Private Equity 3 Days

Last updated: August 11, 2026, 8:38 PM ET

Mega-Funds & Capital Raising

Brookfield raised a record $77bn in Q2, led by its private equity franchise. Accel closed an oversubscribed $550M India fund within weeks, though over 55% of its prior $650M fund remains undeployed. StepStone surpassed $20bn in private wealth AUM, with its SPRING vehicle attracting nearly $1.7bn in subscriptions in the quarter. Scaleup Europe, a public-private fund targeting $5.7bn, made its first investment by backing Finnish satellite company ICEYE. Plymouth County Retirement issued an RFP for a North American private equity manager. Korea’s Employment Insurance Fund seeks blind-pool PE/VC funds, committing 120bn won.

Take-Private & Large Control Deals

Bernhard Capital agreed to take Bowman Consulting private for $1bn, with a 35-day go-shop period. Apollo Sports Capital invested $2.6bn in Yankee Global Enterprises, the parent of the New York Yankees. Apollo landed a £5.7bn recommended offer for easy Jet in a landmark European take-private. I Squared Capital agreed a $733m take-private of oOh!media at a 100% premium. Thoma Bravo completed a $466m take-private of validation software firm Kneat, delisting it from the Toronto Stock Exchange. HIG Capital acquired UK engineering firm Phoenix ME.

Continuation Vehicles & Secondaries

Exponent tapped Apollo, Pantheon, and SQ Capital for an $867m (€750m) continuation vehicle to hold H&MV Engineering. Monogram completed a continuation fund for beverage company Mountaintop, led by Apollo S3. Hollyport maintained independence by selling a passive 25% stake to Blue Owl, which will ultimately represent ~25% of economic interests. Side Letter: Secondaries divergence notes continuation fund activity now outstrips traditional secondaries.

Sector Plays: Healthcare & Medical

CHG Healthcare acquired medical staffing firm Krewe Anesthesia. Phase 1 Equity, backed by Dune Glass, snapped up a North Dakota orthodontic practice. Medical education presents a growing opportunity for PE as the healthcare workforce gap widens. Nabla’s new CEO Brian Manning says he’s not here to be acquired.

Sector Plays: Industrial, Engineering & Building Products

Jensen Hughes is to be acquired by New Mountain from Gryphon. Alro Steel landed a majority investment from Lindsay Goldberg, with the Glick family retaining a significant stake. PrimeSource Brands, backed by Clearlake, acquired Starborn Industries. Big Top Manufacturing, backed by Altamont, scooped up Coast to Coast Contracting. PowerRail received an investment from New Heritage. Keltec, backed by Vance Street, snapped up AJF Filtration. Amberjack Capital closed the carve-out of Flowserve’s PMV Automation group.

Sector Plays: Services & Infrastructure

Cordoba received a minority stake from VSS, betting on infrastructure transformation. Paradigm, an occupational safety platform, received an investment from Quad-C. PaveMasters saw an investment from THL Partners, with Northern Lakes Capital exiting. Airo, backed by CCMP Growth, acquired specialty plumbing and HVAC firm Legrande’s Enterprises. Cost management firm US Cost Incorporated was acquired by BNP Group, backed by Godspeed. Seatbelt Consulting was acquired by Provectus Capital Partners in its Romanian debut.

Entertainment, Sports & Live Events

ATG, a live entertainment firm operating 70 venues globally, is being sold by Providence to Mari. Meal Prep Sunday was acquired by Baymark in its 66th acquisition.

European & Regional Deals

Fisher Management Partners received backing from Trinity Hunt. CPP Investments teamed up with HSI in a $143m Brazilian hotels deal, taking a 49.5% interest in two Hilton hotels. Spanish mid-market draws dealmakers as family-owned firms approach succession. Private equity plays in Europe’s growing HVAC market, with Exponent closing a €750m CV for H&MV Engineering. A roundup details Ardian's mispricing views, Apollo Sports' Yankee Global investment, and New Heritage's backing of Power Rail.

Technology & AI Investing

NVIDIA lines up Apollo, Blackstone, Brookfield, and KKR behind a $500bn move to make compute an asset class. AI IPOs could return significant liquidity to LPs, fueling a new venture fundraising cycle. DeepMind’s future tests UK’s AI ambitions. A DeepMind shakeup also tests the UK's AI ambitions. King’s Cross, once a notorious red-light district, is now one of the world’s top AI hubs. Monashees, a top Latin American VC, is crossing into Silicon Valley. AI-native businesses require redesigning teams and roles around AI, argues Bob Morse. 17 physical AI startups to watch, according to VCs. First Momentum’s cofounder highlights underrated deeptech areas. SWFs lead AI investing; PE talent rains down on Spain.

Market Trends & Dealflow

Private equity dealflow had its worst Q2 since 2020, with TMT hit hardest. Ardian’s co-CEO Mark Benedetti sees most mispricing opportunities in European assets and secondaries. Global unicorn counts in H1 2026 have already surpassed 2025 totals, with 195 new unicorns. South Summit 2026 highlights three trends shaping European tech. KKR took a strategic stake in Crowe’s advisory business.