Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: September 9, 2026, 6:18 AM ET

Deals & Exits

Private equity dealmaking remained brisk across sectors and geographies. Warburg Pincus and Berkshire Partners have agreed to sell Consolidated Precision Products to GE Aerospace for $11.75bn, marking a major exit for the Cleveland-based castings manufacturer. In a separate consolidation play, ICG Infra has agreed to acquire Westerleigh Group from Ontario Teachers’ and USS, adding the UK’s largest private crematoria operator with 42 sites. Meanwhile, Hudson Hill Capital has closed a continuation vehicle for parcel firm InXpress. In the UK accountancy space, ECI Partners agreed an investment in Shaw Gibbs as Apiary Capital exits, with the top-35 firm serving around 25,000 clients. HIG Capital’s Homewerks platform completed its fourth add-on with the acquisition of GTR Technologies, a Seattle-area supplier of ventilation fans. Altaline Capital completed a growth investment in RRC, the Connecticut-based insurance consultancy with about 440 staff.

Software & Tech

Software-focused investors continued to consolidate. Keensight-backed ACTICO has joined forces with Axe Finance in a global push, with Axe serving 45-plus financial institutions across 29 countries. Main Capital landed its first UK deal by acquiring a majority stake in Orgvue, the London-based workforce planning software provider. In the Netherlands, Main Capital also took a majority stake in VWE Automotive, which supplies data and workflow tools to over 10,000 automotive customers. In manufacturing tech, Cloud NC raised a $20M extension round, lifting its lifetime funding to $128 million. Elsewhere, an acquisition spree continued under newcomer tax advisory firms: the company has raised €36m to fund its next buys after acquiring four firms in eight months.

Venture & Growth

European venture momentum accelerated with Mistral confirming its record-setting round. The Paris-based AI startup raised $3.5B at a valuation above $24 billion, nearly doubling its worth, in a Samsung-led deal backed by EQT and PSG among other growth investors. In parallel, the robotics chief at Mistral is seeking €200 million for a new startup in a fresh AI push. Deep tech also drew capital: The Exploration Company secured $450m. Newly launched nuclear startup Bluecore Energy announced an oversubscribed $50 million seed round, coming just two months after its stealth debut with a pre-seed funding of $10 million.

Fundraising & Leadership

Institutional capital continued flowing to long-dated strategies. Brookfield Asset Management landed a $1 billion multi-asset mandate from the UK’s Nuclear Liabilities Fund, an initial commitment that opens a long-term relationship. Meanwhile, Edmond de Rothschild hired Mirova’s Zineb Bennani to build out private markets, appointing her to a newly created role as Head of Strategic Development for private assets. Leadership shuffles continued at mid-market firms: Mill Point Capital named Littlejohn veteran Michael Kaplan as managing partner.

Fundraising & Access

Retail access to private equity is expanding. Crescenta, Spain's first digital manager for PE fund investing, launched a closed-end ELTIF that allows commitments from €5,000. Buyout giants continued to gather assets; a Side Letter covers a possible rule change for political donations, plus CD&R moving closer to a final close.

Startup Ecosystem

New data reflect the fastest-growing startups in the DACH and CEE region, based on trailing growth metrics. Prague-based SME lender Flowpay topped the latest ranking, underscoring the fintech dynamism in Central Europe.

Operational Readiness

With the exit backlog persisting, GPs must ensure portfolio boards can answer diligence questions cleanly and quickly; PwC partner Gregory Bournet argues this is a readiness problem rather than a theme of capital, urging stronger preparation.