Over the last twenty years, we’ve seen the rise of SaaS applications and the deployment of desktop applications to the browser,” Citi Ventures Head of Enterprise Tech Investing Matt Carbonara said. “As applications move into the browser and off the operating system, the browser has become of increasing importance and an ideal place to implement security controls and monitoring. We believe Island has built a best-in-class browser to meet these new security requirements, while also providing functionality to dramatically improve user experience and productivity.”

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