Private Equity 8 Hours

Last updated: July 28, 2026, 5:30 AM ET

European Dealmaking and Investment

Tower Brook Capital Partners is actively seeking opportunities in Europe, with managing director Joseph Knoll highlighting services as a key growth area where AI can significantly boost productivity sees opportunities. Despite a more challenging regulatory environment, European assets are attracting substantial US private equity interest due to lower multiples attracting interest. In a notable transaction, Mutares has agreed to acquire the Free2move car-sharing business from Stellantis, which operates across 14 European and US cities agreed to acquire. Meanwhile, Step Stone led a £140 million funding round for Premier Modular, a modular buildings provider partly owned by MML, which raised a total of £360 million from European infrastructure investors.

Venture Capital and Exits

The European venture capital landscape saw ETH Zurich spinout Zuri Q secure $25.5 million in seed funding secure funding. In the secondary market, 9fin successfully completed its first employee share sale following a $170 million fundraising round. The broader trend of European exits is also evident, with Sifted tracking all European unicorn exits to date this year tracking exits.

Firm Management and Strategy

Asia-focused Affinity Private Equity has experienced significant senior staff turnover, with at least nine senior departures since the start of 2023, including four partners in the last twelve months experienced turnover. In a separate strategic move, Joseph Knoll of Tower Brook emphasized that the strongest investment opportunities remain in business, financial, and healthcare services, areas where AI integration can drive substantial productivity gains and improve customer outcomes emphasized opportunities. While not directly related to dealmaking, an article on Sifted suggests that physical office space improvements can positively impact productivity by conveying credibility.