Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: March 26, 2026, 5:30 PM ET

Dealmaking & Exits Across Sectors

Private equity deal execution saw varied activity, with a major exit in beauty and several strategic add-ons across healthcare and logistics. Advent agreed to sell its stake in premium haircare brand OLAPLEX to Henkel in a $1.4 billion transaction, signaling acceleration in high-end beauty M&A despite broader geopolitical pressures. In infrastructure and services, Audax and Greenbriar co-investors sold airport services firm AGI to Lone Star, concluding their 2021 investment. Meanwhile, Sun European acquired B&H Worldwide, an aviation and aerospace logistics firm based near Heathrow, in a move that follows a similar investment in an aerospace logistics business earlier in the week.

Healthcare & Vertical Software Roll-ups

The healthcare sector remains a target for consolidation, with a focus on specialized services and potential secondaries activity. Olympus Partners-backed EyeSouth completed an add-on acquisition of Aslett-Kurica Eye Center, continuing its build-out as an Atlanta-based management services organization in ophthalmology. Separately, healthcare-focused Linden is contemplating a secondaries strategy, joining a trend where sector specialists explore liquidity options for existing funds. Furthermore, analysis suggests women’s health is particularly ripe for PE investment, evidenced by the pending $18.3 billion take-private of Hologic by Blackstone and TPG. In vertical software, FPE-backed Point74 purchased compliance platform Quor to forge the UK’s first unified food software platform.

Defense Tech, Power Infrastructure, and Financing

Activity in defense and critical infrastructure saw significant capital deployment, often involving large established players. Advent committed capital to defense tech firm Shield AI, with a portion of the proceeds earmarked to fund Shield AI’s planned purchase of Aechelon Technology Inc, a Sagewind Capital portfolio company. In power services, Clearlake Capital purchased Qualus from New Mountain, capitalizing on soaring regional power demand, which simultaneously provided a large payout for employees of the seller’s portfolio company, Cool IT Technologies, following KKR’s exit. On the financing front, Bank of America launched a dedicated Private Capital M&A Group aimed specifically at unlocking private equity exits for clients.

Geographic Focus and Regional Investment Pledges

Middle Eastern capital deployment remains active despite regional tensions, while GPs are keenly aware of fundraising dynamics in the region. Blackstone committed $250 million into a UAE payments platform as part of a larger $1 billion regional bet, while Alterra backed General Atlantic’s investment in Wireless Logic, continuing the flow of capital into European tech assets via Middle Eastern LP commitments. Managers seeking capital must double down on serving investor needs in the Middle East to improve their chances of successful fundraising. In the UK, attention is also turning beyond London, with specific regions identified as highly investable across the nation.

Venture Backing and Early-Stage Trends

While the broader venture market faces maturity pressures, seed funding remains competitive, particularly at the higher end of the initial funding spectrum. Among US seed deals, only rounds valued at $10 million and above demonstrated growth in 2025, according to Crunchbase data, indicating increased competition for larger early-stage bets rather than smaller initial checks. This intense competition surfaces in accelerator programs, where 16 startups from Y Combinator’s W’26 Demo Day were flagged as particularly interesting, ranging from AI-driven tools to humanoid robotics ventures. In insurtech, Terminus Capital took a majority stake in Andesa, intending to fuel further application development and scale administrative tools.

Fund Finance and Investor Relations Shifts

The operational side of private equity is seeing technological integration, particularly in investor relations, alongside financing friction. Anecdotes suggest that AI tools are already playing a significant role in managing placement agent interactions. However, portfolio companies within embattled software sectors face a looming maturity wall, and GPs are currently navigating friction within the fund finance process itself as they seek leverage. Elsewhere, Bain Capital secured a A$430 million loan, equivalent to approximately $300 million, to finance its acquisition of an Australian wealth management firm.