Private Equity 3d Briefing
×Buyout Activity
Wynnchurch Capital pehub.com backed ORS Nasco in a deal to acquire two industrial wholesalers, AD Member Supply and Alliance, expanding its MRO product distribution platform. Greenbelt Investments pehub.com supported Saber Power in its purchase of Bounds Construction, bolstering the Houston-based firm's electrical power system services. Littlejohn & Co. pehub.com invested in GDS Associates, a power infrastructure consulting firm, with existing leadership remaining. Littlejohn pehub.com also backed Ardurra in its acquisition of Remington & Vernick Engineers, enhancing the Miami-based engineering consultancy's capabilities. Braemont Partners pehub.com is involved as Royal Cup moves to take Farmer Brothers Coffee private, targeting the US coffee and tea distribution market. Greenbriar Equity pehub.com supported West Star Aviation in its purchase of aircraft maintenance firm DCJet, growing its business aviation MRO platform. Lee Equity pehub.com acquired consulting firm KCIC, which specializes in managing complex litigation and insurance liabilities. Trive Capital pehub.com invested in women’s apparel brand Adrianna Papell, with management retaining leadership. SeaFort Capital pehub.com acquired a majority stake in doors supplier Allmar, with Roynat Equity co-investing. Fulcrum Capital pehub.com invested in Glass Masters Autoglass to fund growth. Gryphon Investors pehub.com backed Southern Home Services in its acquisition of Dunn’s HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical, consolidating residential services. Springcoast pehub.com led a $180 million investment in commerce and logistics firm Cart.com, with PayPal Ventures and others participating.
Sector Consolidation
The active pharmaceutical ingredients sector remains a focus, with firms like Astorg pehub.com and EQT active. Astorg pehub.com's portfolio company Solabia executed three add-on acquisitions, marking its first deals since Astorg's investment. New Mountain Capital is also cited as active in medical components manufacturing. In aviation software, Vista Equity pehub.com made a new investment in Portside, with Insight Partners remaining a significant shareholder. JLL Partners pehub.com launched a new surface science technology platform called Talica serving regulated industries. Cutting Edge Group pehub.com continues its music rights strategy, with Tim Hegarty noting the importance of consumer data and studio alignment. Peak Rock pehub.com agreed to sell Spatial Business Systems to Blackstone-backed Enverus, an energy data analytics platform.
Fundraising & Firm Launches
A European Union pe-insights.com plan for a €5 billion deep-tech investment fund has EQT, Eurazeo pe-insights.com and Atomico among the shortlisted managers, with Vitruvian Partners and Northzone also in contention. GCM Grosvenor pehub.com backed the launch of a new private equity firm, Torch Key, which will focus on food and beverage and industrial products. New PE firm Synergy Sports Capital pehub.com debuted, targeting the lower middle market. Abry Partners pehub.com CEO CJ Brucato identified the lower mid-market as a deal haven during an interview at the NEXUS conference. PJT Partners secondariesinvestor.com's Adrian Millan predicted 2026 would set another secondaries record despite macro uncertainty.
Secondaries & Continuations
GP-led secondaries volume hit an all-time high in 2025, but New Mountain privateequityinternational.com remains convinced of the value of control vehicles (CVs) despite LP process pain points. The mantra that "DPI privateequityinternational.com is the new IRR" is gaining traction as LPs and GPs focus on distributions. Bridgepoint secondariesinvestor.com is expanding its secondaries team, with the Newbury group expecting to launch a new flagship fund in 2026. Apollo S3 secondariesinvestor.com co-head Steve Lessar indicated the firm will likely build its secondaries platform organically rather than through acquisitions. Hamilton Lane pe-insights.com and Ardian backed Latour's first continuation fund for its portfolio company Gutor. The compatibility of evergreen funds with GP-led deals is under scrutiny, as is the potential for GP-led activity to gain further traction in APAC privateequityinternational.com.
Exits & Portfolio Moves
Mutares pe-insights.com agreed to sell its in Time Group logistics platform to Tawin Holdings for €100 million, marking an exit from the time-critical logistics sector. This mirrors a separate report noting Mutares pehub.com is also selling Peugeot Motocycles in a management buyout. BlackPeak pehub.com sold its stake in e-commerce logistics provider eu Shipments.com to Austrian Post. Waterland Private Equity pe-insights.com acquired a majority stake in Palletways, one of Europe's largest pallet distribution platforms, targeting cross-border growth. Main Capital pe-insights.com took a majority stake in Swedish manufacturing software platform Good Solutions. FSI pe-insights.com became the controlling shareholder of fashion house Missoni, with the family passing the baton. Visualize Group pehub.com acquired gaming certification lab BMM Testlabs. Tributary Group pehub.com invested in regulatory software company Softworks Group, with founder Tim Edlund continuing as CEO. Trinity Hunt pehub.com invested in Berger Consulting Group, which serves over 100 law firms. MacLean Power Systems pehub.com merged with Power Grid Components, creating a combined company majority-owned by Blackstone Energy Transition Partners with a new investment from Centerbridge Partners. Goldman Sachs pehub.com backed cybersecurity compliance firm Schellman, with Lightyear remaining an investor.
Healthcare & Tech Investments
Serent pehub.com invested in health tech firm Saisystems to accelerate its technology roadmap. Science Corp. news.crunchbase.com, a brain-computer interface startup founded by Neuralink alumni, raised a $230 million Series C. City Detect techcrunch.com, an AI company helping cities prevent urban decay, raised a $13 million Series A and is active in at least 17 US cities. Denki news.crunchbase.com, a Y Combinator-backed startup automating financial audits, raised $4.1 million. While not traditional PE,