Private Equity 3 Days

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

Middle East and Infrastructure Deals Draw Major Capital

Brookfield secured $2bn at the first close of its Middle East buyout fund, anchored by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. In a significant infrastructure transaction, a consortium of Blackstone, Brookfield, and KKR agreed to a $16bn lease and leaseback of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation's crude pipeline network, marking the country's largest ever foreign direct investment. Stonepeak and CMA CGM finalized the formation of United Ports, with Stonepeak investing $2.4 billion for a 25 percent stake. Bain Capital committed $1.5bn to the infrastructure platform Eaton Fiber, aiming to accelerate Verizon's US fiber broadband expansion.

Global Buyouts and Strategic Acquisitions

Providence Equity Partners is taking full control of the agency formerly known as Wasserman, acquiring founder Casey Wasserman's remaining stake. Bain Capital agreed to acquire UK vitamins leader Vitabiotics for approximately £900 million ($1.2bn) to fuel international growth. BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners is backing a €1.2 billion ($1.38bn) management buyout of Irish Continental Group, led by CEO Eamonn Rothwell. Blackstone and Colony IM are set to acquire Accor's 30.7% stake in hotel owner Essendi for up to €975 million ($1.12bn). In the technology sector, Vista Equity Partners is acquiring Quantios, a Saa S provider to global trust and corporate services, from Hg and EQT. Open Gate Capital has agreed to acquire Knorr-Bremse’s rail HVAC unit, Merak. Apax is acquiring medical packaging firm Centor and another plastic packaging company from Gerresheimer for €1.5 billion.

Financial Services and Asset Management Transactions

Investcorp has acquired wealth management firm Berger Financial Group, which manages over $3 billion in assets for more than 3,800 clients. Hamilton Lane is leading a single-asset continuation vehicle for wealth management asset The Cynosure Group, which is moving RIA firm Savant Capital Holdings into the structure. Family office Green Bear is reducing its private equity exposure, favoring separately managed accounts for cost-efficiency benefits amidst lower private equity returns.

Sector-Specific Deals and Investments

BlackRock-backed Influence Media Partners is set to acquire Anthem Entertainment’s music assets for over $600 million, including extensive catalogs from artists like Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. AIP has completed a take-private buyout of medical tech firm Avanos Medical, with stockholders to receive $25 per share in cash. Carlyle-backed Included Health is acquiring Firefly Health. Mutares has agreed to acquire Stellantis's Free2move car-sharing business, which operates across 14 cities in Europe and the US. HIG has acquired Avove, an infrastructure services and engineering firm focused on regulated water and power markets. FEP is acquiring Planet Fitness franchisee Bravo Fit in Australia. Cinven and La Caisse have agreed to jointly acquire MGA Optio, a specialty risk originator and underwriter.

Fundraising and Secondaries Market Activity

CVC is preparing for what could be another significant fundraising round. Tikehau is making a series of divestments. GTCR is targeting the private equity market with its latest fund. TJC is aiming for a November final close on its seventh flagship fund, with a hard-cap $2 billion larger than its target. Step Stone is leading a £140 million continuation vehicle for Premier Modular. Secondaries-focused funds accounted for just 4% of private real estate fundraising in 2025 but continue to attract significant capital commitments. Family office Green Bear is tapping the secondaries market for portfolio restructuring. Fox Path has disclosed details of its debut credit secondaries fund. High-conviction deals gained favor from secondaries investors in the first half of the year, with AI disruption impacting both LP-led and GP-led markets.

Venture Capital and Startup Funding

Thrive Capital's Thrive Eternal is tipped to be the lead investor in FIFA's planned minority stake sale in its commercial arm, valued at around €17.5 billion ($20bn). Centralize, an enterprise sales platform, has raised $15 million in a Series A funding round. AI startup Corgi plans to open a 24/7 cafe in London. Freehand has raised $75 million in Series B funding to scale autonomous AI agents for supply chain spend management. Throne Science, a startup developing an AI-powered toilet camera for gut health tracking, has raised $10 million in a Series A round. Zuri Q, an ETH Zurich spinout, has raised $25.5 million in seed funding. AI and cybersecurity startups have collectively raised $855 million across more than 150 seed-stage rounds this year. Dwelly, an AI rollup startup, has raised $170 million backed by EQT and General Catalyst.

Market Trends and Strategic Outlook

The UK continues to be a strong market for private equity, with global macroeconomic concerns driving more investors towards Europe and consequently increasing the UK's share of activity. Some market participants fear general partners may overpromise and underdeliver on AI's potential to drive topline growth. Middle-market technology companies, rather than large incumbents or AI-native startups, are poised to capture the biggest long-term gains from AI. Providence's Karim Tabet suggests that AI "fatigue" indirectly boosts live events, and that physical scarcity is becoming more valuable. He also notes that more sellers are "realistic" on must-move assets, creating new investment opportunities in sectors like communications, live events, and education, partly as a backdrop to AI advancements. European VCs the chip rout. European startups are increasingly expanding internationally at the seed stage.