Private Equity 3 Days

Last updated: August 9, 2026, 11:38 AM ET

Deal Activity

Private equity dealmaking remained robust, with notable transactions across sectors. Wise Equity agreed to acquire E‑Pharma Trento, planning bolt‑on acquisitions to add technologies or expand capacity. Eir Partners invested in Claims Bridge and supported its add‑on of Dialysis PPO. Carlyle picked up a minority stake in Prime Capital Financial, with Abry Partners exiting the $50bn‑AUM wealth platform after three years. Sunoco agreed to acquire Court Square‑backed Offen Petroleum for $600m, a fuel distributor delivering 2.5bn gallons annually. MPK Equity‑backed Gorgeous Collective acquired Clean Your Dirty Face in its first deal since launch. Tortuga Growth Partners invested in Advanced eClinical Training out of Fund I. Copley Equity‑backed FMG Leading snapped up Broadbranch Advisors. Nexa Equity‑backed Facility Grid acquired autonomous commissioning firm Ping Cx, rolling out a three‑product strategy. Arlington‑backed TRP Infrastructure closed five add‑on deals to form Gulf Highway Materials, a new highway plastics division.

Healthcare & Workforce Tech

Private equity is doubling down on technology‑driven healthcare workforce services. Accel‑KKR, Bain and Knox Lane are among firms pursuing clinical workforce platforms, seeking to address staffing shortages through automation and analytics. A separate tech push has generated at least eight deals in the space, with LLR Partners also active. In credit, BlackRock TCP Capital sold a $523m slab of its private credit portfolio, including healthcare‑related debt, to Pantheon.

Secondaries & Continuation Vehicles

The secondaries market continues to innovate with GP‑led structures. Pantheon’s credit CV backing BlackRock TCP Capital housed over $500m of debt positions priced at 95% of gross fair value. Infrastructure single‑asset secondaries are blooming as a liquidity tool, but discipline on entry valuations remains critical. GP‑led transactions dominated H1 secondaries volumes, with GP‑leds extending their share through fundraising and asset class expansion. However, assessing a quick‑flip continuation vehicle on hold period alone is an imperfect metric; shorter holds raise the burden on sponsors to deliver value quickly.

Take‑Privates & UK Market

“Bear hugs” are on the rise in UK take‑privates, with Apollo agreeing a £5.7bn bid for Easy Jet, reflecting confidence in undervalued London‑listed companies. Meanwhile, Bernard Arnault installed Aymeric Le Clere as CEO of Financière Agache, the €3.1bn holding vehicle anchoring LVMH control, in a reshuffle of the family’s private equity structure.

Venture Capital & Startup Ecosystem

Startup funding remained robust, with three companies securing rounds of $1bn or more in the past week. Active investors in July included Khosla Ventures and Y Combinator, as July startup investors kept pace. In Europe, a16z expanded its scout network with 30+ venture scouts hunting for deals. The UK expanded its talent visa to more than 100 companies, easing hiring. Lendable is chasing a superapp dream despite capacity constraints, while QMUL spinouts are eyeing new raises. However, Pleo faces a culture crisis with executive exits and sale speculation. The top junior VCs in Europe to watch were named by partners. Meanwhile, King’s Cross has transformed from a notorious red‑light district into one of the world’s top AI hubs.

Fundraising & Asset Management

Allianz posted record Q2 operating profit, driven by €39bn of asset management inflows; PIMCO and AGI pushed third‑party AuM to a record €2.16tn. On the LP side, Italian pension fund ENPAV released an RFP for private equity co‑investment, signalling ongoing institutional appetite for alternative assets.