Private Equity 3 Days

Last updated: August 12, 2026, 2:38 AM ET

Mega-Funds & Fundraising

Brookfield raised a record $77bn in Q2, led by private equity. StepStone surpassed $20bn in private wealth AUM, with its SPRING vehicle attracting $1.7bn in subscriptions. Scaleup Europe, a public-private fund targeting $5.7bn, made its first investment in Finnish satellite company ICEYE. Accel closed an oversubscribed $550M India fund within weeks, with over 55% of its previous $650M fund still available. Monashees, a leading Latin American VC, is opening a San Francisco office to tap Silicon Valley. A trio of ex-Local Globe partners is plotting a new VC firm.

Secondaries & Continuation Funds

Exponent closed an $867m single-asset continuation vehicle for H&MV Engineering, backed by Apollo, Pantheon, and SQ Capital. Monogram completed a continuation fund for beverage company Mountaintop with Apollo S3 as lead. Hollyport sold a 25% passive stake to Blue Owl while maintaining independence. The secondaries market is seeing divergence, with continuation fund activity outstripping traditional secondaries. Ardian co-CEO Mark Benedetti flags most mispricing opportunities in European assets and secondaries.

Buyouts & Take-Privates

Bernhard Capital is taking Bowman Consulting private for $1bn, with a 35-day go-shop period. Thoma Bravo completed a $466m take-private of validation software firm Kneat, delisting it from the TSX. I Squared Capital agreed a $733m take-private of oOh!media at a 100% premium. HIG Capital completed the acquisition of UK engineering firm Phoenix ME. New Mountain is acquiring fire safety provider Jensen Hughes from Gryphon. Amberjack Capital closed the carve-out of Flowserve's PMV Automation group. Godspeed-backed BNP Group acquired US Cost Incorporated from Schneider S.E. Meanwhile, the easyJet take-private by Apollo for £5.7bn was the top PE news of the week.

Sector & Regional Deals

Healthcare: CHG Healthcare acquired medical staffing firm Krewe Anesthesia. Phase 1 Equity snapped up a North Dakota orthodontic practice. CCMP Growth-backed Airo acquired specialty plumbing and HVAC firm Legrande’s Enterprises. Baymark acquired Meal Prep Sunday, its 66th acquisition. Trinity Hunt backed management consulting firm Fisher Management Partners.

Industrial & Infrastructure:

Lindsay Goldberg invested majority in metals distributor Alro Steel, with the Glick family retaining a stake. THL Partners invested in pavement maintenance firm Pave Masters; Northern Lakes Capital sold its stake. Clearlake-backed PrimeSource Brands acquired Starborn Industries. Vance Street-backed Keltec snapped up AJF Filtration. Altamont-backed Big Top Manufacturing scooped up Coast to Coast Contracting. New Heritage invested in locomotive parts manufacturer Power Rail.

Energy & TMT:

Quad-C invested in occupational safety platform Paradigm. Ardian co-CEO details mispricing opportunities; Apollo Sports Capital invested in Yankee Global Enterprises. Providence sold live entertainment firm ATG to Mari for an undisclosed sum. VSS closed a minority stake in Cordoba, betting on infrastructure transformation. CPP Investments teamed up with HSI in a $143m Brazilian hotels deal. KKR took a strategic stake in Crowe's advisory business. Provectus Capital made its Romanian debut buying Seatbelt Consulting.

European & APAC Deals:

PE dealflow had its worst Q2 since 2020, with TMT hit hardest. Spanish mid-market draws dealmakers as family-owned firms seek succession partners. Private equity is playing in Europe’s growing HVAC market. Korea's Employment Insurance Fund commits 120bn won to blind-pool PE/VC funds. Plymouth County Retirement Association issued an RFP for a North American PE manager.

AI and Tech Trends

Wall Street's biggest private capital houses, including Apollo, Blackstone, Brookfield, and KKR, are lining up behind NVIDIA in a $500bn move to make compute an asset class. AI-native transformation is a business change, not a tech layer, argues Bob Morse. A wave of AI IPOs could return significant liquidity to LPs, fueling a new venture cycle. Global unicorns in H1 2026 already surpassed 2025 totals with 195 new additions. SWFs are leading AI investing; PE talent is moving to Spain. DeepMind shakeup tests UK’s AI ambitions, and its future has become critical for UK tech. London's King's Cross, once a red-light district, is now one of the world's top AI hubs. South Summit highlights three trends shaping European tech. Physical AI startups to watch, according to VCs. Underrated areas in deeptech are spotlighted by First Momentum. Nabla CEO Brian Manning says he's not here to be acquired.

Energy & Medical Education

Investor-backed energy startups to watch in Europe. The medical education gap presents an opportunity for private equity as healthcare workforce needs grow. New York Yankees' parent Yankee Global Enterprises inked a $2.6bn deal with Apollo Sports Capital.