Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: August 20, 2026, 1:08 PM ET

Private Equity

Charlesbank is in advanced talks to acquire a stake in Wood Smith Henning & Berman (WSHB), a U.S. law firm, in a transaction worth approximately $700 million, according to a report by the Financial Times. The deal, if completed, would represent one of the largest private equity investments in a law firm and could test the last remaining barrier separating the industry from traditional corporate finance.

CVC has taken a majority stake in OpenRent, the United Kingdom's largest direct-to-landlord rental platform. The investment underscores the growing appetite among private equity firms for tech-enabled real estate platforms, with Open Rent reporting more than 8.8 million users and facilitating over one in every five tenancies in the UK.

HPS and Oaktree Capital have seized control of MBS Group, a supplier of lighting rigs and production equipment to major film studios including Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery. The takeover follows a default by the company’s previous owners and highlights the increasing role of private credit in restructurings within the entertainment sector.

Stone Point has completed its purchase of Ever.Ag’s risk management unit, a provider of agricultural risk solutions serving producers, processors, and cooperatives. The business will operate independently under its current leadership and adopt a new brand, reflecting Stone Point’s ongoing expansion into specialized financial services.

TJC is preparing to launch a sale process for Dental365, a dental services operator active in eight U.S. states. The process signals continued consolidation in the dental care market, where private equity firms are actively pursuing platform acquisitions to scale regional practices into national networks.

Apax has exited its investment in OnCourse, a residential warranty provider, selling the company to Genstar Capital. The transaction marks another successful exit for Apax in the business services space, where the firm has built a strong track record of operational improvement and strategic repositioning.

Venture Capital

Domyn, an AI model maker, has raised over $1 billion in new funding, bringing its total capital raised to date to more than $1.1 billion. The round reflects surging investor interest in frontier AI technologies and positions Domyn as one of the most well-funded startups in the generative AI space.

Rillet has secured $100 million in Series C funding at a $1 billion valuation, just two years after emerging from stealth mode. Led by Iconiq Growth, the round comes after the AI-native accounting startup doubled its annual recurring revenue in the past three months, underscoring rapid adoption among enterprise clients.

Callosum has raised $100 million in seed funding led by Atomico to address AI compute bottlenecks. The startup aims to accelerate AI infrastructure deployment across Europe, leveraging the capital to expand its engineering team and scale its proprietary hardware-software stack.

Velatir has closed a €5 million funding round to accelerate AI adoption across Europe. The AI infrastructure startup plans to use the proceeds to deepen its presence in key European markets and enhance its offerings for enterprises seeking to deploy scalable machine learning solutions.

Travis Kalanick has once again criticized venture capitalists, stating that only 1% are genuinely helpful. Speaking after raising $1.7 billion for his new robotics company, Atoms, Kalanick emphasized the importance of founder-friendly investing and questioned the value-add of many institutional investors during early-stage funding rounds.

a16z is betting that international and immigrant founders will drive the next wave of AI innovation. Through its Borderless Founder network initiative, the firm is actively supporting entrepreneurs who bring diverse perspectives and global market insights to Silicon Valley, believing that having "one foot in your home country and one foot in Silicon Valley" creates a competitive advantage.

M&A & Strategic Moves

Continental Resources has agreed to acquire FireBird, a Texas-based upstream oil and gas company backed by Quantum Energy Partners. The acquisition targets assets in the Midland Basin and represents a strategic move by Continental to strengthen its footprint in one of North America’s most prolific shale plays.

Vesterra-backed Bland Landscaping has acquired two South Carolina-based firms — Charleston Grounds Management and Clear Lakes and Wetland Services — expanding its reach in coastal markets. The deals add landscaping and aquatics capabilities to Bland’s portfolio, reinforcing its position as a consolidator in the fragmented commercial landscaping industry.

Valor Exterior Partners, backed by Osceola Capital, has acquired Dick’s Roof Repair, a Wisconsin-based roofing contractor founded in 1957. The acquisition adds nearly seven decades of local expertise to Valor’s growing network of exterior home service providers across the Midwest.

WSB, backed by GHK Capital, has acquired Civil Infrastructure Associates (CIA), a Tennessee-based engineering firm specializing in water and wastewater utilities, civil/site design, and aviation infrastructure. The deal enhances WSB’s technical capabilities and broadens its service offerings to public agencies and municipalities.

Vistria-backed Risepoint has acquired the North American operations of Keypath, a healthcare edtech firm backed by Sterling Partners. The acquisition expands Risepoint’s reach in online program management and strengthens its ability to deliver technology-driven educational solutions to healthcare institutions.

Special Situations & Restructurings

SEVA has made a minority investment in Serif Health, a health tech firm focused on improving patient access and care delivery. The proceeds will be used to accelerate Serif’s sales and growth initiatives, as well as fund new product development and data API integrations aimed at addressing systemic inefficiencies in healthcare administration.

Churchill and Temasek’s asset management platform Seviora have launched a $400 million continuation fund, backed by a diversified portfolio of private equity assets. The vehicle, supported by collateral spanning multiple underlying funds, reflects growing momentum in the secondaries market as investors seek liquidity while maintaining exposure to high-performing assets.

Regional & Sector Trends

Ridgeview has signed a new take-private deal with Pinewood, a UK-based car dealership software provider, valuing the company’s total equity at £545 million. The offer represents a 43% premium to Pinewood’s share price on July 23, highlighting how AI-driven valuation re-rating is fueling a wave of delistings across mid-market UK equities.

Phoenix Equity Partners has backed Medmark, an Irish occupational health provider founded in 1987. Serving over 500,000 employees from nine locations across Ireland, Medmark offers occupational health services, health screenings, and workplace wellness programs, positioning itself as a key player in Europe’s evolving healthcare landscape.

Fundraising & Capital Formation

CVC and Standard Life have launched a UK pension risk transfer (PRT) platform with up to £2 billion in initial commitments. This joint venture marks CVC’s deeper push into insurance asset management, targeting the UK’s largest corporate pension schemes seeking long-term liability matching and secure returns.

Stone Point and Genstar Capital are set to take co-controlling stakes in Ascensus, a fintech firm specializing in retirement and benefits administration. Both firms will invest new capital and hold equal stakes, signaling strong confidence in the long-term growth prospects of the financial technology sector.

International Outlook

Korean limited partners are increasingly embracing private equity secondaries and mid-market strategies amid ongoing credit market volatility. Some institutions are expected to lean further into equity-based strategies as they seek alternative homes for their 2026 credit allocations, reflecting a broader shift toward more flexible and resilient investment approaches.

Greybull Stewardship-backed Pro Home has acquired a Metro DC franchise, expanding its Mid-Atlantic footprint. The franchise, which has provided builder warranty management services across Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware for over two decades, strengthens Pro Home’s national presence in the residential construction services market.

Uplift Investors has acquired Engage fi from Falfurrias Management Partners. Engage fi advises banks and credit unions on technology and vendor decisions, drawing on more than 2,700 completed client engagements across core banking, digital banking, and payments systems, making it a valuable asset in the rapidly evolving financial infrastructure space.