Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: July 21, 2026, 11:30 AM ET

Buyouts and Exits Reflect Market Activity

Searchlight and Abry of IoT company Kore, signaling continued activity in the sector. In a significant energy sector transaction, Kayne Anderson and Warburg Pincus agreed to sell Wild Fire Energy for approximately $4.06 billion to Magnolia Oil & Gas Corporation. Separately, Blackstone, Apollo, and KKR committed $5.34 billion to Williams' power projects, taking a substantial non-controlling interest. Cap Vest completed its acquisition of France’s TSG, a provider of technical services for critical energy infrastructure. CD&R-backed OCS agreed to take facilities management company Mitie private in a £3.1 billion deal, which includes a 46.8% premium to Mitie’s closing share price. In the tech and data space, Apax Partners agreed to acquire techoraco and Institutional Investor from Delinian.

Fundraising and Investment Trends in AI and Infrastructure

The AI sector continues to attract significant capital, with AI secondaries firm Clipway for its debut fund, soaring past its initial $4 billion target. This comes as secondaries fundraising in the first half of the year, marking its second-strongest period across a six-year span. Blackstone's infrastructure arm, GIP, alongside AIP and MGX, highlighting investment in critical digital infrastructure. Carlyle's Pooja Goyal noted that "Building platforms from scratch has become a deliberate part of how we invest," within infrastructure. Meanwhile, maritime nuclear energy startup Bluecore Energy in a pre-seed round to develop portable nuclear reactors.

Venture Capital Focus and Emerging Technologies

European fintech funding in the first half of 2026 has been heavily influenced by artificial intelligence, with a strong sentiment that "If you're not AI-native, you're not getting funded". Black founders in the AI era are seeing improved Series A funding, with Black-founded startups raising approximately $643 million by late May, though this was driven by a handful of deals indicating a need for broader support. Dell Technologies Capital's Daniel Docter believes AI will not kill Saa S, discussing how the technology is reshaping the business model. Natural, a startup focused on reinventing payments for AI agents to challenge established players like Stripe.

Private Markets Navigate Challenges and Opportunities

Fundraising across private markets in the first half of 2026 has seen varied performance, with some pension funds, like a $29 billion entity. The secondaries market, however, continues to show resilience, with volume extending a record-breaking run in the first half of the year. Private real estate investors are increasingly turning to recapitalizations to unlock liquidity and extend hold periods amidst refinancing pressures and elusive exits a strategy to navigate a challenging market. Hellman & Friedman moved Baker Tilly's $3 billion debt from private credit to the syndicated market, indicating a shift in debt financing strategies.

Sector-Specific Investments and Portfolio Company Growth

Kinderhook has invested in aerospace components maker American Aero, marking its 33rd platform investment in the industrials and manufacturing sector. BGF is set to sell Walker Precision Engineering, a provider of mission-critical components to advanced technology aerospace and defense markets, to Karman Space & Defense. O2-backed 4M acquires Bluegrass Commercial Cleaning and Rainbow Maintenance Services, expanding its commercial janitorial services footprint. Carbyne-backed Suan Nutra is acquiring specialty ingredients businesses from IFF, aiming to create an enlarged natural ingredients platform. Enlightenment Capital has invested in govtech firm Quorum to accelerate its product roadmap and expand AI capabilities. Angeles Equity Partners has tapped Kyle Huffman as finance VP for its operations group. Launch Pad, backed by RFE, has snapped up home inspection firm Top to Bottom Services adding to its platform.