Private Equity 3 Days

Last updated: July 15, 2026, 5:30 PM ET

Mega-Deals and Strategic Bets Shake Up Financial Landscape

Stripe and Advent International have reportedly teamed up to make a staggering $53 billion offer for PayPal, signaling a significant move in the digital payments sector teamed up. In a separate large-scale transaction, Apollo Global Management is in advanced discussions to provide nearly $3 billion in financing for the New York Yankees provide financing. Ares Management has completed a $1.7 billion all-cash take-private acquisition of Whitestone REIT, a US retail property owner completed acquisition.

Private Equity Fuels Technology and Infrastructure Growth

Verdane has acquired a portfolio of minority stakes in technology businesses from bp, continuing its focus on European growth opportunities acquired stakes. Gemspring-backed Amplix continues its expansion by acquiring technology sourcing and procurement firm One Connect acquires firm. Caltius has invested in Saa S Consulting Group, a tech services firm that has partnered with over 60 private equity sponsors invested in firm. AE Industrial has established a specialty materials platform with its acquisition of powder spray producer Powder Alloy acquires producer. Green Arrow, backed by CAI Capital, has acquired three transportation technology firms, enhancing its infrastructure and electrical services capabilities acquires firms.

AI and Data Drive New Ventures and Investments

Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman, and Anthropic have launched Ode with Anthropic, a new AI services provider, with backing from Apollo Global Management, General Atlantic, GIC, Goldman Sachs, Leonard Green, and Sequoia Capital launched provider. Separately, Apollo, Blackstone, and KKR are providing $5.34 billion to Williams for projects, as PE firms increasingly team up with AI specialists providing funding. OpenAI researcher Miles Wang is reportedly in talks to launch an AI drug discovery startup valued at $2 billion, highlighting investor interest in applying AI to life sciences launch startup. Helsing has raised $1.8 billion, backed by Goldman and Lightspeed, indicating strong investor confidence in AI-driven defense technology raised funding.

Consolidation and Sector Focus Across Private Markets

Private markets are witnessing ongoing consolidation, with firms like Apollo, Clearlake, and KKR acquiring other private markets entities. KKR has agreed to acquire a 51% stake in Thomson Reuters’ global print business for $500 million, creating a joint venture where Thomson Reuters will retain a 49% equity stake acquire stake. Mutares has sold its Finnish remediation firm Redo to Invex Group, marking a portfolio exit for the firm sells firm. EQT has sweetened its bid for Australian fund manager Perpetual to A$22.07 a share, following an initial rejection from the target's board sweetens bid.

Specialized Investments and Divestitures Mark Portfolio Activity

Veritas is set to acquire facilities management services firm BGIS from sellers CCMP Capital Advisors and Alberta Investment Management Corporation acquire firm. VSS has exited its investment in tech services company Centroid Systems exits company. Audax and Linden are selling Stat Lab Medical Products to Leica Biosystems, an operating company of Danaher Corporation sell products. Great Point-backed Vetn Care has acquired Holistic Veterinary Care, expanding its network of veterinary hospitals in Northern California. Archi Med has taken biopharma firm Esperion Therapeutics private in an $1.1 billion deal, focusing on therapies for cardiometabolic and rare diseases takes private.

Secondaries Market Activity and LP Strategies

Louisiana Teachers are exploring a secondaries sale to reduce their allocation to buyout assets and increase liquidity explore sale. Serone, a credit manager, has launched a buyout secondaries strategy with hires from Ardian and UBS, and is bringing out a debut fund launches strategy. High Vista has tapped Ramit Malhotra as principal for its GP-led secondaries team, extending the firm's lower middle-market private equity investing taps principal. CalPERS has reported a preliminary net investment return of 14.8% for the year ending June 30, 2026, with private equity as a strong contributor reported return. Asante is building its APAC secondaries business with a new hire from Evercore builds business. Moelis is expanding its LP-led secondaries capabilities with a team from Evercore.

Sector-Specific Deals and Strategic Acquisitions

Cutting Edge has acquired the music rights and royalties catalog of TV/film composer Brian Tyler, known for scores like the Fast and the Furious franchise acquires catalog. Pophouse has acquired a stake in Iron Maiden’s music and NIL rights, following a trend of private equity engaging with music catalogs. Stone Point Capital and Further Global, backed by Permira, are acquiring ABC Economics, a firm advising on competition and regulatory matters acquire economics. Ardian is acquiring a majority stake in German digital healthcare recruitment platform Pflegia. Bridgepoint is signing a deal for a majority stake in Danish defense company UMag. Nordic Capital is targeting European water treatment due to significant infrastructure investment needs and sector constraints.

Fintech and Technology Funding Trends

Venture funding into fintech startups climbed nearly 23% year over year in the first half of 2026, with a notable decrease in deal count, indicating larger investments in fewer companies. Cybersecurity startups attracted $4.4 billion in seed through growth-stage financing in the second quarter of 2026, with the first quarter being a more robust period for funding startups attract. Monumental, a robotics startup, has raised $32 million backed by Khosla Ventures raises funding.

LP and GP Strategies Amid Market Evolution

The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) is seeking investment management advice for its $1.66 billion AUM, indicating a strategic review of its portfolio seeks advice. InPact Partners, a Swiss LP consultancy, is expanding into new private equity areas and deepening its GP partnerships deepening partnerships. The UK pension schemes' shift towards private markets is supported by policy and infrastructure, but adoption pace hinges on fee mechanics and growth capital availability shift towards. Carlyle Alp Invest has closed its second single asset-focused fund on $1.7 billion, surpassing its target and predecessor fund, benefiting from increased LP sophistication around continuation vehicles closes fund.