Private Equity 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 27, 2026, 11:30 AM ET
Sector Deployment & Exits
Advent Capital pehub.com is actively deploying capital across diverse sectors, announcing plans to invest in engineering and consulting firm Atwell pehub.com, expecting the transaction to conclude in the second quarter of 2026. Concurrently, Advent is moving pehub.com to deploy up to $1 billion into defense technology, with a portion earmarked to finance Shield AI’s pending acquisition of Sagewind Capital portfolio company Aechelon Technology Inc. pehub.com. The firm is also expanding its beauty interests by agreeing to acquire pe-insights.com a majority stake in Salt & Stone for $165 million, while simultaneously planning a full exit from its investment in hair care brand Olaplex to Henkel pehub.com for $1.4 billion, pending Nasdaq delisting. Elsewhere in exits, an investor group led by Astorg and Nordic Capital pehub.com finalized the $8.9 billion sale of clinical trial data firm Clario to Thermo Fisher, and HIG Capital is selling pehub.com a Brazilian internet service provider to Claro for approximately $750 million.
Healthcare & Life Sciences Transactions
Dealmaking in healthcare remains a focal point, with pathology assets attracting significant private equity interest from firms including Astorg, Cinven, and Nordic Capital pehub.com. This push into specialized medical services mirrors a broader trend in women’s health, where experts cite a potential “$1 trillion gap” ripe for investment, further evidenced by Blackstone and TPG’s pehub.com pending $18.3 billion take-private of Hologic. Further consolidation occurred in eye care, as Olympus Partners-backed EyeSouth pehub.com acquired Aslett-Kurica Eye Center, while GPI-backed Hopper OS pehub.com purchased healthcare data firm Efferent to expand its intelligent operating system capabilities. In consumer health, LDC completed its exit pehub.com from PAM Healthcare to Optima Healthcare, aligning with trends favoring GLP-1 products and preventative care offerings.
Technology & Infrastructure M&A
The technology sector saw major corporate action, with SAP planning to acquire pehub.com New View Capital-backed Reltio, expecting closure in the second or third quarter of 2026, while Clearlake Capital is acquiring power grid services provider Qualus from New Mountain pehub.com, a deal that provides a handsome payout for KKR’s exit from CoolIT pehub.com. In infrastructure, Clearlake Capital pehub.com is with the purchase of power and electric services grid Qualus from New Mountain Capital. Meanwhile, Audax and Greenbriar co-investors pehub.com sold airport services firm AGI to Lone Star, following their initial joint investment in June 2021. In the digital space, Etna Capital snapped up software developer pehub.com Code Road, and FPE-backed Point74 acquired compliance platform Quor to build a unified pehub.com UK food software platform.
Specialized Investment Strategies and Exits
Firms are utilizing specialized vehicles and sector focus to drive value. TowerBrook completed a continuation fund pehub.com for business consulting firm Eisner Amper, with Carlyle Alp Invest leading the transaction alongside Hamilton Lane as co-lead secondariesinvestor.com. In the IoT space, Alterra backed General Atlantic’s investment pe-insights.com in Wireless Logic, as this activity continues to draw Middle Eastern capital, with Alterra also supporting pehub.com General Atlantic and Montagu in the same deal. Additionally, TowerBrook is capitalizing pehub.com on sports apparel personalization by acquiring French platform ID Unlimited, which supplies logos and patches to global sports brands, while Viking Growth exited its stake in workforce management software provider Tamigo to Accel-KKR pehub.com.
Geographic Focus and Fundraising Trends
Middle Eastern capital remains a key driver, though geopolitical tensions are shifting focus; Blackstone committed $250 million pe-insights.com to a UAE payments platform as part of a $1 billion regional bet. Concurrently, managers doubling down on the Middle East and catering to LPs’ needs stand a better chance of success in the region’s fundraising oasis privateequityinternational.com, even as Gulf sovereign wealth funds, totaling $5.4 trillion, have recently been turning capital inwards due to the Iran conflict accelerating privateequityinternational.com a regional rebalancing. In Europe, Bain secured a $300 million pe-insights.com loan to finance its acquisition of an Australian wealth management firm, while the European Investment Fund launched a substantial €15 billion fund of funds sifted.eu aimed at backing 100 growth-stage venture capital firms.
AI Integration and Early Stage Dynamics
The integration of artificial intelligence is reshaping both M&A and venture capital sourcing. OpenAI has completed news.crunchbase.com nearly as many M&A deals in 2026 as it did in the entirety of last year, using acquisitions to bolster its offerings against rivals. Meanwhile, the increasing role of AI in investor relations is noted in side letters, alongside the friction GPs face in the fund finance process privateequityinternational.com. In the startup ecosystem, Austin’s venture funding reached an all-time high news.crunchbase.com, though seed funding is becoming more competitive, with only rounds of $10 million and above showing growth in 2025 news.crunchbase.com. Elsewhere, Kleiner Perkins closed news.crunchbase.com $3.5 billion across new AI-focused funds, including $1 billion for early-stage KP22.
Advisory Moves and Niche Investments
The advisory and secondary markets continue to see personnel shifts, with Jefferies hiring senior secondariesinvestor.com GP-led talent from Lazard as firms jockey for competitive positioning. Sector specialists are also making strategic moves, as demonstrated by healthcare-focused Linden mulling a secondaries secondariesinvestor.com strategy, joining other buyout firms entering that market. In niche plays, Bonaccord made a minority investment to support Prime Finance’s balance sheet pehub.com expansion in commercial real estate credit, and WPCG and HGGC are jointly investing in RIA Verdence, with Emigrant Partners pehub.com selling its stake. Finally, Bow River plans to acquire VC firm Spur Capital pehub.com, with the transaction slated for the second quarter of 2026.