Private Equity 24-Hour Briefing
×Last updated: October 7, 2026, 10:00 PM ET
Mega-Deals and Take-Privates
CD&R and McKesson agreed a $5.8bn take-private of Option Care Health, one of the largest healthcare buyouts in recent months. KKR, meanwhile, agreed a $5.1bn purchase of Gen II Fund Services from Hg and General Atlantic, a sizeable bet on the back-office infrastructure that supports fund managers. CVC and GBL raised their offer for Italian pharmaceutical group Recordati to €53 a share in what they described as a "best and final" bid, signalling how competitive European listed-company bids have become.
Exits and Portfolio Sales
Blackstone agreed a $3.0bn sale of its B2B events business Clarion to Informa, a strong realisation for the firm on an asset owning more than 100 specialist trade brands. Apposite Capital completed the first exit from its Healthcare III fund with the sale of Crest Optics to Evident, while Old Ironsides and EnCap Flatrock's Brazos sealed a $4.4bn sale of Midland Basin gas assets to ONEOK.
Infrastructure and Energy
GIP and CPP Investments took half of a new AT&T fibre joint venture, underlining continued institutional appetite for digital infrastructure. Partners Group-backed Middle River Power bought a California gas plant from Ares, adding dispatchable generation capacity as power demand rises.
Healthcare and Services
Altaris completed its carve-out of Clarivate's life sciences and healthcare business, an AI-enabled data and decision-support platform. Integrity Care Group, backed by Goldman Sachs, completed a deal for 15 Next Care clinics across three states. Spectrum Equity made its first institutional investment in hospital data firm Symmetric, which maintains a database of nearly 20 million healthcare records.
Mid-Market and Sector Deals
BDT and MSD agreed to acquire Sunrise Senior Living from PSP Investments, a platform spanning more than 230 senior living communities. Carlyle and CVC's CFGI struck a deal for Texas advisory firm BAO Consulting, while North Branch Capital backed industrial maintenance provider Callaway Industrial Services. Align Capital Partners' Advantage Investigations added Nor Star Investigations, and Searchlight and Fitzroy agreed to acquire credit manager Kredinor from Spare Bank 1 Gruppen.
Sustainability and Water
Eurazeo moved to take a majority stake in water efficiency specialist Miya, which helps utilities cut non-revenue water losses. The same firm's Miya move was reported alongside Blackstone's Clarion exit in the same news cycle.
Fundraising and LP Commitments
Fundraising rose in Q3, according to preliminary PEI Group data, as covered in the latest Side Letter. Boka targeted $300m for its third defence fund, with a final close aimed for Q1. LGPS Central's partner funds committed an additional £2bn to private markets across the £108bn pension pool.
Venture and Growth Backdrop
North America's startup funding fell in Q3 as AI giants eyed public markets, with investors committing $92 billion across seed through growth rounds. Endeavor Catalyst raised $320 million to back founders outside Silicon Valley. Mecka AI secured $60 million from Sequoia to train humanoid robots on human motion data. Owkin alumnus Rivercell raised a $25m seed round to build a world model for human cells. Hilt, a cybersecurity startup, raised $4.2M in seed funding, and Aleph Alpha and Mistral's latest releases raised hopes for Europe's sovereign AI ambitions. Commentary on the sector pointed to tougher scrutiny as AI IPOs raise the bar for investors, while Sifted examined the harder case facing European defence tech.
Events and Ecosystem
Tech Crunch Disrupt 2026 is six days away, with more than 10,000 attendees expected, and early-bird pass savings are available before doors open. SIPA Day 2026 returns to New York on October 15 and is highlighted alongside Sojourner's merger with LPNA.