Private Equity 8 Hours

Last updated: June 16, 2026, 5:30 AM ET

European exits and strategic VC stakes

Altor, Strawberry and TDR Capital agreed to sell their stakes in Nordic Leisure Travel Group for $846m, monetising holdings in brands such as Ving and Spies and providing liquidity for the firm’s 26‑property hotel portfolio across Spain and Greece. The deal underscores a broader trend of private‑equity sponsors cashing out of post‑pandemic travel assets as demand rebounds. At the same time, defence giant BAE Systems committed €50m to venture firms Lakestar and Expeditions, signalling a willingness to back early‑stage technology that could feed its own supply chain and diversify its investment exposure.

Debt refinancing and Saa S acquisition

Blackstone‑owned Ancestry pursued a $2.25bn term loan to refinance part of its balance sheet, with Bank of America leading the financing; the move aims to lower interest costs and fund continued expansion of its genealogy platform. Across the Atlantic, Cathay Capital secured a controlling interest in Equadis, a product‑data Saa S provider serving over 600 consumer‑goods clients including Procter & Gamble and Nestlé, highlighting private‑equity interest in data‑intensive software that can unlock supply‑chain efficiencies.

Mid‑market specialist investments

LDC injected capital into Fortus, an accountancy and advisory firm employing 115 specialists, to accelerate its growth in audit and tax services amid rising demand for boutique financial expertise. The investment reflects a continued appetite among limited partners for niche professional‑services assets that deliver steady fee‑based revenues and resilience to economic cycles.