Private Equity 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 26, 2026, 2:30 AM ET
Dealmaking and Mandates: Large Buyouts & Exits
Major firms advanced pe-insights.com several large-scale exit and acquisition maneuvers, including CVC Capital Partners and Silver Lake testing the waters for a potential $6.7 billion initial public offering for RAC pe-insights.com. Elsewhere, Advent is reportedly exploring a potential €25 billion exit of TK Elevator while simultaneously setting aside up to $1 billion for new investments in defense technology pe-insights.com. In infrastructure, Brookfield and La Caisse agreed to take Boralex private in a massive $9.7 billion transaction aimed at scaling renewables growth pe-insights.com, while Blackstone is reportedly evaluating a $200 million to $300 million investment in the Indian Premier League as its first foray into sports pe-insights.com.
In the energy sector, private equity and infrastructure funds are showing sustained interest in Gulf energy assets, targeting a $7 billion pipeline deal in Kuwait pe-insights.com, while Actis finalized its acquisition of a 90% stake in Singaporean environmental management firm 800 Super, bringing its Southeast Asia deployment to $1.7 billion pehub.com. Several portfolio company sales also concluded: an investor group led by Astorg, Nordic Capital, Novo Holdings, and Cinven sold clinical trial data firm Clario to Thermo Fisher for $8.9 billion pehub.com, and Olympus Partners is preparing to divest the retina business of Eye South for $1.1 billion pehub.com. In contrast, Francisco Partners is selling music publisher Kobalt to Brookfield-backed Primary Wave pehub.com.
Continuation Funds & Secondary Market Activity
Activity in the GP-led transaction space remains active, evidenced by Tower Brook completing a continuation fund for the business consulting firm Eisner Amper, a deal led by Carlyle Alp Invest and co-led by Hamilton Lane pehub.com. This focus on maximizing value from mature assets contrasts with reports of potential structural shifts, as one analysis suggests that evergreen funds could face extinction due to concerns over mis-selling and mis-structuring privateequityinternational.com. In the capital raising and liquidity arena, the University of California system is seeking liquidity by shopping a $3 billion LP portfolio in the secondaries market secondariesinvestor.com, while Jefferies bolstered its secondary advisory team by recruiting senior talent from Lazard privateequityinternational.com, and Mercer's acquisition of Altamar CAM was driven by the need to enhance capabilities amid heightened interest in liquidity solutions privateequityinternational.com.
Sector-Specific M&A and Deployment
Firms are deploying capital across specialized sectors, with Clearlake moving to acquire power and electric services grid operator Qualus from seller New Mountain Capital pehub.com. In defense technology, Arlington Capital plans to acquire naval and defense services provider Eptec Defence pehub.com, and Advent is preparing to allocate capital into defense tech pe-insights.com. Tower Brook also made a move into the consumer space, acquiring French sports platform ID Unlimited which supplies personalization elements for sports apparel pehub.com, while Bansk Group is acquiring wellness shots provider So Good So You pehub.com. Additionally, Chimney Rock Equity scooped up United Electronics Company amidst an "insatiable" demand for maintaining radar systems pehub.com.
Fundraising and Investor Strategy
Growth equity and specialized funds are successfully closing capital vehicles, as Lead Edge Capital secured $3.5 billion for its seventh fund focused on software deals pe-insights.com. Meanwhile, Pictet Alternative Advisors closed its inaugural direct private equity strategy at €403 million ($440 targeting founder-led businesses pe-insights.com, and Japan's RGCM Fund I is nearing its hard-cap for a debut fund focused on direct secondaries and primary rounds secondariesinvestor.com. On the institutional side, the EIF launched a substantial €15 billion fund-of-funds to back 100 growth-stage venture capital firms pehub.com. Conversely, LP sentiment shows signs of caution, with reports indicating that LPs are slashing their Africa budgets due to dwindling risk appetites privateequityinternational.com, mirroring a potential inward rebalancing among Gulf sovereign wealth funds privateequityinternational.com.
Technology, AI, and Venture Capital Dynamics
The technology investment sphere continues to attract substantial private capital, with TPG and Allianz co-leading a $350 million strategic investment into AI-driven mobility platform CMT pe-insights.com. Within the AI ecosystem, OpenAI is attempting to attract private equity into joint ventures by offering investors a guaranteed minimum return of.5% pe-insights.com, even as concerns about AI's role in M&A processes disrupt secondary markets privateequityinternational.com. In venture, AI notetaking startup Granola achieved unicorn status following a $125 million Series C round sifted.eu, and legal AI firm Harvey secured a $200 million round led by GIC and Sequoia, pushing its valuation to $11 billion pe-insights.com. In contrast to these large rounds, overall US startup funding slowed sharply in March, largely attributable to fewer mega-rounds closing, particularly in AI news.crunchbase.com.
Governance, Litigation, and Talent
Internal governance and operational disputes are surfacing, as Balderton and AVP face allegations in court regarding a "covert plot" to oust the founder of Cognism sifted.eu. In talent management, firms are grappling with a noted talent gap, with data suggesting that failure to fill roles results in missed opportunities pehub.com, while GTCR appointed Donnie Phillips as managing director and chief administrative officer in its Chicago office pehub.com. Furthermore, the European quantum technology community features over 50 startups betting on the sector techcrunch.com, and DeepSeek is making waves in the AI inference space, attracting an $80 million Series A for technology that permits AI to run simultaneously across multiple chip architectures, including NVIDIA and AMD techcrunch.com.