Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: August 12, 2026, 2:40 AM ET

Fundraising & Institutional

An ex-LocalGlobe trio is plotting a new VC firm, while Accel closed an oversubscribed $550M India fund within weeks; more than 55% of its previous $650M India fund remains available. Scaleup Europe, a $5.7B public-private fund, made its first investment by backing Finnish satellite company ICEYE. Hollyport sold a passive stake to Blue Owl that will “ultimately represent” about 25% of the firm’s economic interests, while maintaining its independence. Plymouth County issued an RFP for a North American private equity manager. Monashees, a leading Latin American VC, opened a San Francisco office to expand into Silicon Valley. A Side Letter notes that sovereign wealth funds are leading AI investing and that PE talent is beginning to “rain down” on Spain.

M&A Activity

CHG Healthcare acquired medical staffing firm Krewe Anesthesia. Providence sold live entertainment company ATG to Mari; ATG operates 70 venues across the UK, US, Germany, and Spain, including seven on Broadway. Alro Steel received a majority investment from Lindsay Goldberg, with the founding Glick family retaining a significant ownership stake. THL Partners invested in pavement maintenance services firm Pave Masters, buying out existing investor Northern Lakes Capital. Thoma Bravo completed a $466M take-private of validation software firm Kneat, delisting it from the Toronto Stock Exchange. Baymark acquired healthy meal prep company Meal Prep Sunday, its 66th acquisition to date. BNP Group (backed by Godspeed) acquired cost management firm US Cost Incorporated from Schneider S.E. PrimeSource Brands (Clearlake-backed) acquired Starborn Industries, a provider of specialty building products. Keltec (Vance Street-backed) snapped up AJF Filtration. Big Top Manufacturing (Altamont-backed) scooped up Coast to Coast Contracting. Phase 1 Equity (Dune Glass-backed) acquired a North Dakota orthodontic practice; the platform is doctor-owned and doctor-led. Airo (CCMP Growth-backed) acquired specialty plumbing and HVAC firm Legrande’s Enterprises. Quad-C invested in occupational safety platform Paradigm, formed from the combination of Code Red Safety, Concept Controls, and Haz Tek. Trinity Hunt backed management consulting firm Fisher Management Partners, with Todd Fisher and partners remaining in leadership. New Heritage invested in Power Rail, an aftermarket locomotive parts manufacturer serving the global rail industry. HIG Capital acquired UK engineering firm Phoenix ME, which provides mechanical and electrical services to blue-chip clients. Yankee Global Enterprises inked a $2.6B deal with Apollo Sports Capital to support the New York Yankees franchise’s growth and refinance existing debt.

Secondaries & Continuation Funds

Monogram completed a continuation fund for beverage company Mountaintop, with Apollo S3 as the lead investor. Exponent tapped Apollo, Pantheon, and SQ Capital for an $867M single-asset continuation vehicle to hold H&MV Engineering. The European HVAC market is attracting private equity, as covered in the Europe Wire, which also details Exponent’s €750M CV and notes Nvidia’s plans to partner with a host of PE firms.

Sector Trends & Commentary

16 energy startups to watch in Europe were highlighted by local investors. The medical education gap presents a tailwind for private equity amid the pressing need for more healthcare professionals globally. Ardian co-CEO Mark Benedetti detailed mispricing opportunities in European assets and secondaries (in a roundup that also covered Apollo Sports Capital and New Heritage deals). In a separate interview, Ardian’s Mark Benedetti said the most mispricing is in European assets and secondaries, noting that more European families are seeking partners to navigate the environment and expand internationally. AI-native thinking, not AI-sprinkle, is crucial: companies unlock the biggest productivity gains by redesigning teams and workflows around AI, argues Bob Morse. South Summit 2026 highlighted three trends shaping European tech. Finally, Apollo, Blackstone, Brookfield, KKR are lining up behind NVIDIA in a $500B move to make compute an asset class.