Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: May 9, 2026, 2:30 AM ET

Venture Capital & Deal Flow

Venture capital continued its focus on artificial intelligence, with top funding rounds this week spanning enterprise AI, biotech, and space technology sectors, reflecting sustained PE interest in deep technology applications. This focus on cutting-edge tech contrasts with sectors like sales and marketing, which have still managed to pull in approximately $2.7bn globally so far in 2026 across seed-to-growth stages. In a niche area of consumer focus, Mother Ventures successfully raised a $10 million debut fund targeting mothers as a key consumer demographic, illustrating the diversification of specialized VC mandates. Meanwhile, the European defense industry is seeing a new wave of investment centered on missile startups, despite broader M&A complications.

Healthcare & Sector Acquisitions

Private equity firms are aggressively pursuing the telehealth sector, with approximately five deals surfacing recently as remote healthcare demand climbs. This interest follows a successful exit for Siris Capital, which is poised to triple its money on the anticipated sale of Equiniti, a portfolio company benefiting from shifts toward remote services. Elsewhere in healthcare consolidation, Amulet Capital is moving to acquire TFP Fertility Group from Benefit Street Partners, integrating an established network of 10 UK and Polish fertility clinics and 21 satellite centers. Separately, FH Capital announced its plan to purchase a majority stake in Jinko Solar’s US subsidiary, although Jinko Solar will retain a minority position in the energy component of the transaction.

Investor Strategy & Global Mandates

Limited partners are signaling varied risk appetites globally, with South Korea's Kiwoom Asset Management favoring a relatively risk-averse approach as it eyes potential allocations to North American and Western European funds. In contrast, Montana Capital Partners is deploying $40 million across fund, secondary, and co-investment strategies specifically focused on climate and social impact mandates via a discretionary vehicle. The complex environment for defense valuations, complicated by the "war effect," was noted by Houlihan Lokey, which confirmed the rejection of EQT’s third offer for Intertek, a major assurance and testing firm. Furthermore, Australian pension reform discussions, which could potentially benchmark total superfund returns rather than measuring asset classes separately, may influence future PE allocations there.

Technology & Sector Opportunity

While enterprise AI captures headline funding, European investment research suggests a significant, untapped opportunity exists within the continent's trades sector, where current software tools are reportedly inadequate for workers' needs. This points toward potential future growth areas for specialized software buyouts. Separately, in a reminder for industry professionals, the deadline approaches for securing a discounted second pass to Tech Crunch Disrupt 2026, encouraging firms to bring partners or co-founders to the 2026 conference at half price.