Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: May 12, 2026, 11:30 PM ET

Dealmaking and Portfolio Activity

Private equity deal volume globally remained subdued in Q1, though overall transaction value climbed, indicating a trend toward fewer but larger completed deals according to recent analyses. Amid this environment, dealmakers are preparing for increased activity, with Green Arrow Capital completing the acquisition of DeA Capital, forging Italy’s largest alternative investment manager with €8bn in assets under management. Further consolidation is occurring in specialized sectors; Apollo acquiring Noble Environmental, which services waste collection for municipalities, and Graycliff snapping up Tramont Manufacturing, where the executive chairman will retain a significant stake. In the realm of exits, Gen Nx360 sold Precision Aviation Group to VSE for excess of $2bn, while KKR exited a 213-unit Danish residential portfolio acquired in 2021.

Sector-Specific Acquisitions and Exits

Activity across services and technology saw several strategic moves, including Goldman Sachs Alternatives acquiring commercial finance firm FGI, with FGI’s co-founder succeeding the incumbent CEO. In food manufacturing, E2p-backed Roskam Foods purchased Kitchen Partners, a producer of frozen breakfast foods and custom ingredients based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Elsewhere, platform plays continued, such as Altaline and Haven unveiling the Ascend Safety Collective in the elevator services space, appointing former Kings III CEO Dennis Mason to the board. Furthermore, Branford Castle-backed snaps up Sutter Instrument, a manufacturer of scientific instrumentation for life sciences, while Lorient invested in health platform Peter MD to drive national expansion.

Fundraising Momentum and Investor Relations

Sovereign wealth funds are deepening existing commitments, with the Qatar Investment Authority committing $500m to General Atlantic’s global growth equity strategies, substantially expanding their collaboration. Meanwhile, software specialist PSG is targeting a €3.4bn first-half final close for its third European fund. On the venture side, Kevin Hartz’s firm A* closed its third fund at $450M, deploying an average check size between $3 million across generalist categories including AI and fintech. In personnel moves, Pantheon recruited CVC’s TMT Europe co-head Leif Lindbäck to bolster its GP-led secondaries push, and Mako appointed Vanessa Gabela to lead capital formation efforts as Partner and IR Head.

Technology, AI, and Secondary Market Dynamics

The intersection of AI and private markets is driving both investment and caution. While European AI funding is demonstrably growing in 2026, prompting startups to potentially poach talent from Big Tech, there are warnings regarding secondary trading platforms attempting to offer access to high-valuation private companies like Anthropic. The AI sector is also creating adjacent infrastructure demands, as evidenced by Advent filing for the INNIO Group IPO, aiming to capitalize on data center power requirements. However, the secondaries market is showing signs of strain, with deal uncertainty causing a dent in burgeoning volumes, and specific segments like software secondaries becoming harder to close according to Harbour Vest, as some software assets face obsolescence.

Geographic Focus and Industry Events

European PE activity is being watched closely, with draft merger guidelines anticipated to be a “broad positive” for dealmaking. EQT is reportedly in a final bid to take Intertek private, while simultaneously launching a tender offer to delist Japan’s Kakaku.com at JPY 3,000 per share. To facilitate industry discussion, major regional conferences are returning, including Switzerland’s Largest Private Equity Conference scheduled for Zurich in June, and CEE’s premier event set for Warsaw in May. In talent strategy, Shore Capital appointed Aurelio Banda to spearhead its platform strategy for building an industrial automation distributor, while Bridge Growth Partners onboarded former Thomson Reuters President Ragunath Ramanathan as executive partner.