Private Equity 3 Days

Last updated: July 22, 2026, 8:30 AM ET

Private Equity Navigates AI Disruption and Sector Shifts

Artificial intelligence continues to be a significant force, acting as a potential "deal killer" due to disruption risk. Despite this, AI labs are a major driver of new unicorns, with 10 such companies joining the Crunchbase Unicorn Board in June, collectively valued at $65 billion and contributing to a total new valuation of over $110 billion for all 34 new unicorns. Nigel Cameron argues that AI will fundamentally rewrite the global financial value chain, driving marginal operating costs near-zero and enabling highly personalized products. This sentiment is echoed in the European fintech sector, where an "AI-native" approach is becoming crucial for funding, with fintechs focusing on AI seeing significant investment. Dimension Capital’s third fund, raising $800 million, highlights the boom at the intersection of science and compute, indicating strong investor appetite for AI-related ventures. In the UK, Hg is backing proptech company Street Group, aiming to deepen its AI capabilities for estate and letting agents, with the deal valuing Street Group at over £200 million. Falfurrias has also injected capital into work risk AI firm Factor Lab, which focuses on transforming how high-risk work is planned and delivered, and Enlightenment Capital is investing in govtech firm Quorum to accelerate its product roadmap and expand its AI capabilities. Natural has raised $30 million to reinvent payments for AI agents, positioning itself as a challenger to Stripe. Cusp AI secured a $450 million round to accelerate AI materials discovery, while Infinity, an inference startup, raised $15 million at a $100 million valuation from investors including OpenAI and Anthropic researchers.

Secondaries Market Activity and Real Estate Focus

The secondaries market is experiencing a record-breaking run, with fundraising surpassing $50 billion in the first half of the year, marking the second-strongest six months in a six-year period. Volume has also extended its record-breaking run in H1, with Jefferies