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OfficeMax co-founder and KeyCorp MD to form US venture capital firm

The co-founder and CEO of office products retailer OfficeMax and the former head of investment banking at KeyCorp’s McDonald Investments are to form a new venture capital firm focusing on the US retail sector.

Michael Feuer and Ralph Della Ratta will work with emerging growth companies and new retail concepts, as well as mid-size retailers and businesses providing services to retail chains.

‘I believe my background, together with Ralph’s vast financial and capital markets expertise, will enable Max-Ventures to recognize opportunities and build platforms for infusing the missing ingredients into many start-up companies, ranging from a long-range strategic plan, with the requisite systems controls and programs to succeed, to providing growth capital,’ said Feuer.

‘We believe that our skills sets complement each other and together provide entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs with a source to draw on a wide variety of disciplines,’ Delta Ratta added.

For each investment in which Max-Ventures participates, it will form a partnership with both institutional and private investors. The new firm has already identified several investment opportunities and expects to finalise due diligence and strategic planning in early 2004 in preparation for its first investments.

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