Key takeaways
- The week: 18 new funds announced $8.7B in total. The typical fund is $89M.
- Biggest raises: Ares's $4.2B led. With Oaktree's $2B, the two make up 71% of the total.
- Where: US managers launched 10 of the 18 funds; no other country had more than one. By region, North America led with 10.
- Sectors: AI led with 10 funds, followed by business services (6), and infrastructure and technology (5 each).
- Stages: late stage and seed led with 8 funds each, ahead of pre-seed (6).
- Slightly quieter week: 18 funds, down from 19 the week before.
- Debut funds: Rising Point ($325M), Protego ($125M), Enable Ventures ($50M), Eastend ($22M) and BAG Ventures ($11M) closed their first funds.
18new funds28 September – 4 October 2026
$8.7Btotal fund sizeas announced
$89Mtypical fundthe median
3still raisingfirst close
| 22 | 15 | 21 | 26 | 19 | −5.3% on 21 Sep18 |
| 24 Aug | 31 Aug | 7 Sep | 14 Sep | 21 Sep | 28 Sep |
|---|
Source: Private Equity List database
18 funds
| North America | 10 | 55.6% |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 3 | 16.7% |
| Asia | 2 | 11.1% |
| Other | 3 | 16.7% |
Source: Private Equity List database
| 24 Aug | 59.1% |
|---|---|
| 31 Aug | 40.0% |
| 7 Sep | 28.6% |
| 14 Sep | 42.3% |
| 21 Sep | 47.4% |
| 28 Sep | 55.6% |
Source: Private Equity List database
North America: 10 funds, $8.1B
Ares Private Equity Group raised about $4.2B for its first Ares Global Structured Solutions Fund, more than four times the original $1B target. The money gives private equity managers structured capital for GP commitments, new strategies and succession.- Oaktree Capital Management closed its first Asset-Backed Finance Fund (ABF I) at its $2B target. The debt fund lends to originators in transportation, real estate and infrastructure.
- Investcorp raised $1.22B for North American Private Equity Fund II, aimed at mid-market business services, consumer and financial services companies.
- Rising Point Capital Management closed its maiden fund at $325M. The Chicago firm buys founder- and family-led businesses in industrial services, energy and infrastructure.
- Hatteras Venture Partners held a first close for Opportunity Fund II, which targets $100M. It makes follow-on investments in its own late-stage biotech, medical device and healthtech companies.
- Ibex Ventures closed its $87M Secondary II fund, which buys stakes in late-stage Israeli technology companies.
- Enable Ventures closed a $50.3M debut fund for disability tech. Founder Gina Kline, a former civil rights attorney, backs seed and Series A startups in digital health and AI.
- Dorm Room Fund closed a $50M fund, four times its last one. Pre-seed cheques of $90K–$250K go to student founders in the US and Canada.
- Anorak Ventures confirmed its $35M Fund III for defence tech. Seed cheques go to aerospace, defence and manufacturing startups.
- BAG Ventures closed an $11.3M debut fund for enterprise AI, anchored by Google. Co-founders Jackson Georges Jr., a former CapitalG partner, and Bonita C. Stewart write $100K–$500K pre-seed and seed cheques in AI, security and software.
Europe: 3 funds, $232M
DIG Ventures closed Fund III at $120M. The London firm, founded by operators who built and exited B2B software companies, leads pre-seed and seed rounds in European B2B, AI and cloud infrastructure startups.
Sofinnova Partners raised €82M ($90M) for Sofinnova MD Start IV. Medtech is the whole focus: the fund builds new companies at seed stage across Europe and the US.
Eureka! Venture held a €20M ($22M) first close for its Deep Tech Lazio fund, anchored by Lazio Innova, the region's public development agency. Cheques go from pre-seed to Series A in energy, life sciences and AI.
Asia: 2 funds, $78M
Granite Asia and PSA International launched the $50M G&P Strategic Innovation Fund, for Series A to late-stage companies in robotics, AI and logistics.
WEH Ventures held a first close for Fund III, which targets about $28M, as it moves from software to the physical economy. Pre-seed and seed cheques go to agriculture, robotics and energy.
Other: 3 funds, $317M
Excelsior Capital Vietnam closed its second fund at over $170M. Its late-stage deals go to healthcare, consumer products and education companies in Vietnam.
Protego Ventures closed a $125M debut fund for Israeli defence tech. Cheques of $5–50M go to Series B and later companies in security, AI and defence.
Eastend Ventures closed its $22M debut fund for founders in South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland. Brad Feld chairs its LP advisory committee, and the fund backs B2B tech in defence and software from pre-seed to Series B.
FAQ
How many new PE and VC funds were announced 28 September – 4 October 2026?
18 funds, with $8.7B in headline fund sizes converted to USD. Ares (about $4.2 billion) and Oaktree ($2 billion) account for about 71% of that total.
What was the largest new fund this week?
Ares raised about $4.2 billion for its first Ares Global Structured Solutions Fund, more than four times the strategy’s original $1 billion target.
Which of this week’s new funds write pre-seed or seed checks?
Dorm Room Fund ($90,000 to $250,000 for student founders), BAG Ventures ($100,000 to $500,000), DIG Ventures, WEH Ventures and Anorak Ventures all focus on pre-seed and seed rounds.
Which of these funds are still raising?
Hatteras Venture Partners (targeting $100 million), WEH Ventures (targeting about $28 million) and Eureka! Venture (€20 million so far) announced a first close, so they are still raising.
Where does this data come from?
From the Private Equity List fund tracker, which logs fund announcements from public news sources and links each fund to the investor’s PEL profile. Sizes are shown as announced, in the original currency.
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