At PEI Group’s fourth Women in Private Markets Summit, executives dissected how generative AI is rewiring deal sourcing, value creation, exits and fund returns. Panels highlighted AI‑driven target identification, predictive portfolio modeling and accelerated due‑diligence pipelines, suggesting firms that embed the technology could shave weeks off transaction cycles.

The summit also featured a headline transaction: Wynnchurch announced the sale of its waste‑collection subsidiary Labrie to a Finnish strategic buyer for $1.4 bn. The deal underscores growing cross‑border interest in North American industrial assets and provides a template for mid‑market exits that blend operational synergies with strategic expansion.

Investors listening to the forum left with a clear message: AI tools are no longer experimental add‑ons but core components of a competitive edge, while sizeable exits like the Wynnchurch‑Labrie deal demonstrate how technology‑enabled efficiency can translate into premium valuations. Firms that fail to adopt AI risk lagging behind peers in both deal flow and exit multiples.