Private Equity 24 Hours

Last updated: September 23, 2026, 6:01 AM ET

KKR Launches $350M Equipment Finance Platform

KKR has committed $350M to launch Akrapoint Commercial Capital, a new equipment finance company, marking the firm's latest push into asset-backed lending. The move was flagged alongside a broader roundup of PE activity that included a new healthcare-focused shop, Haelan Capital Partners, which launched today as private equity continues to rotate capital toward rail services and other hard-asset niches.

Platinum Equity Completes €6.6bn Urbaser Sale

Platinum Equity has closed the $6.6bn sale of Urbaser to Blackstone and EQT. Madrid-headquartered Urbaser provides waste collection, treatment and environmental services, and the transaction ranks among the largest European infrastructure-adjacent exits of the year, underscoring continued buyer appetite for defensive, cash-generative assets.

Goldman Sachs Backs Cyera at $12bn Valuation

Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives led a $400M investment in data-security firm Cyera, valuing the company at $12bn. The round signals that late-stage capital remains available at premium valuations for cybersecurity assets with enterprise traction, even as broader venture funding stays selective.

Bain Capital Buys SOLitude Lake Management for $230M

Bain Capital agreed to acquire SOLitude Lake Management from Rentokil for $230M. Virginia Beach, Virginia-based SOLitude is the leading provider in its category, and the carve-out adds another services-oriented platform to Bain's environmental and facilities portfolio.

CD&R and Warburg Pincus Circle Canaccord Wealth

CD&R and Warburg Pincus are in advanced talks to jointly acquire Canaccord Wealth, according to people familiar with the matter. A successful deal would pair two of the largest buyout houses in a club transaction for a wealth-management platform, reflecting the premium placed on recurring fee streams.

Cornell Capital Acquires Hancock Claims Consultants

Cornell Capital acquired insurance claims services provider Hancock Claims Consultants. Alpharetta, Georgia-based Hancock operates across 48 states with more than 1,000 employees, giving Cornell a scaled platform in a fragmented, labor-intensive claims niche.

Ascend Learning Acquires M7 Health

CPP Investments and Blackstone-backed Ascend Learning acquired scheduling platform M7 Health. M7's AI-powered scheduling tool is used by health systems nationwide, and the deal deepens Ascend's healthcare-software footprint as sponsors chase automation in clinical workforce management.

Butterfly Equity to Acquire Sabert

Butterfly Equity agreed to acquire food packaging maker Sabert. Sayreville, New Jersey-based Sabert is a scaled global manufacturer of plastic and fiber-based packaging, fitting Butterfly's food-and-beverage-focused thesis.

Odyssey Takes Majority Stake in Falcon Gases

Odyssey Investment Partners took a majority stake in Falcon Gases. Falcon Gases, founded in late 2025, is a packaged gas distribution platform, and the investment reflects sponsor interest in building regional consolidators in industrial gases.

MML Backs Dalcour Maclaren

MML Capital backed UK infrastructure consultancy Dalcour Maclaren in a growth deal. The Bicester-based firm secures land, planning and environmental consents for infrastructure projects, positioning it to benefit from UK grid, rail and energy investment cycles.

Stonepeak Invests in ADE for European Expansion

Stonepeak agreed to invest in distributed energy platform ADE to fund European expansion. The infrastructure-focused alternative investment firm is betting on decentralized generation and energy-efficiency services as utilities and corporates accelerate transition spending.

Verdane Leads Xpansiv Capital Raise

Verdane led a major capital raise in energy-transition platform Xpansiv, the infrastructure provider behind environmental markets infrastructure. A parallel report confirmed the capital raise for Xpansiv, which operates registries, marketplaces and data platforms for energy and environmental commodities.

Certares and New 2ND Close Guardian Alarm Continuation Fund

Certares and New 2ND Capital closed a continuation fund for Guardian Alarm. Guardian Alarm is a Southfield, Michigan-based security, fire and automation solutions provider, and the transaction marks another GP-led secondary as sponsors seek liquidity while retaining assets with long-dated cash flows.

Peakline Acquires Kalon Capital

Peakline Partners acquired Kalon Capital to expand its equipment finance platform. Kalon is a Stamford, Connecticut-based mid-ticket equipment finance platform, and the deal mirrors KKR's Akrapoint launch in signaling renewed sponsor interest in specialty lending.

Lone View Backs Happy Co

Lone View Capital backed HappyCo's property operations platform. Happy Co's AI-driven Joy AI system helps property teams manage maintenance and asset operations, adding another software-enabled services bet to Lone View's portfolio.

Granite Creek Invests in Climalock

Granite Creek invested in tank insulation maker Climalock and named Mitch Poindexter as CEO. Climalock, headquartered in Warsaw, Missouri, is a leading independent provider in its segment, and the leadership change suggests the sponsor plans an operational build-out.

Tamarix Invests in Halal Shack

Tamarix Equity Partners invested in campus foodservice platform Halal Shack. Albany, New York-based Halal Shack operates four fast-casual restaurants, and the deal targets the growing institutional dining channel.

Command Medical Acquires IMATS

Argosy-backed Command Medical acquired IMATS, adding a Costa Rica manufacturing site. The deal extends Command's capabilities across the medical device manufacturing supply chain and reflects nearshoring trends in medtech.

FBR Solutions Acquires Southeastern Cable

Fvlcrum-backed FBR Solutions acquired broadband builder Southeastern Cable. Southeastern Cable, founded in 2008 and headquartered in Southport, North Carolina, strengthens FBR's position in fiber and broadband construction as infrastructure spending flows to connectivity.

Mutares Sells Prénatal Netherlands

Mutares sold Dutch retailer Prénatal Netherlands to its CEO, Jochem van Bueren. Prénatal Netherlands carries a heritage of more than 65 years in maternity and baby products, and the management buyout marks another exit for the Munich-based turnaround specialist.

Connect Ventures Raises $55M First Close

Connect Ventures raised $55M in the first close of its fifth fund, targeting deeptech founders. The London-based early-stage investor is betting that European deep technology will continue to attract specialist capital despite a tougher fundraising environment.

VSquared and East X Lead £10M Seed

VSquared and East X led a £10M seed round for a rare materials startup. The deal highlights investor appetite for supply-chain resilience and critical-minerals technologies as Western economies seek alternatives to concentrated sourcing.

Verda Raises $189M

Cloud startup Verda raised $189M in a round led by Emergence Capital, becoming Europe's newest AI unicorn. The raise underscores the premium investors are paying for AI infrastructure assets with credible compute and cloud propositions.

Mistral Acquires Pimento for €12.7M

Mistral acquired adtech startup Pimento in a €12.7M cash-and-shares deal, according to filings. The acquisition is a rare tuck-in for the French AI champion and signals consolidation at the application layer.

NIF Backs Terasi in €11M Raise

NIF backed defence startup Terasi in an €11M raise. European defence technology continues to attract fresh capital as governments increase procurement budgets and sponsors look beyond traditional aerospace primes.

Baselayer Raises $35M for AI Agent Identity

Baselayer raised $35M to help companies verify business identity for AI agents. The AI-powered startup targets financial institutions that need to authenticate counterparties and agents, tapping into rising demand for trust infrastructure in automated commerce.

Fintech Founders Bootstrap AI Compliance Startup

Founders behind one of Europe's biggest fintech exits are bootstrapping an AI startup focused on compliance after their Tink exit. The move reflects a growing cohort of exited European founders choosing to self-fund rather than raise institutional capital.

Qdrant Shifts to Physical AI

Qdrant is shifting from vector search into physical AI. The repositioning illustrates how infrastructure startups are chasing robotics and embodied-AI workloads as the next wave of compute demand.

a16z Launches School

a16z is launching a school aimed at promising high school graduates, challenging Silicon Valley's affection for drop-outs. The academy sits somewhere between a trade school and a startup incubator, a notable cultural pivot from the venture firm.

Growth and Buyout Strategies Converge

Growth and buyout strategies are becoming harder to distinguish as sponsors demand more control and operational value creation. The blurring reflects a more pressing need for governance and margin improvement across mid-market portfolios.

Cyber Resilience Under Pressure

AI-driven cyberattacks surged 56% according to an IBM 2026 report, with costs and concerns related to cybersecurity risk rising sharply. The findings add urgency to portfolio-company diligence and insurance underwriting across private markets.

Schwarzman Touts US AI Opportunity

In the latest Side Letter, Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman touted the US AI opportunity, while ADIA featured among allocator moves. The commentary underscores how large alternatives managers are framing AI infrastructure as a defining deployment theme.

Defense Tech Veteran Warns of FOMO

As software VCs chase SpaceX alumni, defense tech veteran Van Espahbodi warned of tourists and FOMO in the sector. The Generation Partners general partner said in an interview with Crunchbase News that discipline matters as capital floods into defense startups.

Grafine Taps Suzanne Flannery

Grafine Partners appointed Suzanne Flannery as managing director. Flannery most recently served as managing director and head of product marketing, adding senior operating experience to the firm's team.

Tech Crunch Founder Summit Sets Boston Agenda

Tech Crunch's Founder Summit unveiled its agenda for Boston on November 4, covering fundraising, hiring and AI insights. Separately, organizers reopened the exhibitor program for one more week at Disrupt 2026, and reminded founders there are 4 days left to save up to $200 on passes plus 50% off a second pass.