B2B and Energy Big in the South

Quantum Energy Partners has entered into a definitive agreement to invest $300 million of platform financing in Renaissance Offshore, a developer of oil fields. Quantum provides private equity capital to the global energy industry, with portfolio companies operating in the U.S., Canada and Europe engaged in multiple sectors and strategies within the energy industry.

Since the beginning of 2010, PE investors have invested in 583 companies headquartered in the South region of the U.S., according to the PitchBook Platform. Last year, 290 deals were completed in the region, holding steady from 293 during 2010. The B2B industry led investment in the South during the roughly two-year time period, accounting for 28% of the activity, followed closely by Energy with a 25% share. Healthcare, however, saw the biggest jump in its share of the region's activity from 2010 to 2011, rising 4 percentage points to a 13% share in 2011.