Private Equity 8 Hours

Last updated: August 12, 2026, 11:49 AM ET

Fundraising & Fund Deployment

HarbourVest outlined deployment plans for its $4.75bn seventh flagship co-investment fund, targeting AI and healthcare innovation. The firm also revealed its broader deployment strategy, which includes recent beverage sector deals by Bain Capital, Platinum Equity and Monogram. In Europe, Accel raised $800m for its ninth early-stage fund, while Lovable secured $400m at a reported €13.3bn valuation backed by the EU’s Scaleup Fund. On the growth equity side, ClearJet raised a $25m Series B from Edison Partners to build an AI-powered cargo logistics platform.

Exits & Acquisitions

Private equity exits accelerated in the past eight hours. Providence Equity Partners agreed to sell ATG Entertainment to Ari Emanuel’s MARI in a reported $6bn deal covering 70 venues across Broadway, London’s West End and other markets. A separate PE Hub article noted that solar energy is also drawing growing private equity interest. One Rock Capital is selling environmental services firm Enviro Serve to Clean Harbors for $470m, with the transaction expected to close in the second half of 2026. Mountaingate exited healthcare commercialization platform Relevate, a partnership dating to 2020. Astorg completed its buyout of Thermo Fisher’s microbiology business. In a notable strategic acquisition, Goldman Sachs is buying ETF provider Neos Investments for $2.25bn; Neos manages $30bn in assets across 19 options-based income ETFs.

Venture & Growth Capital

In venture capital, drone startup Uforce is targeting upwards of a $4bn valuation in a new funding round, according to sources. Clearview-backed Capitol Services acquired corporate services provider Wolz. Gridiron Capital invested in van den Boom & Associates, a life sciences back-office solutions provider. The largest deal of the period is Blackstone and La Caisse leading a $1.8bn minority investment in Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program for a 25% stake, valuing the business at $7.2bn.

Credit & Secondaries

CVC Credit priced Apidos LVIII, a new $550m collateralised loan obligation, marking its fourth new issue CLO of 2026. Meanwhile, US investors are raising questions over credit secondaries valuations, with executives from a New York pension fund and a Dallas-based multifamily office sharing their concerns during a PEI Group webinar on private debt investment.

Sector Spotlight

Fitness startup funding is rebounding sharply, with over $3.6bn invested in the first half of 2026, but investors are now prioritizing AI and data analytics rather than hardware, according to a Crunchbase News sector snapshot.

Market Trends & Commentary

Valuations are under regulatory scrutiny, as noted in a Side Letter from PE International: the SEC is watching closely, LAFPP is advocating for mid-market and emerging managers, and tail-end specialist Hollyport has parted with an equity stake. In a feature on Ukrainian tech workers, lessons on maintaining morale amid war are explored. Finally, deeptech founders are increasingly dictating term sheets in 2026, a trend Sifted attributes to strong investor demand for transformative technologies.