Private Equity 3 Days

Last updated: August 8, 2026, 2:40 PM ET

Mega-Deals & Take-Private Activity

Apollo secured a recommended £5.7bn cash offer for easy Jet, ending a four-week bidding contest and representing one of the largest European take-privates in recent years. The move is part of a broader trend of rising bear hugs in UK public-to-private transactions. Separately, KKR agreed to acquire Medicover India, a 24-hospital multi-specialty network from Nasdaq Stockholm-listed Medicover AB, adding scale to its healthcare portfolio. In another large transaction, Carlyle picked up a minority stake in Prime Capital Financial from Abry Partners, exiting one of the fastest-growing US wealth management firms with $50bn in AUM after three years of concentrated growth.

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Private equity firms are doubling down on healthcare workforce services, with Accel-KKR, Bain, and Knox Lane among those transacting in the space. A broader look at clinical workforce deals highlights technology-driven investments by these firms and others. In the radiopharma sector, Nordic Capital inked a take-private of BWVT's nuclear medicine business for $800m. Meanwhile, Ares Management is leading a $2.2bn direct loan to finance Med Impact Holdings' acquisition of Medical Card System, a sizeable healthcare credit package. On the PE-backed platform side, Eir Partners invested in Claims Bridge and supported the add-on of Dialysis PPO, while Tortuga Growth Partners invested in Advanced eClinical Training from its Fund I.

Infrastructure & Energy

Data center demand continues to drive infrastructure deals. Partners Group agreed to acquire a majority stake in AVK Power Solutions, a provider of power systems for data centers that has installed approximately 3.5GW across European FLAP-D markets. Separately, Goldman Sachs Asset Management is lining up data center contractor Divcon for sale. In the power sector, LS Power will acquire the Brazos Valley gas-fired plant from Constellation, satisfying a regulatory divestiture tied to Constellation's acquisition of Calpine. Veritas Capital is acquiring Saber Power Services from Greenbelt, a vertically integrated power infrastructure platform. In the oil distribution space, Sunoco will acquire Court Square-backed Offen Petroleum for $600m, which delivers 2.5 billion gallons annually to 7,000 customers.

Secondaries & Credit

The secondaries market is booming across asset classes. Pantheon bought a $523m slab of BlackRock TCP Capital's private credit book in a landmark BDC continuation vehicle, priced at 95% of gross fair value as of December 2025. Another Pantheon-backed vehicle will house over $500m of debt positions. In infrastructure secondaries, the single-asset market is blooming as a liquidity tool, but discipline and entry valuations remain critical, according to Stafford's William. Danish pension fund Industriens Pension is mulling adding more infra secondaries exposure, favoring indirect commitments via Pantheon vehicles. On the venture side, G Squared closed a $2.3bn Fund VII in record time, roughly twice the size of its prior fund, as venture secondaries heat up. GP-led deals dominated H1 secondaries, with market volatility and fundraising driving growth. However, assessing a quick-flip continuation vehicle on hold period alone is an imperfect metric.

Consumer, TMT & Business Services

In consumer and retail, Bain Capital is acquiring Gong cha, the global bubble tea chain, from TA Associates. In the beauty space, Partners Group is in talks to buy Aroma-Zone from Eurazeo, while CVC and Veritas Capital vie for Bodycote. MPK Equity-backed Gorgeous Collective acquired Clean Your Dirty Face, its first deal since platform launch in 2026. In business services, RedBird's Affinia added Wilson Partners in a UK accounting tie-up. KKR-backed FGS scooped up government affairs firm Rich Feuer Anderson, its second such acquisition. Copley Equity-backed FMG Leading acquired Broadbranch Advisors. The Broad Sky professional services firm Smith + Howard was exited to TPG after 4x growth.

Venture Capital & Startups

A big week for large venture rounds saw three companies secure financings of $1bn or more, with a robust lineup across AI and other sectors. Moove raised $250M to scale its autonomous vehicle fleet management business, aiming to own Waymo robotaxis. Wise Equity agreed to acquire E-Pharma Trento, which may explore bolt-on acquisitions for new technologies. Verdane made a majority investment in Factbird, a Danish IoT and manufacturing intelligence company. On the VC side, a16z has over 30 venture scouts hunting for deals across Europe, while Lightspeed found a new hire via Instagram DM. Y Combinator saw a growing class of repeat founders in its recent cohorts.

Fundraising & Institutional Activity

Mega-firms are largely defying fundraising headwinds, as noted in the latest earnings season learnings. The New Jersey Division of Investment, led by CIO Shoaib Khan, sees opportunity in the slow exit market and is evaluating re-ups and new opportunities on equal footing. In Europe, ENPAV, an Italian pension fund, released an RFP for private equity co-investments. In South Korea, MMAA seeks to commit 300bn Korean won to domestic blind-pool PE/VC funds, and Korea Post Insurance looks to commit 60bn won to domestic blind-pool VC funds. Meanwhile, Allianz posted record operating profit in Q2, driven by €39bn in asset management net inflows, with PIMCO and AGI pushing third-party AuM to a record €2.16tn.

PE Platform Builds & Add-Ons

The build-and-buy strategy remains active across sectors. Nexa Equity-backed Facility Grid acquired autonomous commissioning company Ping Cx, adding AI-enhanced offerings. Arlington-backed TRP Infrastructure closed five add-on deals to form a new highway plastics division, Gulf Highway Materials. In the financial advisory space, Broad Sky's professional services firm Smith + Howard was exited to TPG after 4x growth. Bernard Arnault installed Aymeric Le Clere as CEO of Financière Agache, the €3.1bn holding vehicle anchoring control of LVMH.

European & Regional Highlights

The UK expanded its talent visa to more than 100 companies, aiming to attract tech talent. Lendable is chasing a superapp dream, constrained more by capacity than ideas. Pleo faces a culture crisis with executive exodus and sale speculation. QMUL spinouts are looking to raise capital. In France, 7 spots to meet founders and VCs in Paris were highlighted. Europe's top 50 most active equity investors in H1 2026 were listed. For junior VCs, partners named the top up-and-comers to watch in Europe.