Private Equity 3 Days

Last updated: July 21, 2026, 11:30 AM ET

Private Equity Dealmaking Activity

Searchlight and Abry of IoT company Kore. Carlyle’s Pooja Goyal discussed the firm's strategy of building platforms from scratch, while Kayne Anderson and Warburg Pincus from Wild Fire Energy to Magnolia Oil & Gas Corporation. Blackstone, Apollo, and KKR committed $5.34bn to Williams power projects, taking a 49% non-controlling interest. CD&R-backed OCS in a £3.1bn deal, with the facilities management company's board unanimously recommending the offer, which represents a 46.8% premium to its closing share price. Apax Partners agreed to acquire techoraco and Institutional Investor from Delinian. Cap Vest completed its acquisition of France's TSG, a provider of technical services for critical energy infrastructure. BGF announced the sale of Walker Precision Engineering to Karman Space & Defense. Bain Capital is set to acquire European supply chain platform Supply On, which connects over 200 manufacturers and 140,000 suppliers globally. Wind Point-backed Assisi Pet Care acquired Forthglade, a pet food and treats business. Kinderhook invested in aerospace components maker American Aero, marking its 33rd platform investment in industrials and manufacturing. Pelican Energy acquired industrial metal fabricator Riggins Company. Brightstar snapped up tech design and consulting firm Bright Tree Studios, adding it to its architecture and design platform. Coalesce-backed Examinetics acquired safety services firm Progressive Safety and Jurgiel. Greenbelt invested in Bowe & Gant Electrical Services, with the co-founders retaining a significant equity stake.

Fundraising and Investor Activity

AI secondaries firm Clipway collected $6.4bn for its debut fund, significantly surpassing its initial $4bn target. Secondaries fundraising in the first half of the year, with volume surpassing $50bn. Private real estate is as investors seek liquidity and extended hold periods amidst refinancing pressures and elusive exits. Worcester Retirement System and San Joaquin County Employees' Retirement Association for investment consulting services.

Venture Capital and Emerging Technologies

Mistral AI is reportedly in talks to raise a substantial funding round, potentially approaching $500 million, as it repositions itself with a Palantir-like strategy. Bluecore Energy raised $10M in a pre-seed round to develop portable nuclear reactors on barges. Natural raised $30M to build payments infrastructure for AI agents, aiming to compete with Stripe. Inference startup Infinity raised $15M at a $100M valuation from investors including Touring Capital, Principal VC, and researchers from OpenAI and Anthropic. Cusp AI secured $450M to accelerate AI-driven materials discovery. Mexico's startups in Q2, raising $944 million, a 131% increase year-over-year. Black-founded startups have shown encouraging signs in 2026, raising approximately $643 million by late May, with the strongest quarter since mid-2022, though this improvement was driven by a handful of deals. Dell Technologies Capital managing director Daniel Docter discussed how AI is reshaping Saa S and why he believes the business model is not headed for obsolescence. Sifted highlighted that European fintech funding in H1 was heavily influenced by AI, with the sentiment being "'If you're not AI-native, you're not getting funded.'"

Sector-Specific Investments and Exits

AIP, MGX, and BlackRock’s GIP acquired Aligned Data Centers from Macquarie Asset Management and its co-investors. Enlightenment Capital invested in govtech firm Quorum to accelerate its product roadmap and expand AI capabilities. O2-backed 4M acquired Bluegrass Commercial Cleaning and Rainbow Maintenance Services. RFE-backed Launch Pad acquired home inspection firm Top to Bottom Services. Carbyne-backed Suan Nutra will acquire specialty ingredients businesses from IFF, merging them into an enlarged natural ingredients platform. Paine Schwartz sold ingredients and beverage manufacturer Lyons Magnus to Truelink. KPS Asia is targeting Japan for take-private deals and carve-outs.

Regulatory and Market Landscape

Private funds are facing ongoing regulatory pressure, with the SEC continuing to scrutinize managers despite potential shifts in priorities. The UK government is undergoing a restructuring, with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) being scrapped, leading to political backlash. Kanishka Narayan was named the UK's first cabinet-level AI minister. EQT sees compelling opportunities in the Technology, Infrastructure, Cloud, and Communications (TICC) sector, noting that regulatory requirements create "durable demand" and that AI is reshaping delivery. CVC DIF has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Eco Eridania, a medical waste business.

Notable Leadership and Firm Moves

Littlejohn promoted Brian Michaud to managing partner. Angeles Equity Partners appointed Kyle Huffman as VP of finance for its operations group. Blackstone is nearing a $400M exit deal for RGIS International to an Israeli private equity firm. Apollo is in advanced talks over a $3bn Yankees financing package.