Private Equity 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 31, 2026, 5:30 PM ET
Fundraising and Capital Markets Activity
Private equity fundraising showed continued momentum, particularly in the mid-market space, as Inflexion successfully closed pe-insights.com its Buyout Fund VII above its target at €4.5 billion (approximately $4.9 , strategically adding non-institutional capital from wealth managers to this oversubscribed vehicle privateequityinternational.com. Parallel to this, specialized credit managers are also capturing significant capital, with 17Capital closing pe-insights.com its Credit Fund 2 at a record $7.5 billion, underscoring accelerating demand for Net Asset Value (NAV) loan facilities. On the GP financing front, Dawson surpassed its target secondariesinvestor.com, securing over $800 million for its latest GP financing strategy, Dawson GP Finance, which closed at a hard-cap of $750 million. Meanwhile, in the secondaries market, Palico is reducing fees secondariesinvestor.com to 5 basis points for sales exceeding $50 million in an effort to attract larger transactions to its LP-led digital marketplace.
Mega-Deals and Sector Exits
Major portfolio actions were evident across sectors, highlighted by Leonard Green preparing to sell pehub.com Jetro Restaurant Depot to Sysco for a massive $29.1 billion, involving a retailer that serves over 725,000 independent foodservice operators across 35 states. In Europe, CVC Capital Partners submitted pe-insights.com a non-binding offer valued at $12.6 billion to acquire full control of Italian pharmaceutical company Recordati in a proposed buyout. Conversely, Blackstone agreed to divest pe-insights.com its Fidere residential housing portfolio in Spain to Brookfield Asset Management for $1.4 billion, marking a significant exit from the Iberian real estate market. Furthermore, in a transaction reflecting a major turnaround, Aurelius is moving to sell pehub.com the LSG Asia-Pacific airline catering business, which it had initially acquired from Deutsche Lufthansa in 2023.
Financial Services & Technology Buyouts
The financial services sector saw several strategic moves, including Carlyle agreeing to acquire pe-insights.com a majority stake in MAI Capital Management, valuing the wealth management platform at over $2.8 billion pehub.com. In related advisory activity, Investcorp-backed Resultant acquired pehub.com Liberty Advisor Group, bolstering its M&A advisory services aimed at private equity firms and Fortune 500 clients, with Resultant planning one to two such add-on deals annually pehub.com. In enterprise software, 26North is moving to acquire pehub.com the tech company Intermedia Intelligent Communications from seller Madison Dearborn Partners, while Maven exited its position pehub.com in Access Pay, a software vendor connecting back-office finance systems to banks, selling to Accel-KKR.
Healthcare and Life Sciences Transactions
The healthcare and life sciences vertical remains a key area of focus for private equity deployment. Bridgepoint-backed Prescient snapped up pehub.com healthcare technology firm Dolon, a London-based consultancy specializing in pricing and market access for rare diseases and oncology. Elsewhere, Kain Capital invested in pehub.com White Wilson Medical Center, appointing a new CEO concurrent with the deal, while Gryphon-backed VIP acquired pehub.com Frederick Eye Institute, expanding its Mid-Atlantic eye care platform to 69 locations. In specialized pharma services, MTIP invested in pehub.com Verifarma, a regulatory compliance provider serving 2,000 companies across 26 countries since its founding in 2007.
Industrial & Business Services Consolidation
Consolidation continued across industrial and specialized business services, demonstrating PE interest in infrastructure and essential services. Wynnchurch-backed Archer is set to acquire pehub.com Sterno’s portable food-warming and tabletop solutions business via a carve-out transaction. In the environmental services space, Coalesce-backed Miller acquired pehub.com industrial service firms Haz-Mat and Canco, broadening its waste and environmental offerings. Meanwhile, in the security sector, Inflexion is acquiring pehub.com Marioff, a provider of high-pressure water mist fire suppression systems, while Hyperion-backed Ranger Fire and Security acquired pehub.com Total Fire Group to expand its footprint in the UK and Ireland fire and security market.
Investment in AI and Next-Generation Technology
Venture and growth equity investments are heavily skewed toward Artificial Intelligence, with Wearable tech firm Whoop raising news.crunchbase.com $575 million in Series G funding at a $10.1 billion valuation, supported by institutional investors alongside athlete and celebrity backers. This AI focus extends to infrastructure, as TA Associates invested in pehub.com software firm iBase-t to support its global expansion and scale AI-driven manufacturing capabilities, particularly within aerospace and defence pe-insights.com. Separately, the trend of AI dominating early-stage funding is clear, as a new $10 million fund was launched techcrunch.com by Runway specifically to back early-stage AI startups building with its video models. Furthermore, credit data startup 9fin achieved unicorn status sifted.eu following a $170 million raise, capitalizing on the broader European push toward AI-native fintech operations techcrunch.com.
Dealmaking in Infrastructure & Real Estate Services
Firms continued to deploy capital into essential infrastructure and related services. Blackstone-backed Mundys is increasing pe-insights.com its stake toward a 30% holding in Getlink as part of its broader infrastructure investment mandate. In the building materials space, TruArc Partners acquired pehub.com Matrix Adhesives Group from Goldner Hawn, with Matrix’s existing CEO remaining in his role. For essential infrastructure maintenance, New State-backed Universal Plant Solutions picked up pehub.com engineering firm Mechanical Solutions Inc., a provider of rotating and reciprocating equipment services. Concurrently, infrastructure advisory was bolstered by Rockbridge-backed FormativGroup snapping up pehub.com consulting firm Flok, a technology and engineering services provider.
Regulatory Environment & Internal Firm Movements
The operational and regulatory environment for private equity is shifting, particularly concerning retail investment access, as the U.S. Department of Labor reinforced pe-insights.com the fiduciary framework governing private equity offerings within 401(k) plans, providing potential safe harbour for fiduciaries privateequityinternational.com. Internally, firms are making key leadership appointments, such as Lime Rock promoting pehub.com Jeffrey Scofield to president and Dylan Blackford to managing director. In contrast, Angeles Equity Partners appointed pehub.com Derek Rush as Vice President to concentrate on evaluating and managing investments specifically within the industrials sector, while mid-market managers are increasingly adopting multi-asset class structures to achieve critical mass, according to Elm Capital's 2025 review secondariesinvestor.com.