Private Equity 3 Days

Last updated: August 2, 2026, 2:30 AM ET

Major Fundraises and Investment Rounds

Index Ventures raised $2 billion across three new funds, bringing its total available capital to $3.5 billion. Safe Superintelligence AI unicorn, secured a reported $5 billion financing round backed by Nvidia. raised $13 million to develop advanced voice AI technologies. Ellis AI from stealth with $10 million in seed funding for its AI startup targeting private credit managers. Inforcer closed a $50 million Series C round led by Insight Partners to assist smaller businesses with AI and security risks. Battery storage Antora secured $550 million in a Series C round, one of the largest cleantech rounds this year. Blue Owl reached $10.6 billion for its latest GP stakes fund, which is expected to close this year. CVC is preparing for a significant fundraising effort, potentially its largest flagship fund yet.

Private Equity Dealmaking and Acquisitions

Platinum Equity is acquiring a 50% stake in Nestlé's waters and premium beverages business for $3.4 billion, creating a new entity called Peranel. KKR and Energy Capital Partners are set to acquire DCC in a £5.75 billion ($7.78 takeover, with the board recommending the deal despite shareholder objections. Providence Equity Partners is taking full control of THE·TEAM, formerly known as Wasserman, by buying out founder Casey Wasserman. Bain Capital has agreed to acquire Vitabiotics, the UK's leading vitamin company, for approximately £900 million ($1.2 as part of an international growth strategy. BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners is backing a €1.2 billion ($1.38 management buyout of Irish Continental Group, led by CEO Eamonn Rothwell. Blackstone and Colony IM have agreed to acquire Accor's 30.7% stake in hotel owner Essendi for up to €975 million ($1.12 . TSG Consumer set to acquire the body care brand Saltair, which was previously backed by Prelude Growth Partners. HIG Capital to sell its industrial services firm JT Thorpe to Truelink Capital, having acquired it in 2022. Sterling Group sold its manufacturer Tangent Technologies to Platinum Equity. Enterprise-backed Meritus acquired industrial gases distributor Metroplex Welding Supply. KKR-backed Spectris the sensor business Sentech, which is a supplier of precision instrumentation for industrial applications. Palladian has invested in UK leasing company Global Vehicle Group, which manages over 70,000 vehicles. Apheon-backed Haudecoeur expanding its European presence by acquiring food businesses Natur Food and Heliadis. Dominus has invested in traffic products manufacturer Pelco Solutions, with its management team continuing to lead the business. MRC is backing Nexus Power to support its geographic expansion and targeted acquisitions.

Sector Focus and Investment Trends

senior care sector is experiencing significant dealmaking opportunities due to supply and demand gaps, attracting investors like Goldman Sachs, Brightstar, and Health Wave. Apax is pursuing a €1.5 billion medical packaging deal, incentivized by sustainability trends. testing platform Function secured $450 million from General Catalyst, offering over 100 blood tests via a yearly subscription. Blackstone's energy group is acquiring ultrasonic inspections company Dark Vision, while Macquarie is reportedly considering selling its waste-to-energy company Win Waste. Hg EQT are selling Saa S provider Quantios to Vista Equity, and Open Gate plans to carve out Knorr-Bremse’s HVAC unit. Platinum Equity investing in lighting company LMPG, with the founder and management team remaining significant investors.

Venture Capital and Startup Ecosystem

VC-backed startups exhibiting an increase in fraudulent activity, with researchers identifying specific methods employed by Silicon Valley founders and the role investors play. Seed-stage investments of $5 million to $10 million are clustering in sectors such as cancer therapeutics and space tech. Blossom Capital expanding its investment focus into the defense sector. European universities are seeing significant funding for spinouts, with €4.9 billion raised in the first half of 2026. Several European are positioning themselves to capitalize on the AI boom. Venture capital are increasingly taking on operator roles within their portfolio companies. Former NEA Vanessa Larco evaluates startups based on founder potential and their leverage of AI.

Secondaries Market and Investor Strategies

CVC is preparing to launch its sixth secondaries fund, aiming for a third-quarter close, and is also planning its first infrastructure secondaries vehicle, having raised $9.3 billion to date. Savano has closed an oversubscribed direct secondaries fund, which has already made 12 investments. Hamilton Lane leading a single-asset continuation vehicle for wealth management asset Savant Capital Holdings. Evercore is expanding its APAC private capital advisory unit, having more than doubled its headcount since February to capitalize on growth in the region's secondaries market. The assessment of quick-flip continuation vehicles based solely on asset hold periods is considered an imperfect metric.

Fundraising and LP Activity

Brookfield has achieved a $2 billion first close on its Middle East buyout fund, anchored by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Tikehau has completed a series of realizations. The concentration of capital in Asia's large-cap private equity space presents a potential opportunity for GPs capable of raising smaller amounts of capital further down the market. Jonas Nyquist of alternatives at the €126.7 billion pension fund Alecta, emphasizes that disciplined entry pricing is directly linked to value creation. Siby Diabira, Head of Private Equity & Venture Capital at the International Finance Corporation, is a notable figure in LP activity.