Private Equity 8 Hours

Last updated: April 10, 2026, 11:30 AM ET

Sector Focus & Deal Activity

Private equity firms are actively targeting the personal care sector, with Advent, Avista, and Main Post focusing on areas like underinvested women’s health, continuing a trend seen earlier this week when Blackstone and TPG finalized their take-private of medtech developer Hologic. This investment theme is broad, as five notable PE deals in personal care show firms like Advent, Round Table, and Gemspring building deeper consumer relationships. In related activity, Granite Creek-backed Salem One expanded its marketing footprint by acquiring brand development agency Smash Brand, while EQT divested its stake in a Nordic ferry operator, concurrent with GTCR completing the acquisition of generic pharmaceutical business Zentiva.

Infrastructure & Minority Stakes

Deal-making continues in infrastructure, where Blackstone acquired a minority stake in Rowan Digital Infrastructure, a firm already supported by Quinbrook, signaling further capital deployment into digital assets. Elsewhere, major credit players are finding success in the debt markets, as Arcmont's Ares-led $2.5 billion fund is deemed an "absolute sweet spot" in the credit secondaries space, according to CEO Anthony Fobel, who noted openness to dealing with traditional private debt competitors. Meanwhile, in Asia, China’s Ping An Insurance is preparing for its sixth attempt to run a secondaries process, looking to offload a portfolio valued at approximately $1 billion.

Venture Funding & Events

Global venture capital into financial technology startups showed a dollar value increase despite fewer transactions during the first quarter of 2026, with total funding reaching $12 billion across only 751 deals as of April 6, representing a 5% rise over the prior period's comparable dollar amount. Separately, technology event organizers are pressuring for final commitments, as attendees have until 11:59 p.m. PT tonight to lock in savings of up to $500 on passes for Tech Crunch Disrupt 2026.