Private Equity 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 17, 2026, 11:30 PM ET
Private Equity Dealmaking & Exits
Firms are continuing to execute strategic acquisitions across diverse sectors, though exit markets remain challenging, as evidenced by assets bought in less frothy periods now proving difficult to divest struggling to clear privateequityinternational.com. In Europe, Advent and Cinven explore pe-insights.com a substantial €25 billion exit from TK Elevator amid takeover talks from Kone, while Warburg Pincus is reportedly testing options for subprime auto lender Exeter Finance in a potential $3 billion transaction explores $3bn deal pe-insights.com. Meanwhile, deal awards recognized recent successes: Blackstone, Carlyle and Hellman & Friedman pehub.com secured the top PE Hub honor for the Medline $7.2 billion IPO, and Kinderhook Industries won Mid-Cap North America Deal pehub.com of the Year for the Vology sale.
Sector-specific transactions saw robust activity, particularly in industrial and infrastructure platforms. TPG launched One Aged Care pe-insights.com to tap into Singaporean and Malaysian demand for elderly healthcare services, while in the US, the newly launched industrial software firm Velotic, backed by TPG, appointed Brian Shepherd pehub.com as CEO. Smaller acquisitions included Audax snapping up property management firm pehub.com Akam from Nautic Partners, and Oaktree-backed Aecon Utilities paying $60 million pehub.com for Duna Services plus a stake in KNX Utility Services. In the Nordics, Nordic Capital agreed to acquire pehub.com a majority stake in trade surveillance business Trading Hub from existing investor Summit Partners.
Boutique and specialized firms were also active, focusing on niche markets. Knox Lane-backed Ruppert Landscape expanded commercial landscaping pehub.com by acquiring Landscapes Unlimited, while New Heritage-backed Icelandirect, a supplement manufacturer, acquired Soma Labs pehub.com. In physical therapy, Hildred-backed Sports Med purchased The Physical Therapy pehub.com and Rehabilitation Center across New Jersey and Connecticut. Further consolidation occurred in the automation space, where LFM’s platform added manufacturer PowerBuilt pehub.com to its American Automation Group. On the exit side, Seaport completed the sale of pehub.com tech company Exacom to Motorola Solutions.
Investor Relations & Fund Strategy
Investor sentiment is driving some portfolio adjustments and strategic hiring amid a broader market slowdown. Australia’s Future Fund privateequityinternational.com saw joint managing directors for private equity and real assets, David Bluff and Tammi Fisher, join a growing list of senior leadership departures. In North America, the $74.9 billion Nevada PERS plans to exit privateequityinternational.com its exposure to Clearlake due to perceived conflicts arising from Clearlake’s Pathway Capital agreement. Furthermore, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is exploring a $1.5 billion pe-insights.com sale of its Asia-focused private equity fund stakes. On the fundraising front, I Squared Capital is approaching $10 billion pe-insights.com for its next infrastructure fund, signaling continued appetite for hard assets.
European managers are seeing fundraising success tied to geopolitical trends. Triton confirmed its €5.5 billion privateequityinternational.com fundraise benefits from Europe’s push for greater sovereignty, focusing on energy intersections. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Hong Kong’s Gaw Capital is redirecting privateequityinternational.com Gulf capital toward home markets as regional retrenchment occurs, according to Andrei Rotaru, head of ME private equity. Pension funds are also reviewing exposure, with Maine outlining a plan to cut secondariesinvestor.com its PE target for the second time in four years, potentially executing secondaries sales in specific cases.
Technology, AI, and Venture Capital Trends
Discussions surrounding artificial intelligence investment continue to focus on access and governance, with warnings that the current "boys' club" mentality could widen the wealth gap techcrunch.com for women if they are excluded from funding and leadership roles. The rapid pace of AI development is also visible in accelerator programs; Google and Accel’s India accelerator reviewed over 4,000 applications but selected only five startups techcrunch.com for its Atoms cohort, explicitly excluding "AI wrappers." Meanwhile, major PE players are seeking entry into the enterprise AI space, with TPG, Bain, Brookfield, and Advent pe-insights.com in advanced discussions concerning a potential $10 billion venture with OpenAI.
Venture capital funding remains active for next-generation technologies, though deal sizes for smaller and mid-sized startups are still substantially below news.crunchbase.com the 2021 peak levels. Upvest, a fintech company, successfully secured backing from Tencent sifted.eu and Sapphire Ventures in a $125 million fundraising round. Antonio Gracias of Upfront Ventures emphasized a preference for "proentropic" startups—those inherently built to withstand chaos says he’s longing for techcrunch.com. In deal recognition, Accel-KKR won the Large-Cap Europe pehub.com Deal of the Year Award for its exit from customer communications software firm Smart Communications.
Executive Movements & Governance
The industry saw several key personnel and governance moves designed to bolster investment sourcing and strategy. Fortress appointed Elizabeth Burton pehub.com as chief strategist, reporting directly to co-CEOs Drew McKnight and Jack Neumark in New York. Quad-C tapped Dillard Watt as business development pehub.com director to enhance sourcing for new platform investments and add-ons. In Europe, Capza FEMM’s Antoine Druais detailed a strategy pehub.com to evolve into a multi-specialist firm rather than remaining a pure generalist. Separately, in defense dealmaking, Goodwin noted that lower offers are more acceptable pehub.com if they mitigate execution risk, as Norvestor launched a $226 million bid for payroll provider Zalaris launches $226m bid pehub.com.
Geographic Expansion & Sector Focus
Firms are expanding regionally, often leveraging demographic shifts or consumer growth opportunities. L Catterton, backed by LVMH, announced a $313 million pe-insights.com investment plan targeting five consumer businesses across Japan as it ramps up its regional strategy. In infrastructure, EIG-backed Mid Ocean Energy secured a $500 million investment from Japan’s Idemitsu Kosan to expand its existing LNG pe-insights.com platform. Meanwhile, Oakley Capital backed French firm Groupe pehub.com Senef, leading to a full exit for Isatis Capital. LFM’s platform also grew through an acquisition, as PowerBuilt joined American Automation pehub.com Group.