Former Slack CFO Allen Shim recently joined FinAccel’s board of directors. Meanwhile, carbon management startup Avarni raised $3 million, while US private equity giant Blackstone is reportedly showing interest in KKR’s pubs business.
Allen Shim joins FinAccel
FinAccel, the parent company of Kredivo, announced on Thursday that former Slack CFO Allen Shim has joined its board of directors to support the company’s plans to go for an IPO in the next two years.
Shim will also take part in FinAccel’s upcoming launch of its neo-bank, Krom Bank Indonesia, which was previously known as Bank Bisnis, the statement said.
In his role as CFO, Shim built Slack’s finance and operational function from scratch. He also led the direct listing of the company on the NYSE and oversaw the acquisition of Slack by Salesforce.com.
“[Allen Shim] possesses a wide breadth of expertise across business and finance topics relevant for any high-growth tech company. I’m delighted to welcome him to our Board of Directors and to leverage his insights as we expand our footprint and work towards an IPO in the next 12-24 months,” Akshay Garg, FinAccel group CEO and board chairman, said in the statement.
Advancing decarbonisation efforts
Australian carbon management startup Avarni has raised $3 million in a round led by deep-tech venture firm Main Sequence to speed up decarbonisation efforts, according to a statement on Thursday.
The round, which was the company’s second fundraising since it was founded in 2021, was joined by existing investors Vulpes Ventures and Common Sense Ventures.
Mike Zimmerman, a partner at Main Sequence, will join the Avarni board following the recent funding.
“Now, we’re entering a new exciting phase, which will see us remain laser focused on providing extensive data sets and insights to become the go-to carbon management platform for companies and their advisors,” Tony Yammine, Avarni co-founder and CEO, said.
Blackstone eyes KKR’s Australian Venue Co
US private equity giant Blackstone is said to have shown interest in buying KKR’s pubs and other entertainment businesses, Australian Venue Co, as reported by the Australian Financial Review.
Buyout firm BGH Capital has also shown interest in the business. The Financial Review, on account of sources, said BGH has been more engaged with Australian Venue Co.
The publication reported in early September that hired an investment bank Jefferies to evaluate a potential sale of the pub owner.
KKR is understood to be seeking around $1 billion for Australian Venue Co, Australia’s second-largest owner of pubs and hospitality venues.