Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: July 1, 2026, 11:30 PM ET

Private Equity Dealmaking & Fundraising

Italian tech group Bending Spoons achieved a 40% surge on its Nasdaq debut, pricing its IPO at $29.00 per share, above the $26-$28 range, and raising $1.68 billion. The company, which has acquired and revamped legacy internet brands, saw its co-founders emphasize minimizing luck in their success, attributing their strategy to lessons learned from past startup failures as Bending Spoons launches new fund. In infrastructure plays, KKR is acquiring EDF's North American renewables arm for $4.2 billion, a record clean-energy investment, and is also taking control of a $1.3 billion SK renewables platform in South Korea to support the nation's AI build-out KKR taking control. Monomoy Capital acquired the quick lube and car service franchise Jiffy Lube for $1.3 billion from a Shell USA subsidiary, while WILsquare-backed Automotive Color & expanded its regional distribution network with the purchase of Ohio Paint Supply.

Fundraising & Investor Activity

Hamilton Lane closed its sixth direct equity fund at $3.8 billion, its largest to date, alongside its Equity Opportunities Fund VI. Ardian is packaging approximately $1 billion of its secondhand fund stakes into debt through a collateralized fund obligation, capitalizing on the booming CFO market. On the investor side, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) has issued a request for proposals for a private equity buyout mandate, planning to commit up to $20 billion MWRA issue RFP. The latest Global Investor 150 ranking has been released, detailing the most active private equity investors, with Canada's BCI tripling its PE exposure BCI triples PE.

Venture Capital & Emerging Growth

Ashton Kutcher is launching a new venture capital firm with Morgan Beller, moving on from Sound Ventures, which focused on AI labs, to pursue the infrastructure layer beneath those companies. Tapestry VC closed its third fund at $80 million, targeting repeat European founders and anticipating a wave of AI exits to generate new entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, ex-Speedinvest partner Rick Hao has launched a $50 million solo GP fund for deeptech startups Rick Hao closes. In a significant early-stage raise, DeepMind Gensyn angels backed Xylo in a £2.8 million round, and one AI founder opted for a $17 million deal with 20VC over bootstrapping AI founder ditched bootstrapping.

Sector-Specific Deals & Investments

KKR's $4.2 billion acquisition of EDF's US and Canada power solutions assets underscores a broader trend of large-scale energy transition investments. In the automotive sector, Monomoy Capital's $1.3 billion purchase of Jiffy Lube highlights private equity's interest in established franchise models. The pool service sector sees Balance Point investing in Aqua Verse, a platform designed to unify various pool service brands. In the B2B software space, Volpi Capital took a majority stake in archiving software firm kgs, which serves enterprise SAP environments, and FPE backed utility software business BMA, a decision intelligence platform for utility companies.

Strategic Acquisitions & Divestitures

In the consumer goods space, IVEST and Cloverlay are preparing to sell the Care Bears brand to Authentic Brands Group in a deal expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, having quadrupled the business in three years IVEST Cloverlay sell. Inflexion sold manufacturer Avantus Aerospace to Arcline, with Avantus and its subsidiaries set to operate under Arcline's Novaria Group. First Reserve-backed Trillium Flow divested select valve businesses to Flowserve, excluding its French operations. Peak Rock sold geospatial services firm SAM to New Mountain, having acquired the company in 2021.

Technology & Infrastructure Investments

Brookfield has increased its financing commitment with Bloom Energy to $25 billion, a fivefold rise since October 2025, to support AI infrastructure power development. In the semiconductor industry, Ardian Semiconductor has taken a minority stake in French AI chip designer VSORA, which is developing next-generation AI inference accelerators for data centers. The self-driving technology scaleup Wayve is set to test the London Stock Exchange's Pisces platform Wayve set test.

Fund Performance & Structure

Behrman has completed a $250 million continuation fund for Shurco, with Coller Capital leading the investment alongside Northleaf Capital Partners and Siguler Guff. Secondaries investors are increasingly comfortable with fund financing in common terms (CVs), with buyers asking advisors to source such financing to optimize returns Secondaries investors grow.

Personnel & Firm Developments

Blue Wolf has appointed Vanessa Generelli as Chief Financial Officer, while Eve Mongiardo will continue as a partner and chief compliance officer. Inflexion announced several promotions to partner, including Sachin Mitra, James Stevens, and Freddy West.

Market Trends & Economic Factors

The tech sector continues to grapple with workforce adjustments, with over 127,000 workers at U.S.-based tech companies laid off in 2025 and continuing into 2026, according to Crunchbase News Crunchbase Tech Layoffs Tracker. In a notable legal development, Klarna won a $1.97 billion antitrust lawsuit against Google. The French government's bid to block the UK from a €5 billion EU fund has sparked backlash French bid block.