Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: July 29, 2026, 2:30 PM ET

Private Equity Dealmaking Continues Amidst Sector Shifts

Vista Equity Partners is set to acquire software firm Quantios from Hg, a deal that follows Hg's prior investments and a strategic merger of businesses. Macquarie lining up waste management company Win Waste for a sale, anticipating interest from both strategic buyers and infrastructure funds. Carlyle-backed Included Health announced its intention to acquire Firefly Health, a move within the healthcare sector. Open Gate Capital has agreed to acquire Merak, Knorr-Bremse’s rail HVAC unit, leveraging the target's extensive engineering history. In a significant transaction, Apax will acquire medical packaging firm Centor and another plastic packaging company from Gerresheimer for €1.5 billion, with the combined businesses generating approximately €570 million in revenue in 2025. Investcorp scooped up wealth management firm Berger Financial Group, which manages over $3 billion in assets for more than 3,800 clients. Gemspring-backed Key Line has merged with utility services firm Palouse Power, expanding their reach in construction and maintenance for infrastructure. Carbyne-backed Suan Nutra is set to acquire a portfolio of natural ingredients businesses from IFF. Providence made additional in talent agency The Team, which will use the capital to acquire the founder's remaining ownership stake. Meanwhile, water tech firm Xylem intends to acquire Eagle Tree-backed Water Fleet for $200 million, a provider of mobile water and wastewater utility services. Juniper Capital has exited Andes Coil Processors, marking its 11th exit from a portfolio of four platform companies since 2017.

Infrastructure and Technology Investments Drive Growth

Bain Capital is leading a $1.5 billion investment in the infrastructure platform Eaton Fiber, a capital infusion aimed at accelerating Verizon's fiber broadband expansion across the United States. Bain Capital also led a separate $1.5 billion investment in Eaton Fiber, with additional news highlighting THL's use of an AI value creation strategy in the AMI sale, and Golub Capital's investment in Church's Texas Chicken. In the technology sector, former Meta and Slack engineers have raised $15 million for their new startup, Centralize, an enterprise sales platform that aims to build a "deal GPS" for enterprise sales. Freehand has secured $75 million in Series B funding to scale its autonomous AI agents designed to manage supply chain spend and back-office operations for enterprises. Pliant has achieved $100 million in annual recurring revenue following its US expansion.

UK Market Activity and AI's Evolving Role in Private Equity

The United Kingdom continues to be a significant market for private equity, with global macroeconomic uncertainties driving more investor interest towards Europe and consequently increasing the UK's share of activity. Amidst this, the role of Artificial Intelligence in value creation is facing increasing scrutiny, with some expressing concerns that General Partners might be overpromising and underdelivering on AI's potential for top-line growth. Despite this, AI's influence is undeniable, though some argue that the biggest long-term gains from AI will benefit middle-market technology companies rather than large incumbents or AI-native startups. There is also a notable trend of "AI fatigue" emerging, which Providence's Karim Tabet suggests provides an indirect boost for live events and other sectors where physical scarcity holds increased value. Tabet also noted that more sellers are becoming "realistic" on their expectations for "must-move" assets, with new investment opportunities arising in communications, live events, and education against the backdrop of AI. Furthermore, the "AI label alone" may not be sufficient to sway Limited Partners, and some platforms are experiencing a "gating-gate" effect on their appetite for evergreen funds.

Secondaries Market and Investor Strategies

Secondaries-focused funds, despite representing only 4% of private real estate fundraising in 2025, continue to attract substantial capital commitments. Details of Fox Path’s debut credit secondaries fund have been disclosed, following a partnership last year with Reinsurance Group of America to support its future funds and strategy disclosed. One of Europe's most active Limited Partners is actively seeking Venture Capital firms with strong "industrial know-how."