Private Equity 8 Hours

Last updated: March 31, 2026, 11:30 AM ET

Private Equity Deal Flow & Exits

Activity remains high across dealmaking and divestitures, highlighted by Leonard Green & Partners agreeing to sell Jetro Restaurant Depot, which services over 725,000 independent restaurants across 35 states, to Sysco for a substantial $29.1 billion. In the technology consulting space, Maven successfully exited its investment in Access Pay, a software provider linking back-office finance systems to banks, selling to Accel-KKR, while elsewhere in the sector, Rockbridge-backed FormativGroup snapped up technology consultancy Flok. Further consolidation occurred in the fire and security sector as Inflexion acquired fire protection firm Marioff, which specializes in high-pressure water mist systems, following a similar move where Hyperion-backed Ranger Fire and Security purchased Total Fire Group in the UK and Ireland.

Wealth Management & Platform Acquisitions

Firms specializing in wealth management and advisory services are proving attractive targets, with Carlyle Group agreeing to acquire a majority stake in MAI Capital Management, valuing the platform at over $2.8 billion, a deal also noted by other sources confirming the transaction details. Simultaneously, other advisory sectors saw activity when Investcorp-backed Resultant acquired Liberty Advisor Group, a Chicago-based consulting firm assisting PE clients and Fortune 500 companies, with Resultant signaling an aggressive growth strategy targeting one to two add-on deals annually. In consumer services, Mountaingate secured UpSwell Marketing, which services diverse locally-focused industries including automotive repair and dental services, while LonguVue invested alongside Swaney Group Capital into Apex Dental Laboratory Group.

Credit, Secondaries, and Fund Financing

The private credit market continues to expand its capacity, evidenced by 17Capital closing its Credit Fund 2 at a record $7.5 billion, reflecting accelerating demand for private equity financing solutions, particularly Net Asset Value (NAV) loans. This trend of unlocking capital is also seen in continuation vehicles, as Ares led a $1.7 billion Antares continuation vehicle aimed at providing liquidity for private credit assets. In the GP financing space, Dawson secured over $800 million for its latest strategy, surpassing its $750 million hard-cap target. On the secondary market side, digital marketplace Palico is reducing its fees to just 5 basis points for sales exceeding $50 million in an effort to attract larger transaction volumes.

Infrastructure, Real Estate, and Sector Investments

Large-scale asset plays are with Blackstone agreeing to divest its Fidere residential portfolio in Spain to Brookfield Asset Management for $1.4 billion, while its infrastructure arm, Mundys, is moving toward a 30% stake in Getlink as part of its broader infrastructure buildout. In manufacturing and industrial carve-outs, Wynnchurch-backed Archer is acquiring Sterno’s food service business, a provider of portable food-warming solutions. Meanwhile, sustainability-focused investment saw Ambienta providing capital to Bridge, a developer of plant-based dairy alternatives, and Greenbelt invested in American Wire Group to support its ongoing expansion.

Venture Capital & Tech Focus

Early-stage technology financing is heavily skewed toward artificial intelligence applications, with Runway launching a $10 million fund and Builders program specifically to back companies utilizing its AI video models for real-time applications. This AI focus is mirrored in recent seed funding, where a majority of top recipients are operating at the intersection of AI and physical world operations. European fintech is also rapidly embracing AI integration, becoming increasingly AI-native across the region, a development that is also impacting fund administration where Motive’s Neil Cochrane sees substantial opportunity. Separately, credit data startup 9fin was crowned a European unicorn following a $170 million capital raise.