Private Equity 8 Hours

Last updated: May 26, 2026, 8:30 PM ET

Franchise & Education Deals

CIG sells music school franchise Bach to Rock to Spark Harbor sees Spark Harbor acquire the Bach to Rock brand, expanding its portfolio of franchised youth activity concepts. The transaction, valued at an undisclosed sum, follows Spark Harbor’s recent push into experiential education, positioning the operator to capture a growing demand for supplemental learning programs. Meanwhile, a separate move in the tech‑services space sees Staple Street-backed Ivy Technology scoops up ISP Tek Services for an undisclosed fee, adding cloud‑based infrastructure solutions to Ivy’s existing lifecycle offerings. The deal signals continued interest from private‑equity‑backed firms in consolidating niche technology providers to broaden scale and service depth.

Leadership & Fund Growth

Ardian’s appointment of Mark Benedetti as co‑CEO marks a strategic shift after his 20‑year tenure at the firm, where he chaired the executive committee since September 2023. The leadership change aims to accelerate Ardian’s expansion into European growth markets while maintaining its core asset‑management focus. In parallel, EQT’s new mandate to manage the EU’s €5bn Scaleup Europe deep‑tech fund wins mandate to manage EU’s €5bn Scaleup Europe deep‑tech fund underscores the continued appetite for deep‑tech exposure among institutional investors, with the fund targeting high‑growth European startups. Finally, CPP Investments reports that its net assets reached C$793.3bn, up 7.8% from the previous year, with private equity representing 22% of the portfolio CPP Investments crosses C$793.3bn on 7.8% return. The growth reflects robust performance across CPP’s private‑market allocations and a broader trend of large pension funds increasing stakes in illiquid assets for higher yields.