Private Equity 3 Days

Last updated: July 31, 2026, 8:30 PM ET

Venture Capital Activity and Funding Rounds

Index Ventures raised $2 billion across three new funds, bringing its total available investing capital to $3.5 billion . Safe Superintelligence AI unicorn, secured a significant $5 billion financing round backed by Nvidia . raised $13 million to develop voice AI models designed to pass the Turing test . Ellis AI startup focused on AI for private credit managers, announced its emergence from stealth with $10 million in seed funding . Inforcer, London-based firm, closed a $50 million Series C round led by Insight Partners to help smaller businesses prepare for AI and security risks . Freehand has raised $75 million in Series B funding to scale autonomous AI agents for managing supply chain spend and back-office operations . Centralize, an enterprise sales platform, has raised $15 million in a Series A funding round .

Private Equity Dealmaking and Investments

Platinum Equity is acquiring half of Nestlé's waters and premium beverages business for $3.4 billion, forming a new enled Peranel with an enterprise value of €4.9 billion ($5.6 . KKR and Energy Capital Partners are pursuing a £5.75 billion ($7.78 takeover of DCC, a recoon that has the board's backing despite some shareholder objections. Brookfield has secured $2 billion in the first close of its East buyout fund, anchored by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Providence Equity Partners is taking full control of T formerly known as Wasserman, by buying out founder Casey Wasserman. Bain Capital has agreed to acquire Vitabiotics, the ding vitamin company, for approximately £900 million ($1.2 . BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners is backing Eamonn Rothwell in illion ($1.38 management buyout of Irish Continental Group. Blackstone and Colony IM are jointly acquiring Accor's 30.7% stake in hotel owner Essendi for up to €975 million ($1.12 .

Sector-Specific Investments and Acquisitions

In the senior care sector, Goldman Sachs, Brightstar Capital, Hidden River, and Pacific Avenue are among the private equity firms actively transacting, driven by supply and demand gaps . Enterprise-backed Meritus has acquired industrial gases distributor Metroplex Welding Supply . Platinum Equity investing in lighting company LMPG, with existing management rolling over equity and remaining significant investors . KKR-backed Spectris acquiring sensor business Sentech, a supplier of high-tech precision instrumentation . Apax is set to acquire medical packaging firms Centor and another plastic packaging company from Gerresheimer for €1.5 billion, with the combined businesses generating approximately €570 million in revenue in 2025 . Carlyle-backed Included is acquiring healthcare company Firefly Health .

Fundraising and Investor Strategies

Blue Owl reached $10.6 billion for its latest GP stakes fund, with the vehicle expected to close this year after multiple timeline extensions . CVC is aiming for a third-quarter close for its sixth secondaries fund, having raised $9.3 billion to date and planning to launch its first infrastructure secondaries vehicle . Savano has closed an oversubscribed direct secondaries fund, with its latest vehicle having made 12 investments to date . Evercore is bolstering its APAC private capital advisory unit, having more than doubled its headcount since February to capitalize on growth in the region's secondaries market . TJC is targeting a November final close for its seventh flagship fund, with its hard cap set at $2 billion larger than its initial target .

Artificial Intelligence and Technology Trends

European Union has opened applications for a €10 billion AI gigafactory scheme, signaling a significant push into advanced manufacturing and technology . Battery storage Antora has closed a $550 million Series C round, intending to use the capital to accelerate the deployment of large-scale projects amid rising energy demand from AI data centers . Researchers Imperial College and Emlyon Business School have mapped how Silicon Valley founders commit fraud and the role investors play, noting an increase in VC-backed startup fraud . There is growing scrutiny on AI's ability to create value, with some fearing that General Partners may overpromise and underdeliver on AI's potential to drive topline growth . Middle-market technology rather than incumbents or AI-native startups, are expected to capture the largest long-term gains from AI .

Divestitures and Exits

Sterling Group sold its manufacturing business, Tangent Technologies, to Platinum Equity . HIG Capital selling industrial services firm JT Thorpe to Truelink Capital, having acquired JT Thorpe in 2022 . Juniper Capital exited Andes Coil Processors, marking its 11th exit from 12 total investments made across four platform companies since 2017 . Hg EQT are selling their Saa S provider Quantios to Vista Equity Partners . Macquarie is reportedly preparing to sell Win Waste, a waste-to-energy company .

Geographic Focus and Market Dynamics

The United Kingdom continues to be a significant market for private equity, capturing a larger share of activity due to global macroeconomic concerns pushing investors toward Europe . European VCs reportedly cheering the chip rout, suggesting a strategic advantage or opportunity arising from the downturn . European startups increasingly focusing on international expansion, even at the seed stage . A concentration of capital in Asia's large-cap space may present lucrative opportunities for GPs capable of raising smaller amounts of capital in the lower market segments .

Fundraising and Investor Allocations

Blossom Capital increasing its focus on defense investments, indicating a strategic shift or expansion within its portfolio . One active LP is specifically seeking VCs with strong "industrial know-how" for their investment criteria . Secondaries funds demonstrating strong performance in real estate fundraising, representing a significant portion of capital commitments despite making up only 4% of total private real estate fundraising in 2025 . Hamilton Lane leading a single-asset continuation vehicle for wealth management asset firm Savant Capital Holdings . FoxPath has disclosed details of its debut credit secondaries fund, having previously partnered with Reinsurance Group of America to capitalize future funds .