Private Equity 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 17, 2026, 7:30 PM ET
Dealmaking Activity & Awards
The private equity deal ecosystem saw a flurry of activity across sectors, with several firms capturing industry accolades. Kinderhook Industries won pehub.com the Mid-Cap North America Deal of the Year for the sale of VAI to Real Truck, with the firm noting its deep understanding of the automotive manufacturer sales value chain Kinderhook Industries won pehub.com. In Europe, Accel-KKR secured pehub.com the Large-Cap Europe Deal of the Year for its exit from Smart Communications, a London-based customer communications software firm, while Oakley Capital claimed pehub.com the Mid-Cap Europe award for selling legal database vLex to Clio. On the transaction front, Audax acquired pehub.com property management firm Akam from Nautic Partners, and LFM added pehub.com manufacturer Power Built to its automation solutions platform, American Automation Group.
The trend of platform building continued across specialized verticals. Fort Point-backed VisuSewer pehub.com expanded its wastewater infrastructure services by acquiring United Survey in Wisconsin, and Knox Lane-backed Ruppert Landscape pehub.com bolstered its commercial landscaping operations by purchasing Landscapes Unlimited. In manufacturing, Sagard-backed Norbec pehub.com picked up Canadian Curtis, a designer of prefabricated cold rooms, while PE-backed Technimark pehub.com grew its engineered components portfolio by acquiring Rage Custom Plastics. Furthermore, New Heritage-backed Icelandirect pehub.com moved into the health sector by acquiring supplement manufacturer Soma Labs.
Exits and strategic sales are facing headwinds, as the clog in PE’s exit pipeline privateequityinternational.com proves difficult to clear, impacting even assets acquired during less frothy market periods. Despite this, some exits are : Seaport exited pehub.com tech company Exacom to Motorola Solutions, and Warburg Pincus is exploring pe-insights.com options for subprime auto lender Exeter Finance in a potential $3 billion deal. In major European activity, Advent and Cinven are exploring pe-insights.com a colossal €25 billion exit of TK Elevator, spurred by takeover talks from Kone. Separately, HIG Capital is testing pehub.com the market for industrial services provider JT Thorpe, banking on its scaled platform to attract large-cap buyers.
Sector Focus: Healthcare, Infrastructure & Energy
Healthcare and specialized services saw several portfolio moves, alongside continued investment in energy transition assets. Hildred-backed SportsMed acquired pehub.com The Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center, expanding its physical therapy footprint across New Jersey and Connecticut. In a strategic move to capture demographic demand, TPG launched pe-insights.com One Aged Care, a new platform focused on elderly healthcare services in Singapore and Malaysia. In infrastructure, Oaktree-backed Aecon Utilities spent pehub.com $60 million to acquire Duna Services and a stake in KNX Utility Services. Meanwhile, EIG-backed MidOcean Energy secured pe-insights.com a $500 million investment from Japan’s Idemitsu Kosan to finance the expansion of its liquefied natural gas platform.
Fundraising, Strategy & Governance Concerns
Fundraising efforts show continued investor appetite for specific mandates, even as LPs signal potential portfolio adjustments. I Squared Capital is approaching pe-insights.com $10 billion in commitments for its next flagship infrastructure fund, signaling strong demand in that sector. In Europe, Triton views privateequityinternational.com its €5.5 billion fundraise as benefiting from the continent's autonomy agenda, focusing on the intersection of energy and sovereignty. Conversely, institutional investors are reassessing existing relationships; Nevada PERS intends to exit privateequityinternational.com its exposure to Clearlake due to perceived conflicts of interest arising from Clearlake’s planned acquisition of Pathway Capital Management. Furthermore, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is exploring pe-insights.com the sale of approximately $1.5 billion in Asia-focused private equity fund stakes.
Venture Capital & AI Concentration Risks
The acceleration of artificial intelligence investment raises concerns about widening wealth disparities, according to AI investor Rana el Kaliouby, who warned techcrunch.com that shutting women out of funding and leadership roles in AI will have grim consequences. Despite the hype, the quality filtering in venture remains intense, as demonstrated by Google and Accel’s accelerator, which found that roughly 70% of AI startup pitches reviewed for its India cohort were deemed to be simple "wrappers" Google and Accel chose techcrunch.com only five startups that demonstrated deeper innovation. In fundraising news, Upvest secured sifted.eu $125 million in backing from Tencent and Sapphire Ventures, while Candex extended news.crunchbase.com its Series C round to over $40 million to aid enterprises in onboarding global vendors efficiently.
New Platforms & Strategic Hires
The market saw the debut of new platforms supported by major PE players, alongside talent shifts. TPG launched pehub.com Velotic, an industrial software firm, naming Brian Shepherd as CEO and former PTC CEO James Heppelmann as executive chairman. In Asia, L Catterton plans pe-insights.com to deploy about $313 million across five Japanese consumer businesses as it ramps up its regional strategy. On the personnel side, Fortress hired pehub.com Elizabeth Burton as chief strategist in New York, reporting directly to co-CEOs Drew McKnight and Jack Neumark. Meanwhile, Norvestor launched pehub.com a $226 million bid for Oslo-listed payroll provider Zalaris, with the acquisition price equating to €197 million for the business Norvestor launches pehub.com.