As a founder equity tends to be one of the most cherished assets at your startup.  I’ve now been involved in a healthy volume of equity related startup equations (~10), I’ve participated in some and passed on others (I’m passing more these days).  One founder miss talent opportunities due to unwillingness to distribute real equity (he complained how hard he has worked to get to this point). For many of us, it is ONE of the drivers of entrepreneurship – to own our businesses and have a shot at real wealth creation (wealth is different than rich – you can get rich in corporate America). 

Los Angeles-based private equity firm Platinum Equity said Tuesday that it is merging two of its portfolio firms, Pomeroy IT Solutions Inc. Tags: acquisition merger equity platinu and OAO Technology Solutions. Platinum acquired Pomeroy in November of 2009, and acquired OAO Technology Solutions in January of 2010. The firm said the combination

Santa Monica-based SharesPost.com , which recently launched a marketplace for private company shares, said Wednesday that the firm has inked a deal with Advanced Equities. Tags: sharespost advanced equities private placement venture capita According to the firm, AEI brokers will be available to assist SharesPost members who need help marketing the shares in private companies; the deal also allows clients of AEI to have better control over resale of shares on SharesPost's bulletin board. The firms said they expect to offer approximately $150M worth of private placements from AEI at launch.

La Jolla-based private equity firm JMI Equity has scored a major win, as Computer Associates said Wednesday afternoon that it would acquire portfolio firm Nimsoft , a maker of IT management software. JMI Equity's Peter Arrowsmith represents JMI Equity on Nimsoft's board; Nimsoft had raised only around $22M in capital from JMI--the original Series A investor in the firm--Goldman Sachs, and Northzone Ventures. ...Tags: CA said it would pay $350M for Nimsoft, which is based in the Bay area. Tags: equity private nimsoft merger acquisition venture capita

Los Angeles-based Platinum Equity has acquired OAO Technology Solutions , a provider of managed IT services and solutions based in Maryland, the firm announced this morning. Platinum Equity said it acquired OAO Technology Solutions from an affiliate of J.F. Platinum Equity was advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP in the deal, with OAOT represented by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, KippsDeSanto & Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. Lehman & Company and other stockholders.

Los Angeles-based private equity firm Platinum Equity said Thursday that the firm has acquired a majority stake in Canvas Systems LLC, a supplier of used and refurbished IT equipment and services. Tags: platinum equity private merger acquisition canvas systems equipment electronic Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Platinum said it purchased Canvas Systems from Atlanta-based OHC, LLC, which also owns IT consulting firm Corus360.

The mysterious private equity firms in a bidding war for Santa Ana-based MSC Software are Vector Capital and Golden Gate Capital, according to a report from TheDeal, citing sources close to the negotiation efforts. group of unnamed, private equity firm have been bidding against Symphony Technology Group to gain control of MSC, which makes simulation software used to develop and test product designs. A The latest bid on MSC.Software was on Tuesday, when the undisclosed group of private equity firms offered $8.50

Beverly Hills-based private equity firm Shackleton Advisors announced today that it has acquired SafeHarbor Technology , a Seattle-based provider of software for managing inbound telephone, email, and chat requests. Tags: shackleton equity partners private safeharbor merger acquisition softwar Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. SafeHarbor provides software used to service customer requests and reduce customer support costs, and counts IBM, American Airlines, T-Mobile, Sprint, and SunTrust as customers.

Los Angeles-based SolarReserve, a developer of utility scale renewable energy solar power plants, has scored an investment from Argonaut Private Equity. Argonaut said Thursday it is expanding its stake in SolarReserve, but did not detail the amount of the additional investment in the firm. SolarReserve is developing thermal solar energy plants based on molten salt and heliostats.

Santa Monica-based SharesPost , a new startup out of Scott Painter's BrightHouse incubator, said Tuesday morning that the firm has launched on online platform which will match buyers and sellers of private equity. Tags: brighthouse painter scott marketplace stock private equity sharespos According to the firm, it will allow buyers and sellers of privately held companies to sell and buy shares in privately held firms, through secondary market transactions. Among the private shares that sellers are looking to unload on the site are shares in Facebook, LinkedIn, SolarCity, Tesla Motors,