Private Equity 3 Days

Last updated: July 30, 2026, 11:30 PM ET

Fundraising Momentum Continues Amidst Market Shifts

Blue Owl reached $10.6bn for its latest GP stakes fund, aiming to close this year after extensions. CVC aiming Q3 on its sixth secondaries fund and plans to launch an infrastructure secondaries vehicle, having raised $9.3bn to date. Savano closed an oversubscribed direct secondaries fund, which has already made 12 investments. Brookfield held a $2bn first close on its Middle East buyout fund, anchored by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. TJC eyeing November for its seventh flagship fund, with a hard cap $2bn larger than its target. Step Stone led £140m for Premier Modular, a modular buildings provider partially owned by MML, which raised £360m from European infrastructure investors. Fox Path disclosed details, having partnered with Reinsurance Group of America last year.

AI and Tech Investments Drive Significant Capital Inflows

Battery storage startup Antora, one of the year's largest cleantech deals, to accelerate project deployment amid soaring energy demand from AI data centers. Health testing platform Function secured $450m from General Catalyst. Inforcer raised $50m in a Series C round led by Insight Partners to help smaller businesses navigate AI and security risks. Centralize, an enterprise sales platform, emerged from stealth with $15m in Series A funding. AI startup Corgi plans to open a 24/7 cafe in London. AI roll-up startup Dwelly raised $170m backed by EQT and General Catalyst. Startups at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity have collectively across over 150 seed-stage rounds this year. Throne Science, which uses an AI-powered toilet camera to track gut health, raised $10m in a Series A round. Freehand raised $75m in Series B funding to scale autonomous AI agents for supply chain spend and back-office operations.

Strategic Acquisitions and Divestitures Reshape Industries

Platinum Equity is acquiring a 50% stake in Nestlé's waters and premium beverages business for $3.4bn, forming a new entity called Peranel. KKR and Energy Capital Partners are set to acquire DCC in a £5.75bn ($7.78bn) takeover, with DCC's board recommending the offer despite shareholder objections. Blackstone is acquiring ultrasonic inspections company Dark Vision from Koch, while Macquarie is preparing to sell its waste-to-energy company Win Waste. TSG Consumer agreed to acquire body care brand Saltair, which was previously backed by Prelude Growth Partners. Bain Capital will acquire UK vitamins leader Vitabiotics for approximately £900m ($1.2bn) as part of an international growth strategy. BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners is backing Eamonn Rothwell's €1.2bn ($1.38bn) management buyout of Irish Continental Group. Blackstone and Colony IM agreed to buy Accor's 30.7% stake in hotel owner Essendi for up to €975m ($1.12bn). Hg and EQT are selling Saa S provider Quantios to Vista Equity Partners, while OpenGate Capital Knorr-Bremse’s HVAC unit. AIP completed take-private of medical tech firm Avanos Medical, with stockholders set to receive $25 per share. Carlyle-backed Included Health is acquiring Firefly Health. Investcorp acquired wealth management firm Berger Financial Group, which manages over $3bn in assets. Apax will acquire two medical and plastic packaging companies from Gerresheimer for €1.5bn, generating combined revenues of about €570 million. Bain Capital is leading a $1.5bn investment in infrastructure platform Eaton Fiber to accelerate Verizon's US broadband expansion. Golub Capital is backing fast-food chain Church’s Texas Chicken, which was acquired by High Bluff Capital Partners and Future Standard in 2021. Riverside-backed Decera Clinical is investing in healthcare knowledge platform Onviv. Stonepeak and CMA CGM completed the formation of United Ports, with Stonepeak investing $2.4bn for a 25% stake. AIP completed the buyout of material handling firm Intelligrated from Honeywell Technologies. Mutares agreed to acquire Stellantis's Free2move car-sharing business. Behrman-backed Micross acquired manufacturer AEMtec. FEP acquired Australian Planet Fitness franchisee Bravo Fit, exiting Planet Fitness's minority ownership. BC Partners agreed to acquire a co-control stake in Info RLife, a Swiss CDMO specializing in IV infusion bags. HIG Capital is selling industrial services firm JT Thorpe to Truelink Capital, having acquired it in 2022. HIG acquired infrastructure services and engineering firm Avove, focused on regulated water and power markets.

Market Dynamics and Sector Focus

The EU opened applications for a €10bn AI gigafactory scheme. KKR reported record, with $848m of realized performance income and exit multiples as high as 20x, fueling optimism against industry anxieties. The UK for private equity activity, attracting a larger share of global investor interest due to macroeconomic concerns in other regions. Secondaries-focused fundraising represented 4% of private real estate fundraising in 2025 but continues to attract capital commitments. Family office Green Bear is reducing its private equity exposure and favoring separately managed accounts due to cost-efficiency benefits amid lower PE returns. Providence Equity Partners is taking full control of THE·TEAM in a buyout of founder Casey Wasserman. MRC is backing Nexus Power to support its geographic expansion and targeted acquisitions. Dominus is investing in traffic products manufacturer Pelco Solutions, with Pelco's management team continuing to lead. Blackstone's energy transition group is acquiring Dark Vision. TSG Consumer is acquiring Saltair. Bain Capital is acquiring Vitabiotics. BlackRock's GIP is backing Eamonn Rothwell's management buyout of Irish Continental Group. Hamilton Lane is leading a single-asset continuation vehicle for wealth management asset Savant Capital Holdings. Blackstone and Colony IM are buying Accor's stake in Essendi. Hg, EQT, and Vista Equity Partners are involved in deals concerning Quantios and Knorr-Bremse's HVAC unit. BlackRock-backed Influence Media Partners is acquiring Anthem Entertainment's music assets for over $600m. AIP completed the buyout of Avanos Medical. Carlyle-backed Included Health is acquiring Firefly Health. Investcorp acquired Berger Financial Group. Apax is acquiring Centor and another plastic packaging company. Bain Capital is leading a $1.5bn investment in Eaton Fiber. Golub Capital is backing Church’s Texas Chicken. Riverside-backed Decera Clinical is investing in Onviv. Stonepeak and CMA CGM formed United Ports. AIP completed the buyout of Intelligrated. Mutares is acquiring Free2move. Behrman-backed Micross acquired AEMtec. FEP acquired Bravo Fit. BC Partners is acquiring a stake in Info RLLife. Tower Brook's Joseph Knoll sees opportunities in services where AI improves productivity, as well as in the consumer vertical. Providence's Karim Tabet suggests AI fatigue indirectly benefits live events, and that sellers are more realistic on must-move assets.

VC Activity and Startup Ecosystem

Vanessa Larco, former NEA partner, evaluates startups based on founder potential and AI leverage. European VCs the chip rout. European startups are increasingly at the seed stage. Tier 1 VCs deeptech startups in H1 2026. Pliant hit $100m following US expansion. One European LP is seeking VCs with "industrial know-how." AE Industrial Partners appointed Leonard Dollaga as operating partner to focus on national security and maritime investments. Visionaries is cutting its investment team to two lead partners for its next fund. ETH Zurich spinout Zuri Q raised $25.5m in seed funding. The EU is opening a scheme for AI gigafactories. Startups at the intersection of AI and security have in seed funding.