Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: June 25, 2026, 8:30 PM ET

Fundraising & Capital Raises

Main Capital Partners secured a record €5.25 billion in fundraisings for two new funds, marking the largest private equity buyout fundraise in the Netherlands to date and achieving this in under six months. In the venture capital space, Patronus AI, a startup founded by former Meta AI researchers focused on stress-testing AI agents, has raised $50 million amid what its investors describe as near-insatiable demand. The British Business Bank is also actively deploying capital, backing 10 venture capital funds with a £90 million allocation and eyeing a stake in the EU's €5 billion Scaleup Fund British Business Bank backs.

Deal Activity & Acquisitions

Advent International is set to acquire Japan Wellbeing (JWB), a major integrated home care provider, from MBK Partners, marking the firm’s entry into the Japanese market. In a significant carve-out, Bain Capital is acquiring a 51% majority stake in Everllence, a Volkswagen Group unit specializing in propulsion and decarbonization products for industrial sectors, in a deal valued at €7.4 billion. Meanwhile, Carlyle Group has launched a dedicated defense and reindustrialization fund, registered as Carlyle Defense and Reindustrialization Partners in June.

Sector-Specific Investments

CVC Capital Partners plans to invest in the online chess platform Chess.com, with existing investor General Atlantic retaining a stake. In the Japanese real estate sector, Blackstone and Bain Capital are advancing in the second round of bidding for Fuji Media Holdings' property arm, a deal that could become Japan's largest real estate transaction. HarbourView has acquired the publisher's share of certain songs written by the Wolf Cousins collective, which includes songwriters like Ilya Salmanzadeh and Oscar Holter.

Strategic Exits & Divestitures

Tikehau Capital has agreed to exit its investment in Aubert & Duval, selling the complex metallic materials manufacturer to Airbus and Safran. Ambienta is exiting its investment in Cap Vert, a French environmental services provider, selling the company to Gimv. The Sterling Group is selling its sustainable building products company Tangent to Platinum Equity, which is also acquiring Tangent.

Technology & AI Focus

The integration of artificial intelligence within private equity is being driven by operators, who understand that AI capabilities and use cases are constantly evolving private equity AI advantage. European startups, however, face challenges in scaling AI, with the best founders prioritizing long-term development over immediate funding rounds scale AI in Europe. Meanwhile, AI agent-testing startup Patronus AI is experiencing high demand, securing $50 million to build environments for stress-testing AI systems.

Market Trends & Valuations

KKR has signaled an acceleration in its exit strategies, reporting that monetization activity from March 31 to June 24 generated over $900 million, indicating a pickup in capital returns to investors. The secondaries market is facing scrutiny regarding its benchmarking practices, raising questions about how the strategy’s performance should be measured and whether traditional private equity benchmarks are appropriate secondaries benchmarking problem. The market for Net Asset Value (NAV) financing is maturing, with evolving use cases and a broader lender base creating a more complex ecosystem NAV financing maturing.

Geographic & Sectoral Deals

Quadrivio & Pambianco and Capdesia Group are acquiring Alice Pizza, Italy's largest fast-casual pizza chain, which operates 231 sites. In the U.S., Southfield-backed Osprey Landscape Group has acquired commercial landscape services firm Land Graphics. Bessemer-backed Mas Restaurant Group has sold 43 Ohio locations of its Taco Bell franchise to Southpaw.

Financial & Strategic Infrastructure

Permira and Warburg Pincus are leading an investor group in taking Clearwater Analytics private in an $8.4 billion transaction, with Francisco Partners and Temasek participating. Elsewhere, Blue Owl Capital is in advanced discussions to acquire a minority stake in the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. In the realm of sustainability-linked finance, EQT has secured a facility that addresses materiality and impact in the current economic climate.

European & UK Tech Environment

The potential for increased taxation in the UK's tech sector under a Labour government is a concern for figures like Brent Hoberman, who questions whether the focus will be on taxing businesses heavily. The European tech scene is seeing significant funding rounds, such as Alan raising €480 million in a Series G round led by Prosus, and N26 achieving profitability after a leadership restructuring. There is also a growing interest in nuclear startups among European investors amid a push for sovereign energy solutions Europe's investors eye.