Performance achieved through expertise, innovation and personal relationships – that’s the hallmark of a Waveland venture. The following case studies represent our commitment to performance for the benefit of our clients and financial advisors.
Texoma Partners, L.P.
In March 2007, Texoma Partners, L.P. (the “Fund”), a leasebank and pipeline investment fund managed by Waveland Energy Ventures LLC, acquired a 60% working interest in 35,000 leased net mineral acres in the emerging Woodford Shale Play in southeastern Oklahoma (“Texoma” or the “Project”) from Oracle Resources, Ltd. (“Oracle”), an independent oil and gas company based in Dallas, Texas.
During 2007, the Fund began the joint development of the Project with Oracle by drilling nine wells and building a pipeline infrastructure. In July 2007, Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK, “Chesapeake”) offered to buy certain working interests and pipeline assets from Oracle and the Fund at a substantial premium to the price paid by the Fund.
In late 2007, Oracle closed on the sale of the 40% interest it owned in the Project to Chesapeake. On January 9, 2008, the Fund closed on the sale of 50% of its working interests in the leases it held at Texoma and 100% of its interests in the pipeline. Excluded from the Fund’s transaction were 4,720 acres on which the nine wells were drilled by three Waveland drilling funds.
The Fund now owns half of its original 60% interest (i.e., 30%) in the Project, has received in excess of 100% of its originally invested capital in approximately 18 months, retains carried interests in sections where the nine initial wells were drilled, and will continue to receive cash distributions from the future sale of leased acreage and carried interests in future wells drilled by Waveland-managed drilling funds on the Project’s acreage. In addition, the Fund will benefit from the operating expertise of Chesapeake, the most active driller of natural gas wells in the U.S.
Endoscopic Technologies, Inc.
Endoscopic Technologies, Inc. (“ESTECH”) is a medical device company founded in 1996 to provide cardiac surgeons with a wide range of innovative minimally invasive cardiac surgery tools. The company’s products address three large cardiovascular surgery markets: coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), valve replacement and repair, and cardiac ablation, and are protected by approximately 200 issued and pending patents.
After completing a $4 million investment in ESTECH’s Series A Preferred Stock offering and participating in the company’s subsequent Series B offering, Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) was the sole investor in two additional offerings and the companies entered into a joint product development that resulted in much of what is now ESTECH’s COBRA¨ line of cardiac ablation systems. After Boston Scientific decided to focus its efforts in the cardiology and heart rhythm markets following its $27 billion acquisition of Guidant Corporation (the largest medical device transaction in history), ESTECH and several other companies in which Boston Scientific had made significant investments faced an uncertain future as it related to financing.
After Saints Capital acquired most of Boston Scientific’s investment portfolio, Waveland worked with Saints and one of ESTECH’s other venture backers to invest $11 million in new capital. The board of directors then put a new management team into place and the company completed an additional $9 million of financing in which Waveland also participated alongside the same investors and new lead venture firm NBGI. This recapitalization, in which Waveland was the only non-traditional venture investor, has enabled the company to regain its traction, with over $20 million in run rate revenues, and continue its focus on being the top specialized vendor of cardiovascular surgical tools. Unlike at least one institutional investor, Waveland was able to protect its investors from conversion to common stock as part of ESTECH’s recapitalization and Waveland has solidified its position as second largest investor in the company after Saints Capital.