Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: September 11, 2026, 2:09 PM ET

Team System Stakes Draw Francisco Partners and KKR

Hellman & Friedman is engineering a private-IPO-style outcome for Italian software group Team System, with Francisco Partners and KKR agreeing terms to acquire minority stakes from the main backer, according to Reuters. The structure keeps H&F anchored in the asset while bringing fresh capital into a company that has become one of Europe's largest vertical software platforms.

CVC Nears $800m Deal for EQT's China Lens Unit

CVC has entered final talks to acquire the mainland China operations of contact lens maker Ginko International from EQT for as much as $800m, Reuters reported, citing four people familiar with the matter. The transaction would mark another example of sponsors trimming Asia exposure and recycling capital into core Western assets.

Bending Spoons Lands Miro at $1.36bn

Bending Spoons agreed to acquire workplace collaboration platform Miro in an all-cash deal valuing the business at an enterprise value of $1.355bn. The purchase extends the Italian acquirer's buy-and-hold software playbook, in which it targets durable subscription franchises and holds them indefinitely rather than flipping to a secondary buyer.

Accel-KKR Takes Eleco Private in £207.6m AIM Delisting

Accel-KKR has agreed to take Eleco, the London-listed construction software group, private in a recommended all-cash deal valuing the company at approximately £207.6m. The take-private removes another small-cap name from AIM, where depressed valuations have made public-market exits increasingly attractive to financial sponsors.

Excelsior Exits Solar Plants to Enel

Excelsior Energy Capital has exited two utility-scale solar plants to Enel. The Faraday and Skyhawk facilities, located in Utah and Tennessee, are backed by long-term power purchase agreements with Pacifi Corp and the Tennessee Valley Authority, giving the buyer contracted, investment-grade cash flows.

Mid Ocean Sells SI Solutions to Macquarie

MidOcean Partners agreed to sell SI Solutions to a Macquarie group entity. Headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina, SI Solutions provides structural integrity engineering, testing and software to critical infrastructure owners and operators across 16 locations, a niche that has drawn steady sponsor interest.

Greenly Buys Normative in €65m Deal

Carbon accounting startup Greenly has acquired competitor Normative in a €65m transaction. The consolidation comes as corporate decarbonisation budgets face scrutiny, pushing smaller climate-software vendors to merge rather than burn cash competing for the same enterprise buyers.

Life Sciences Software Draws Eight Deals

Private equity firms including Ardian, Bregal Sagemount, Riverside and Thoma Bravo are targeting investments in the life sciences software market, with eight deals tracked. Regulatory pressure on clinical trials and drug development is pushing pharma and biotech customers toward compliance and data-management tools, creating a resilient demand backdrop for sponsors.

Korea Post Seeks Domestic Blind-Pool Funds

Korea Post is looking to commit 240bn Korean won to domestic blind-pool private equity funds for 2026. The allocation signals continued institutional appetite in Korea for local managers, even as global LPs remain selective about committing fresh capital to blind-pool vehicles.

Connecticut Courts Smaller GPs

Connecticut is spying opportunity in smaller general partners amid a broader private equity buildout, and the system could also expand its growth equity exposure, which currently sits below its target allocation. The move reflects a wider trend of US public pension systems seeding emerging managers to capture outsized returns.

Zombie Funds Face Reckoning

Until the PE exit environment improves, zombie funds will continue to multiply, with unnaturally long-lived vehicles likely headed toward an "open survival ending" rather than clean wind-downs. The dynamic traps LPs in stale portfolios and complicates fundraising for managers unable to return capital.

Main Capital and HOF Bet on Automotive

Main Capital Partners agreed to acquire a majority stake in VWE Automotive, a provider of software, data and transaction services for the automotive sector. The deal was announced alongside HOF Capital activity, underscoring sponsor appetite for vertical software assets tied to vehicle remarketing and dealer workflows.

AI Moats: Counter-Positioning and Network Economies

AI itself is no longer a durable differentiator, argues guest author SC Moatti of Mighty Capital, who contends the strongest startup moats are counter-positioning and network economies. The thesis matters for venture allocators assessing which AI-era companies can defend pricing power as model capabilities commoditise.

Incredible Health Flips Healthcare Hiring

Iman Abuzeid left clinical medicine to tackle healthcare problems at scale, co-founding Incredible Health, a hiring platform that reverses traditional recruiting by having employers apply to healthcare workers. The model targets persistent nursing shortages that have driven up labour costs across US hospital systems.

First Mark Calls Europe 'Underrated'

US venture firm FirstMark says Europe is underrated right now among American investors, a signal that transatlantic capital is warming to the region's startup ecosystem despite weaker exit markets. The shift could bring more US growth-stage dollars into European rounds.

Defence Tech Scaleup Challenge

Europe's defence tech sector faces a scaleup challenge, with funding gaps hampering efforts to accelerate innovation. The constraints come as governments push for domestic capability and venture investors weigh long development cycles against rising procurement budgets.

Sequoia Scouts Hunt European Deals

Sequoia has deployed a network of venture scouts hunting for deals across Europe, extending its sourcing reach beyond traditional hubs. The approach gives the firm early visibility into seed-stage companies before larger US funds enter.

European Founders Launch Funds

A wave of European founders has set up their own venture funds, recycling operating experience and exits into new vehicles. The trend adds fresh competition for early-stage deals and gives LPs a new cohort of emerging managers.

Capital Efficiency in DACH and CEE

Investors are spotlighting the most capital-efficient startups in DACH and CEE, a ranking that matters as venture funding tightens and founders face pressure to reach milestones on leaner budgets.

VCs Push Into Pro Sports Ownership

Collaborative Fund has bought into D.C. United and its stadium, with firm founder Craig Shapiro pitching it as a way to showcase the firm's startups. The move follows Thrive Capital and other venture firms into pro sports ownership, a category drawing growing institutional capital.

Mark Wahlberg Heads to Disrupt 2026

Mark Wahlberg will join Bruce K. Lee at Tech Crunch Disrupt 2026 to discuss investing, entrepreneurship, healthcare, wellness and building businesses. His appearance highlights the crossover between celebrity capital and venture investing.