Private Equity 3 Days

Last updated: July 17, 2026, 5:30 AM ET

Private Equity Firms Deepen Investments and Expand Portfolios

Private equity firms are actively pursuing a range of acquisition and investment strategies across diverse sectors. Charterhouse Capital Partners is set to acquire Batibig, a French B2B emergency building repairs and maintenance business with over €500 million in annual revenue. In parallel, Arrow Global Group has acquired Borio Mangiarotti, a Milan-based real estate development and management business. Summit, backed by Avathon, has acquired Kids Bowel & Bladder, a continuing education provider focused on health. Meanwhile, Trive Capital has sold Kittyhawk, a HIP services provider, to Machine Sciences, a portfolio company of Viking Global. Health Wave Partners has acquired Alamar Senior Living, a memory care community. Serent-backed Raintree has acquired Spike Technologies, a healthcare AI firm. Verdane is expanding its technology portfolio by acquiring stakes in four Trifork Labs businesses, including cybersecurity and digital health companies. Tailwater is backing Pickton Gas Storage, led by former Nor Tex Midstream Partners management. CD&R-backed White Cap is set to acquire concrete distributor Gierke Robinson. One Equity is acquiring Epic Piping, a pipe fabrication and distribution firm, from Bernhard Capital Partners. Guardian has sold Precision Roll Solutions, a manufacturer, to American Roller Company. Inspirit Equity-backed Sizemore is acquiring Carlson Building Maintenance, an integrated facilities management services provider. Oridian-backed ACR has acquired Redi Bag USA, a reusable bags provider. Ridgewood and Coogee Bay are acquiring Caring Transitions, a senior relocation services firm. Ground Force Capital is investing in agricultural testing platform Rock River Laboratory. CAI Capital-backed Green Arrow has acquired three transportation tech firms. Kaltroco is investing in Smile America Partners, a school dental program. Gryphon-backed SMG has acquired Cross Safety, a health, safety, and environmental services firm. Great Point-backed Vetn Care is acquiring Holistic Veterinary Care, a network of veterinary hospitals. Lightyear Capital is backing Prosperity Partners, a tax and accounting firm. IMB Partners is investing in Strategic Land Services, a heavy civil contractor. ACP-backed Marco is acquiring Rocket Seals, an industrial products supplier.

Strategic Investments and Sector Focus

Private equity firms are demonstrating a keen interest in technology, healthcare, and infrastructure. Ardian is expanding its stakes in the firm, with Assurances du Crédit Mutuel (ACM) and Wafra increasing their holdings as AXA sells its 10% stake ACM and Wafra expand. Advantage Partners is targeting Japanese firms shielded from foreign takeovers, focusing on companies central to the country's economic security concerns Advantage Partners to target. H.I.G. Capital has launched Highground Living, a €1 billion German residential platform H.I.G. Capital launches. EQT's €5 billion Scaleup Fund is reportedly in talks to lead a funding round for Mistral. Bridgepoint is acquiring a majority stake in GBA Group, a German laboratory testing business, from Ardian Bridgepoint buys majority stake. Ardian is also acquiring a majority stake in Pflegia, a digital healthcare recruitment platform in Germany. Montagu is navigating complex carve-out opportunities, with Bridgepoint acquiring GBA Group from Ardian. One Equity is acquiring pipe fabrication and distribution firm Epic Piping. CVC Capital Partners and Groupe Bruxelles Lambert's offer for Italian drugmaker Recordati has been deemed fair by its board Recordati board backs CVC and GBL offer. Arlington Capital is taking Gooch & Housego, an optical designing, testing, and manufacturing business, private in a £345.6 million deal. KKR is taking a majority stake in Thomson Reuters’ global print business for $500 million, retaining a 49% equity stake. Warburg Pincus-led investors are acquiring a controlling stake in pharmacy Pantherx Rare from Nautic Partners, General Atlantic, and The Vistria Group. Archi Med is taking Esperion Therapeutics, a biopharma firm, private for $1.1 billion. Apollo is in advanced talks to provide nearly $3 billion in financing to the New York Yankees Apollo in advanced talks over. M&G is increasing its exposure to infrastructure secondaries, targeting continuation vehicles (CVs) that require long-term capital for growth.

Venture Capital and Technology Trends

Venture capital activity shows a strong focus on Artificial Intelligence and fintech, with larger deal sizes and fewer but more significant rounds. AI-powered travel agency Fora has achieved unicorn status, raising $60 million and valuing the company at $1 billion. Mollie is planning a €350 million expansion plan focused on Europe. Founders Fund has hired former OpenAI executive Ryan Beiermeister as a partner. EQT is reportedly in talks to lead a funding round for Mistral. Verdane is acquiring stakes in technology businesses from bp Verdane buys portfolio of technology stakes. Fintech funding surged nearly 23% year over year in H1 2026, with investors concentrating on AI and financial infrastructure, although deal counts fell over 25%. Cybersecurity startups attracted $4.4 billion in Q2 2026, with privacy and cybersecurity startups seeing robust funding. Munich robotics startup Microagi raised $55 million, marking Germany's largest seed round to date. General Catalyst's Customer Value Fund is providing $1 billion to David Beckham’s health drink startup IM8, utilizing an unusual fund structure. OpenAI researcher Miles Wang is reportedly in talks to launch an AI drug discovery startup valued at $2 billion, indicating investor interest in AI for life sciences breakthroughs. Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman, and Anthropic have launched Ode with Anthropic, an AI services provider, with backing from Apollo Global Management, General Atlantic, GIC, Goldman Sachs, Leonard Green, and Sequoia Capital. KKR is marketing Europe's first debt deal backed by PayPal's buy now, pay later loans in Germany KKR markets Europe's first debt deal. Stripe and Advent International have reportedly teamed up to make an offer to buy PayPal for more than $53 billion.

Secondaries Market and Investor Sentiment

The secondaries market is seeing increased activity, with institutional investors seeking liquidity and GPs utilizing continuation vehicles (CVs). Louisiana Teachers is exploring a private equity secondaries sale to reduce its allocation to buyout assets and increase liquidity. Serone, a credit manager, has launched a buyout secondaries strategy with a debut fund. M&G is building its infrastructure secondaries exposure, targeting continuation vehicles. Real estate secondaries are experiencing rising confidence and deal flow as investors seek exposure to in-demand asset classes. Asante is building its APAC secondaries business with an ex-Evercore hire to originate and lead transactions in the region. Carlyle Alp Invest has closed its second single asset-focused fund on $1.7 billion, surpassing its target and predecessor fund, benefiting from LP sophistication around CVs. High Vista has launched its GP-led secondaries strategy, expanding its lower middle market private equity investing. Secondaries are being utilized as a sophisticated capital formation tool in real estate, enabling liquidity and platform repositioning. Partners Group has warned that evergreen outflows could reach $20 billion, with private equity accounting for two-thirds of its underperforming assets. CalPERS has reported a 14.8% net investment return for the year to June 30, 2026, with private equity as a significant contributor Private equity lifts CalPERS to 14.8% return.

Fundraising and Governance

Fundraising pressures are leading to increased LP scrutiny on fund governance, with investors seeking greater control, better economics, and stronger protections against succession and zombie fund risks. Germany's KENFO plans to increase its private markets allocation to 30% but will trim its private equity exposure Germany's KENFO to lift private markets allocation. Greylock capped its new fund at $1.5 billion, aiming to maintain a focused investment strategy and be a key partner to its founders Why Greylock capped its new fund REF: