Private Equity Firm Dubilier & Co. Expands Media Investment Portfolio with Early-Stage Venture

Business Wire, July 7, 2008

OOSKAnews, Inc., Sole Water Sector News Service on Global Emerging Markets

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Dubilier & Co., a private equity firm which has been establishing a footprint in media services with plans to build an independent news service covering natural renewable resources, announced its early-stage venture investment of OOSKAnews, Inc.

OOSKAnews, Inc. is a business publishing house specializing in news delivery, analysis and business intelligence on the water sector in emerging global markets. It produces three "Weekly Water Report," the sole subscriber-based electronic newsletter in the industry. The publications cover the highly-charged geopolitics of private and public water sector development in Eastern Europe/Former Soviet Union, Middle East and Africa, and Southern and Eastern Asia, reaching thousands of readers in more than 40 countries. The Warrenton, Va.-based company, which takes its name "ooska" from the Scottish Gaelic "uisge," meaning water, was founded in 2006 by CEO and publisher David Duncan, the former CEO of Newsbase, an international business intelligence newsletter company covering the oil and gas sector. Anne Gordon, a Dubilier & Co. partner (and former Philadelphia Inquirer managing editor), now serves as OOSKAnews' chair.

"Water is a highly valuable commodity and there is an important need for news and information about private water industry opportunities in both developed and developing countries," said Gordon. "So, we are very excited about the water-related media space and David Duncan's considerable knowledge about the business of water."

Dubilier & Co.'s investment will enable OOSKAnews, Inc. to increase its geographical reach, and expand into hosting international conferences on private sector water development.

"Partnering with Dubilier & Co. will allow us to draw on both rich media-specific experience and financial expertise," said Duncan. "That's a great combination."

Dubilier & Co., founded in 1994 by Michael Dubilier, focuses on investments in all stages of a company's lifecycle, from venture capital to acquisition. Since its opening, Dubilier & Co. has invested in and overseen more than 15 different investments in the full range of alternative investment classes, including middle-market leveraged buyouts, early- and later-stage venture capital, media investments, restructurings, and financial products, such as sponsored hedge funds. Dubilier & Co. currently has seven firms in its portfolio including ODC Nimbus, DC Safety Sales, Inc., and Covario.