Private Equity 3 Days

Last updated: August 11, 2026, 2:43 AM ET

Mega Deals and Take-Privates

Apollo's easyJet bid leads the week's largest transactions: the firm launched a £5.7bn recommended offer for the low-cost carrier in what would be a landmark European take-private. Bernhard Capital announced a $1bn take-private of Bowman Consulting Group, including a 35-day go-shop period. I Squared Capital agreed to acquire oOh!media at a 100% premium, valuing the out-of-home advertising operator at $733m enterprise value. KKR closed a strategic equity investment in Crowe Advisory, the tax and advisory arm of the global accounting network. Amberjack Capital completed the carve-out of Flowserve's PMV Automation group, which includes facilities in Houston and Solna. New Mountain agreed to acquire fire safety provider Jensen Hughes from Gryphon, providing mission-critical engineering services to nuclear utilities.

Fundraising and Capital Flows

Brookfield raised a record $77bn in the second quarter, driven by its private equity, infrastructure and credit franchises. StepStone surpassed $20bn in private wealth AUM, with its venture and growth-focused SPRING vehicle attracting nearly $1.7bn in quarterly subscriptions. Korea's Employment Insurance Fund is seeking to commit 120bn Korean won to blind-pool private equity and venture capital funds for 2026. Meanwhile, secondaries divergence is emerging as continuation fund activity outpaces traditional secondaries, with new ESG rules potentially chilling private markets.

Regional and Mid-Market Activity

CPP Investments committed approximately $143m for a 49.5% interest in two landmark Hilton hotels in Brazil. Provectus Capital made its Romanian debut by acquiring a majority stake in Seatbelt Consulting, the country's largest occupational health and safety services provider. The Spanish mid-market continues to attract dealmakers as family-owned companies approach succession decisions. Private equity dealflow in Q2 was the worst since 2020, with the TMT sector seeing the biggest drop. In a contrasting bet, VSS closed a minority stake in Cordoba, betting on infrastructure transformation and arguing AI is a net positive for the sector.

AI, Deep Tech, and Venture Trends

The DeepMind shakeup tests the UK's AI ambitions, and DeepMind's future is increasingly critical for the country's tech ecosystem. Elsewhere, Nabla's new CEO Brian Manning insists the company is not for sale. London's King's Cross AI hub has emerged from a notorious red-light district into one of the world's top AI hubs. VCs are watching 17 physical AI startups, and First Momentum's cofounder highlights underrated deeptech areas. Global new unicorn counts in the first half of 2026 have already surpassed 2025's totals, with 195 companies joining the Crunchbase Unicorn Board. A wave of AI IPOs could return significant liquidity to LPs and fuel a new venture fundraising cycle, rather than just affecting public-market valuations.