Private Equity 8 Hours

Last updated: August 20, 2026, 6:40 AM ET

AI Infrastructure & Startups

AI model maker Domyn secured over $1bn in funding, reflecting continued investor appetite for frontier AI capabilities. Meanwhile, Callosum raised $100m in seed funding led by Atomico to address AI compute bottlenecks. Velatir also secured €5m to accelerate AI adoption across Europe, highlighting the region's push to develop independent AI infrastructure.

Private Equity Deals

Phoenix Equity Partners backed Irish occupational health provider Medmark, which serves over 500,000 employees across nine locations. CVC and Standard Life launched a UK pension risk transfer platform with up to £2bn in commitments, marking CVC's deeper move into insurance asset management. The firm also agreed a majority investment in UK rental platform OpenRent, used by over 8.8 million landlords and tenants with more than one in five UK tenancies now running through it.

European AI Strategy

Europe faces mounting pressure to develop its own frontier AI models, as highlighted by analysis questioning whether the region can compete with dominant US and Chinese players. This concern underscores the strategic importance of recent funding rounds like Domyn's $1bn raise and Velatir's €5m expansion.

Asia-Pacific LP Activity

Korean LPs are increasingly embracing private equity secondaries and mid-market strategies, particularly amid ongoing credit allocation challenges. Some institutions are expected to lean into equity-based approaches as they seek new homes for 2026 credit commitments, signaling a strategic shift in portfolio positioning across the region.