Best of LinkedIn: Private Equity Insights CW 06/ 07

Network with 500+ GPs & LPs

Hear from 60+ industry leading speakers across a variety of panels

Gain tangible insights focusing on Fundraising, Investing, Creating Value, and Exiting

Europe is framed as a stagnant 2025 with 2026 as a selective turning point driven by sharper theses rather than a broad boom

Fundraising pressure pushes investors to think harder about where and how fast to deploy, not just how much dry powder remains

Private markets still show resilient buyout and secondaries activity, but capital is now rewarded only where timing, underwriting and value plan are clearly differentiated

Exits are positioned as checkpoints rather than finish lines, with founders urged to build genuinely sellable assets instead of overgrown jobs

Rollover equity and partial cash outs are highlighted as powerful tools to align founders and management with sponsors across multiple value creation cycles

Secondary funds, continuation vehicles and structured deals expand the liquidity toolkit beyond classic trade sales and IPOs, but weak data and narratives still block stalled exits

A concise, one page value creation plan is favored over complex decks, forcing clear priorities, ownership and pacing of initiatives

Operational alpha is redefined as the outcome of integrated data, fast feedback loops and disciplined execution rather than leverage and episodic cost programs

Investors stress that platforms, playbooks and governance for value creation must exist before raising the next fund, not be improvised once capital is committed

CEO failure in private equity is traced mainly to misaligned expectations and unclear mandates, not capability gaps

The modern portfolio CEO is expected to be entrepreneurial, transparent and adaptable under pressure, supported by specialized roles such as CROs and Group Treasurers

Private equity is described as a spotlight that reveals cultural strengths and weaknesses, making alignment, incentives and resilience central to any investment case

New deal engines and data platforms aim to make sourcing and screening more precise, turning scattered information into repeatable advantage

AI is shifting software economics and valuation logic, with investors scrutinising revenue quality and sustainability of AI heavy business models

LinkedIn move the conversation from AI enthusiasm toward disciplined adoption, where tools must show tangible impact on sourcing, portfolio performance or risk management

Equity pots, management incentives and rollover structures are treated as key design levers to balance motivation, fairness and governance across stakeholders

Buy and build strategies are judged increasingly on integration quality and operating discipline rather than deal volume alone

Knowledge intensive and recurring revenue sectors, from events to professional services, remain attractive where scalable operating playbooks and cash generation are clear

Private credit faces stress in parts of the software heavy universe, sharpening focus on underwriting quality and downside protection

Secondaries and evergreen vehicles gain importance as mechanisms to manage duration, visibility and liquidity across portfolios

Family offices are emerging as patient competitors to traditional private equity funds, especially where founders value long term ownership with fewer fundraising cycles

European private equity activity is described as recovering, with more exits and entries as pricing expectations gradually converge

The DACH mid-market shows renewed momentum, combining sector depth with a stronger focus on operational value creation in buyouts

Local platforms in niches such as social recruiting illustrate how focused acquisition and integration strategies can build national champions

Practitioners lean on books, practitioner content and global reports to recalibrate expectations on fundraising, deal flow and portfolio design

There is a clear push to stay close to data, question legacy assumptions and refine playbooks around value creation, liquidity and governance for a more complex cycle