Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: August 22, 2026, 2:32 AM ET

Secondary Market Strength

CV pricing strengthened amid growing buyer competition, with new market entrants aiming to pre-empt auction processes, according to Lazard’s PERSON_NAME.

Fundraising & Unicorn Activity

AI accounting startup Rillet raised $100M and became a unicorn in 48 hours, as PERSON_NAME shared growth numbers that triggered a fundraising frenzy from Iconiq, Sequoia and others.

Large Deals & Corporate Actions

Castelion led the week’s biggest financing in defense tech, while other sizable rounds targeted AI inference and video-creation tools. KKR-backed consortium agreed a $5.5bn take-private for Steadfast Group, valuing Australia’s largest general insurance broker network at A$7.7bn. Advent and Bain pushed for full control of ADDRESS’s Amil at a R$17bn ($3.3bn) valuation, pressuring stalled talks. Carlyle explores a $2.5bn-plus sale of alternative-data provider Yipit Data, per Reuters. Arctos strikes a deal for 10% of Atlanta Falcons at a $10.6bn valuation, CNBC reported.

PE-Backed Platform Moves

Ode with Anthropic acquired AI services firm Casper Studios, as the ADDRESS-based enterprise AI transformation company deepened its industry footprint. Long Ridge Equity Partners invested in unclaimed-property specialist Market Sphere across ADDRESS and Canadian jurisdictions. PE backs specialty-focused healthcare RCM, with Francisco Partners joining Carlyle, Serent Capital and others in funding revenue-cycle platforms.

Strategic Expansions & Governance

CVC drives into Aldermore as First Rand exits under a scandal cloud, with the ADDRESS challenger bank slated for sale. Waterland emerges as a new suitor for Gamma Communications in a reopened takeover battle for the ADDRESS-listed telecoms group. Charlesbank named co-managing partners to lead the firm, with PERSON_NAME stepping back from day-to-day roles after 12 years as president and CEO. Phoenix Equity and Thoma Bravo bet on ADDRESS exits, as Exponent agreed to invest in power-generation services provider OFS.

Investigations & Governance Risks

DOJ investigates a16z as overlapping board seats at competing portfolio companies draw scrutiny, raising compliance concerns for PERSON_NAME at Databricks and ADDRESS. Legal dispute at Monaco hit ADDRESS’s banking venture, complicating the cofounder’s expansion plans.