Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: July 31, 2026, 11:32 AM ET

Private Equity Eyes Growth in AI and Senior Care

Private equity firms are actively pursuing opportunities in the burgeoning artificial intelligence sector, with several startups securing significant funding. Smallest.ai raised $13M to develop human-like voice AI, aiming to pass the Turing test. Similarly, Ellis AI announced its emergence with $10 million in seed funding for an AI platform tailored to private credit managers. The broader AI boom is also attracting venture capital, with European startups racing to power the sector, and the EU opening applications for a €10 billion AI gigafactory scheme. Meanwhile, the increasing energy demands from AI data centers are driving investment in cleantech, as evidenced by Battery Storage Startup Antora which to accelerate large-scale project deployment.

The senior care market is also a focal point for dealmaking, with multiple private equity firms targeting the segment due to supply and demand gaps. Goldman Sachs, Brightstar Capital, and Health Wave are among the firms actively transacting in senior care, with at least seven deals noted in the space. This activity underscores a strategic push by PE firms to capitalize on demographic tailwinds and service gaps within the senior living and healthcare sectors.

Deal Activity Across Diverse Sectors

Beyond AI and senior care, a range of other sectors are seeing significant private equity and venture capital activity. Platinum Equity has invested in lighting company LMPG, with the founder and management team rolling their equity into the deal. In the medical packaging sector, Apax's €1.5 billion deal is being incentivized by sustainability trends, signaling a growing focus on ESG factors in investment decisions. KKR-backed Spectris has acquired sensor business Sentech, further expanding its portfolio in high-tech precision instrumentation.

Global Vehicle Group, a UK leasing company, has attracted investment from Palladian, which across its brands. In a separate transaction, Apheon-backed Haudecoeur is expanding its European footprint by acquiring food businesses Natur Food and Heliadis, specializing in imported and distributed world food products. Charterhouse Capital Partners has also completed the take-private of Animalcare Group.

Fundraising and Strategic Maneuvers

Major players in the private equity landscape are also making strategic moves in fundraising and capital allocation. Blue Owl is nearing the close of its latest GP stakes fund at $10.6 billion, a vehicle that has seen multiple extensions. CVC Capital Partners is aiming for a third-quarter close on its sixth secondaries fund, having already raised $9.3 billion, and is also planning an infrastructure secondaries vehicle. In a testament to strong market performance, KKR reported its largest-ever monetization quarter, generating $848 million in realized performance income with exit multiples reaching as high as 20x.

In other strategic developments, HIG Capital plans to sell industrial services firm JT Thorpe to Truelink Capital, an asset it acquired in 2022. Meanwhile, the secondary market is seeing nuanced approaches to deal assessment, with a focus on the limitations of using only the hold period as a metric for continuation vehicles as noted by Secondaries Investor. In Europe, universities are demonstrating robust performance in fostering spinout funding, with €4.9 billion raised by 222 spinouts in the first half of 2026 according to Sifted. The venture capital landscape is also showing diversification, with Blossom Capital exploring opportunities in the defense sector.

Venture Capital Trends and Emerging Opportunities

Venture capital continues to fuel innovation across various emerging technologies and industries. The health sector is seeing significant investment, with Function, a health testing platform offering over 100 blood tests via subscription from General Catalyst. Seed-stage funding rounds between $5 million and $10 million are clustering in specific sectors, including cancer therapeutics and space technology as identified by Crunchbase News.

Capitol Meridian Partners has appointed Maisha Glover as an operating partner, bringing her extensive experience from McKinsey & Company to the firm as reported by PE Hub. The concentration of capital in Asia's large-cap private equity space presents a potentially lucrative opportunity for general partners capable of raising even a modest amount of capital in the lower middle market. The Irish unicorn Tines has undergone a significant AI overhaul, with its CEO sharing key learnings as detailed by Sifted.