Statement re HVPE Participation in Absolute Ten...
31 August 2011
HARBOURVEST GLOBAL PRIVATE EQUITY CONFIRMS
PARTICIPATION IN ABSOLUTE TENDER OFFER AND
ANNOUNCES CONFERENCE CALL ON 7 SEPTEMBER
·       Offer was well received with more than 98% of shares tendered
·       Transaction encompasses the purchase of a mature portfolio of interests
in more than 70 private equity funds, including 2000 to 2008 vintages
·       HVPE's commitment is expected to be approximately $115 million or 14%
of the transaction
·       Offer price represents a 30% discount to Absolute's NAV and is expected
to be accretive to HVPE's NAV
HarbourVest Global Private Equity Limited ("HVPE" or the "Company"), a closed-
end investment company, today confirmed its participation in the public offer
for all bearer shares of Absolute Private Equity, Ltd. ("Absolute"), alongside
secondary funds managed by HarbourVest Partners, LLC. The preliminary final
result, announced today, indicates that 98.68% of Absolute shareholders have
tendered. The definitive final result will be announced on 5 September 2011 and
is not expected to be materially different.
Absolute is an investment company incorporated in Switzerland and listed on SIX
Swiss Exchange with a pool of over 70 private equity partnerships. The
underlying portfolio is broadly diversified by vintage, geography, and industry
and will thus complement HVPE's diversified portfolio.
In the light of the attractive nature of the transaction and in the knowledge
that HarbourVest has confirmed that Absolute will be taken private, HVPE has
increased its commitment to 14% of the transaction, or approximately $115
million. This financial commitment will be reduced should HarbourVest decide
that the acquisition vehicle will borrow funds under its own credit facility.
The increased commitment was recommended by the investment manager and approved
by the Board of Directors.
The tender offer represents a 30% discount to Absolute's most recently reported
net asset value per share (as of 19 August 2011). As detailed in the offer
prospectus, HarbourVest intends to take Absolute private. Based on the discount
and the maturity of the portfolio, this transaction is expected to be accretive
to HVPE's NAV per share when Absolute becomes a private company, which is
expected to occur in 2012.
The investment will be held through an acquisition vehicle. HVPE's interest
will be financed through the use of its existing $500 million credit facility.
The acquisition vehicle may also have a credit facility. Substantially all of
the purchase price of HVPE's interest in Absolute is expected to be repaid
through distributions generated by the mature Absolute portfolio over the next
three years. This transaction is not expected to affect HVPE's previously
announced Share Buyback Programme.
Sir Michael Bunbury, Chairman of HVPEÂ commented: "We are pleased that the offer
for Absolute has reached such a high level of tenders, allowing HarbourVest to
act on its plan to take Absolute private in the near term. This transaction
allows HarbourVest Global Private Equity to be opportunistic in its investment
approach and participate in the purchase of an attractive portfolio of private
equity assets at a significant discount to NAV. Given the maturity of the
portfolio, the cash on the balance sheet, and the near term liquidity expected
from Absolute's assets, the Board believes this is a positive and appropriate
use of the company's credit facility."
The transaction is expected to close on September 13.
Details of 7 September Conference Call
HVPE will host a conference call for investors and analysts to discuss the
Absolute investment. The conference call will be on Wednesday, 7 September
2011 at the following times:Â 17.00 Amsterdam / 16.00 London and Guernsey /
11.00 Boston
The conference call will be accessible via the following numbers:
0800 028 8438 (U.K./Europe toll-free)
+44 (0)20 310 70289 (U.K. local)
+1 706 758 1111 (International)
888 880 9337 (U.S. / Canada toll-free)
The participant passcode is 96156390.
Enquiries:
HarbourVest / HVPE
Laura Thaxter Tel: +1 (617) 348 3695
lthaxter@harbourvest.com
George Anson Tel: +44 (0) 20 7399 9820
Fishburn Hedges
Michelle James / Jason Nisse Tel: +44 (0) 20 7839 4321
HVPE@fishburn-hedges.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
About HarbourVest Global Private Equity Limited:
HarbourVest Global Private Equity Limited ("HVPE") is a Guernsey-incorporated
closed-end investment company which has a dual listing on both the London Stock
Exchange and Euronext Amsterdam. HVPE is registered as an investment
institution with the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets. HVPE is
designed to offer shareholders long-term capital appreciation by investing in a
private equity portfolio diversified by geography, by stage of investment, by
vintage year, and by industry. It invests in and alongside HarbourVest-managed
funds which focus on primary partnership commitments, secondary investments, and
direct investments in operating companies. HVPE is advised by HarbourVest
Advisers L.P., an affiliate of HarbourVest Partners, LLC.
About HarbourVest Partners, LLC:
HarbourVest is an independent global private equity investment firm and an SEC
registered investment advisor, providing vehicles for institutional investors to
invest in
the venture capital and buyout markets in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere
through primary partnerships, secondary purchases, and direct investments. It
was formed in
1982 and has committed more than $30 billion to investments over its 29-year
history. It currently has more than 230 employees in its Boston office and
London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo subsidiaries.
This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute or
form part of any offer to issue or sell, or the solicitation of an offer to
acquire, purchase or subscribe for, any securities in any jurisdiction and
should not be relied upon in connection with any decision to subscribe for or
acquire any Shares. In particular, this announcement does not constitute or
form part of any offer to issue or sell, or the solicitation of an offer to
acquire, purchase or subscribe for, any securities in the United States or to US
Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the US Securities Act of 1933, as
amended ("US Persons")). Neither this announcement nor any copy of it may be
taken, released, published or distributed, directly or indirectly to US Persons
or in or into the United States (including its territories and possessions),
Canada, Australia or Japan, or any jurisdiction where such action would be
unlawful. Accordingly, recipients represent that they are able to receive this
announcement without contravention of any applicable legal or regulatory
restrictions in the jurisdiction in which they reside or conduct business. No
recipient may distribute, or make available, this announcement (directly or
indirectly) to any other person. Recipients of this announcement should inform
themselves about and observe any applicable legal requirements in their
jurisdictions.
The Shares have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act
of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") or with any securities regulatory
authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and,
accordingly, may not be offered, sold, resold, transferred, delivered or
distributed, directly or indirectly, within the United States or to US Persons.
In addition, the Company is not registered under the US Investment Company Act
of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act") and shareholders of the
Company will not have the protections of that act. There will be no public
offer of the Shares in the United States or to US Persons.
This announcement has been prepared by the Company and its investment manager,
HarbourVest Advisers L.P. (the "Investment Manager"). No liability whatsoever
(whether in negligence or otherwise) arising directly or indirectly from the use
of this announcement is accepted and no representation, warranty or undertaking,
express or implied, is or will be made by the Company, the Investment Manager or
any of their respective directors, officers, employees, advisers,
representatives or other agents ("Agents") for any information or any of the
opinions contained herein or for any errors, omissions or misstatements. None of
the Investment Manager nor any of their respective Agents makes or has been
authorised to make any representation or warranties (express or implied) in
relation to the Company or as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of this
announcement, or any other written or oral statement provided. In particular, no
representation or warranty is given as to the achievement or reasonableness of,
and no reliance should be placed on any projections, targets, estimates or
forecasts contained in this announcement and nothing in this announcement is or
should be relied on as a promise or representation as to the future.
Other than as required by applicable laws, the Company gives no undertaking to
update this announcement or any additional information, or to correct any
inaccuracies in it which may become apparent and the distribution of this
announcement. The information contained in this announcement is given at the
date of its publication and is subject to updating, revision and amendment. The
contents of this announcement have not been approved by any competent regulatory
or supervisory authority.
This announcement includes statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward
looking statements". These forward looking statements can be identified by the
use of forward looking terminology, including the terms "believes", "projects",
"estimates", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "plans", "goal", "target",
"aim", "may", "will", "would", "could", "should" or "continue" or, in each case,
their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward
looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts and include
statements regarding the intentions, beliefs or current expectations of the
Company. By their nature, forward looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may
or may not occur in the future and may be beyond the Company's ability to
control or predict. Forward looking statements are not guarantees of future
performance.  More detailed information on the potential factors which could
affect the financial results of the Company is contained in the Company's public
filings and reports.
HarbourVest Global Private Equity Limited is registered with the Netherlands
Authority for the Financial Markets as a collective investment scheme which may
offer participations in The Netherlands pursuant to article 2:66 of the
Financial Markets Supervision Act (Wet op het financieel toezicht). All
investments are subject to risk. Past performance is no guarantee of future
returns. Prospective investors are advised to seek expert legal, financial, tax
and other professional advice before making any investment decision. The value
of investments may fluctuate. Results achieved in the past are no guarantee of
future results.
This announcement is issued by the Company, which is registered with the
Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets and whose registered address is
at Anson Place, Mill Court, La Charroterie, St Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 1EJ.
© 2011 HarbourVest Global Private Equity Limited. All rights reserved.
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of
Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and
other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
Source: HarbourVest Global Private Equity Limited via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1542640]
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