Private Equity Buyers: How to Find a Buyer for Your Business in 2026

64private equity buyersnew buyout or growth fund in 2026

$151Bin their new fundsas announced

$1Btypical new fundacross 66 funds

25US buyers with funds under $1Blower middle market

United States	50
Continental Europe	7
United Kingdom	3
Asia	3
Canada	1

Source: Private Equity List fund tracker, 1 January – 30 October 2026

66 funds

$1–5B	29	43.9%
Under $500M	23	34.8%
$500M–1B	9	13.6%
$5B+	5	7.6%

Source: Private Equity List fund tracker, fund size as announced

Continental Europe: Norway (2), Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain and Poland. Asia: Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

What a private equity buyer is: a fund that buys to sell again

Private equity buyer: a fund that buys companies with money from pension funds, endowments and wealthy families, then sells them a few years later.
Also called: a financial buyer, as opposed to a strategic buyer, which is a company in your industry.
How it pays: with equity from its fund plus a loan, often from private credit funds or mezzanine lenders.
What it wants: steady profit, room to grow and a management team that stays after the sale.

Who buys businesses: strategic vs financial buyers, family offices and independent sponsors

	Private equity fund	Strategic buyer	Family office	Independent sponsor
Who it is	A fund that buys companies with investors' money	A company in your industry or next to it	A family investing its own money	A dealmaker without a fund who raises money for each deal
What it wants	Profit growth it can sell later	Your products, customers or cost savings	Long-term ownership	One good company to buy
Do you keep a stake?	Often: 10–30% rollover is common	Usually not	Sometimes, minority or majority	Depends on the deal
After the sale	Grows the company, often with add-on acquisitions, then sells it	Folds your business into its own	Holds it without a fund deadline	Owns it with the funds that backed the deal
Examples	O2 Investment Partners Wind Point Partners	Your largest competitors and suppliers	Kirk Kapital Franz Haniel & Cie	Sponsors backed by GEM's $685M fund

Private equity by size: the 64 buyers range from Excelsior Capital Vietnam, with a second fund of over $170M, to Advent International, with $30B across two funds.
Family offices: they invest their own money and have no fund to return. Atlantic Capital in Breda, for example, buys Benelux SMEs with EBITDA of €0–3M.
Independent sponsors: they find a company first, then raise equity for it. GEM closed a $685M Independent Sponsors Fund II in 2026 to back them; see our guide to independent sponsors.
Strategic buyers: competitors, suppliers and customers. They often pay for what your business adds to theirs, and usually buy all of it.

Selling to private equity: what buyers pay in 2026

Price: private equity deals of $1M–$500M averaged 7.2x EBITDA in 2025, according to GF Data. That was in line with the two years before and below 7.6x in 2021 and 2022.
Smaller businesses: main-street sales are a different market. BizBuySell counted 2,132 businesses sold in Q3 2026, at a median price of $350,000.
Rollover: in middle-market deals, rollover often falls in the 10% to 30% range. The seller keeps that share and is paid again when the fund sells.
Why buyers ask for it: a rollover shows that the seller believes in the business and keeps the seller committed after closing.

Biggest new buyout funds of 2026: Advent, Francisco Partners and Clearlake

Advent International (two funds)	$30B
Francisco Partners (two funds)	$21B
Clearlake Capital	$14.8B
Bain Capital	$10.5B
THL Partners	$6.35B
Main Capital Partners (two funds)	$5.78B
PSG	$4.84B
CVC	$3.3B
Wind Point Partners	$3.2B
Kingswood Capital Management	$3.1B

Source: Private Equity List fund tracker, fund size as announced

• Advent International raised $30B across two new funds, GPE XI and a Mid-Market Fund. It invests in business and financial services, consumer, healthcare, industrial and technology.
• Francisco Partners raised $21B across its flagship and Agility funds. It buys technology and tech-enabled service companies.
• Clearlake Capital closed its eighth flagship fund at $14.8B. Technology, industrials and consumer are its main sectors.
• Bain Capital raised $10.5B for Asia Fund VI, its pool for deals in Asia.
• THL Partners raised $6.35B for Fund X. The money goes to middle-market companies in financial technology, healthcare, and technology and business solutions.
• Main Capital Partners closed a €5.25B dual fundraise in The Hague. It buys enterprise software companies in the Benelux, DACH, the Nordics, France and the US.

Which private equity buyer fits your business

By sector

Your business	Buyers with a 2026 fund
Software and tech-enabled services	Serent Capital L Squared Capital Partners PSG Francisco Partners Main Capital Partners Bregal Milestone
Healthcare services	Seven Hills Capital Regal Healthcare Capital Partners Sheridan Capital Partners Consonance Capital Partners Ampersand Capital Partners Aphias Capital
Manufacturing and industrials	Continuim Equity Partners Artemis Capital Partners Dominus Capital Mangrove Equity Partners Iron Path Capital GenNx360 Capital Partners
Financial services	Estancia Capital Management Lightyear Capital LionLight Capital Preservation Capital Partners THL Partners Apis Partners
Consumer brands, restaurants and franchises	Topspin Consumer Partners Savory Fund Princeton Equity Group Wind Point Partners
Government, defence and infrastructure services	Capitol Meridian Partners Warren Equity Artemis Capital Partners
Education and workforce	Achieve Partners L Squared Capital Partners

By company size

Some buyers state the size of company they want in their profiles. The list runs from the smallest to the largest.

Buyer	Type	Company it looks for	Headquarters
Atlantic Capital	Family office	EBITDA of €0–3M, minority or majority stakes	Breda
Rising Point Capital Management	Private equity	Revenue of $10M+ and EBITDA of $2M+	Chicago
154 Partners	Private equity	EBITDA of $2–20M	New York
Regal Healthcare Capital Partners	Private equity	EBITDA of $2–10M, revenue of $20–100M	New York
Mangrove Equity Partners	Private equity	Pre-tax profit of $3–10M, revenue of $10–100M	Tampa
Founders Group of Food Companies	Family office	Food processors and distributors with EBITDA of $5–10M	Vancouver
Broadwing Capital Management	Private equity	EBITDA of $5–25M	Dallas
Aphias Capital	Private equity	EBITDA of $5–30M	San Francisco
Continuim Equity Partners	Private equity	EBITDA of $5–40M	Pittsburgh
O2 Investment Partners	Private equity	EBITDA of up to $15M	Bloomfield Hills
Nedvest Capital	Family office	Profit of up to €15M, mainly in the Netherlands	Amsterdam
Dominus Capital	Private equity	EBITDA of at least $10M	New York
Monomoy Capital Partners	Private equity	EBITDA of $15M to $250M+	New York
Ampersand Capital Partners	Private equity	Revenue of $10–200M	Boston
Achieve Partners	Private equity	Revenue of $20–200M	New York
GenNx360 Capital Partners	Private equity	Revenue of $50–500M	New York
Kingswood Capital Management	Private equity	Revenue of at least $100M	Los Angeles
L Squared Capital Partners	Private equity	Enterprise value of $50M to $800M+	Newport Beach

Family offices that buy companies

Family offices invest their own money, so they can hold a company for decades. These ten say in their profiles that they buy and own operating businesses.

Family office	Headquarters	What it buys
RLG Capital	Park City	Controlling stakes in privately held companies: business services, education, energy, health, tech
Founders Group of Food Companies	Vancouver	Mature food processors and distributors, built into one group
Murray Capital	Edinburgh	Long-term stakes with the Murray family's own capital
Franz Haniel & Cie	Duisburg	Independent companies in business services, manufacturing, environmental services, healthcare and education
Bregal Unternehmerkapital	Munich	Mid-sized companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, often at succession
Florac	Paris	Mid-market leaders in Europe and the US: healthcare, consumer goods, industrial supplies
Kirk Kapital	Vejle	Medium-sized B2B companies that lead their markets
Connecting Capital	Stockholm	Majority stakes in Nordic industrial and trading companies, with no time limit
Atlantic Capital	Breda	Benelux SMEs, with its own capital and no fixed fund cycle
Nedvest Capital	Amsterdam	Dutch companies with profit of up to €15M

Private equity buyers with new funds, by region

United States: lower middle market (new funds under $1B)

25 US firms raised funds under $1B in 2026. Many work with founder- and family-owned companies, and some state the size they want: Broadwing Capital Management looks for EBITDA of $5–25M, 154 Partners for $2–20M.

Firm	City	New fund (2026)	What it buys
GenNx360 Capital Partners	New York	GenNx360 Capital Partners IV, $865M	Buy-and-build in industrials and business services
Align Capital Partners	Dallas	Align Capital Partners Fund IV, $770M	Control stakes in business services, tech, manufacturing and distribution
O2 Investment Partners	Bloomfield Hills	Fund V, $670M	Majority stakes in family and founder-owned companies
Uplift Investors	Darien	Fund I, $670M	Service companies, picked by business model
Dominus Capital	New York	Dominus Capital Partners IV, $640M	Operational growth and add-on acquisitions
Regal Healthcare Capital Partners	New York	Fund IV, $610M	Healthcare services
Monomoy Capital Partners	New York	Monomoy Family Fund I, $589M	Middle-market industrial and consumer companies
Continuim Equity Partners	Pittsburgh	Continuim Equity Partners Fund III, $548M	Manufacturing and industrial businesses
Achieve Partners	New York	Achieve Partners Workforce II, $450M	Tech services, healthcare services and edtech
Baird Capital	Chicago	Global Fund III, $450M	Venture, growth and buyout deals in chosen sectors
Iron Path Capital	Nashville	Iron Path Capital Fund II, $450M	Healthcare and specialty industrial companies
Broadwing Capital Management	Dallas	Broadwing Capital Fund I, $440M	Manufacturing and services companies
154 Partners	New York	154 Partners Fund I, $400M	Founder- and family-led service businesses
Estancia Capital Management	Scottsdale	Estancia Capital Partners Fund III, $367M	Financial services companies
Boyne Capital	Miami	BCM Fund III, over $400M	Minority or control stakes in founder-owned firms
Topspin Consumer Partners	Roslyn Heights	Topspin Consumer Partners III, $328M	Branded consumer products and services
Rising Point Capital Management	Chicago	Rising Point Capital Management Fund I, $325M	Founder- and family-led businesses
5th Century Partners	Chicago	Fund II, $276M	Healthcare, business services and insurance
LongWater	Fargo	Inaugural SBIC fund, over $262.5M	Lower middle market companies only
Artemis Capital Partners	Boston	Artemis Capital Partners IV, $254M	Industrial tech: automation, aerospace, defence
Savano Capital Partners	Baltimore	Savano Capital Partners IV, $252M	Shares from existing holders of software companies
Mangrove Equity Partners	Tampa	Mangrove Investors IV, $250M	Management buyouts and recapitalisations
Seven Hills Capital	Nashville	Seven Hills Capital Fund II, $235M	Healthcare services
LionLight Capital	Chapel Hill	LionLight Capital Fund I, $215M	Financial and professional services
Savory Fund	Salt Lake City	Savory Fund III, $201.5M	Founder-led restaurant brands

United States: mid-market and large buyers (new funds of $1B or more)

25 US firms raised $1B or more. Their deals are bigger: Kingswood Capital Management looks for revenue of at least $100M, L Squared Capital Partners for enterprise value of $50M to $800M+.

Firm	City	New fund (2026)	What it buys
Advent International	Boston	GPE XI and Mid-Market Fund, $30B	Financial services, consumer, healthcare, industrial, tech
Francisco Partners	San Francisco	Flagship and Agility funds, $21B	Technology and tech-enabled services
Clearlake Capital	Santa Monica	Clearlake Capital Partners VIII, $14.8B	Technology, industrials and consumer
Bain Capital	Boston	Asia Fund VI, $10.5B	Companies across Asia (Asia Fund VI)
THL Partners	Boston	THL Equity Fund X, $6.35B	Financial technology, healthcare, tech and business solutions
PSG	Boston	PSG Europe III, over €4.4B	Growth software and tech-enabled services
Wind Point Partners	Chicago	Fund XI, $3.2B	Middle-market consumer and industrial businesses
Kingswood Capital Management	Los Angeles	Capital Opportunities Fund IV, $3.1B	Aerospace, automotive aftermarket, consumer, distribution
Warren Equity	Jacksonville Beach	Warren Equity Partners Fund V, $2.8B	Infrastructure and facilities services
Lightyear Capital	New York	Lightyear Fund VI, $2.5B	Financial services, tech, healthcare and business services
L Squared Capital Partners	Newport Beach	L Squared Capital Partners V, $2B	Edtech, tech-enabled services, software, industrial tech
SkyKnight Capital	San Francisco	SkyKnight Capital Fund V, $2B	Healthcare, financial services and tech-enabled services
Levine Leichtman Capital Partners	Los Angeles	LLCP Lower Middle Market IV, $2B	Lower middle market, North America and Europe
Capitol Meridian Partners	Washington	Capitol Meridian Fund II, $1.9B	Government services and national security
Ampersand Capital Partners	Boston	AMP-26, $1.5B	Growth investments in healthcare
Consonance Capital Partners	New York	Consonance Private Equity III, $1.35B	Healthcare
FFL Partners	San Francisco	FFL Capital Partners VI, $1.35B	Healthcare and tech-enabled services
Serent Capital	San Francisco	Serent Capital VI, $1.3B	Founder-led software and tech-enabled services
Princeton Equity Group	Princeton	Princeton Equity Partners III, $1.3B	Franchisors and multi-location businesses
TPG	San Francisco	Emerging Companies Asia, $1.3B	Mid-sized companies in Asia
Investcorp	New York	North American Private Equity Fund II, $1.22B	Mid-market buyouts in North America
Citation Capital	Dallas	Citation Fund I, $1.2B	Founder- and family-led mid-cap companies
TruArc Partners	New York	TruArc Partners Fund V, $1.2B	Middle-market business services and industrials
Sheridan Capital Partners	Chicago	Sheridan Capital Partners Fund IV, $1.1B	Healthcare services and products
Aphias Capital	San Francisco	Aphias Capital Fund I, $1.05B	Healthcare services and essential B2B services

United Kingdom

Three London firms raised in 2026: Bregal Milestone for software, Preservation Capital Partners for financial and business services, and Apis Partners for growth capital in financial services and technology.

Firm	City	New fund (2026)	What it buys
Apis Partners	London	Global Growth Fund III and Growth Markets Fund III, $1.23B	Growth capital for financial services and tech
Bregal Milestone	London	Bregal Milestone III, €915M	European software companies
Preservation Capital Partners	London	PCP Fund III, €877M	Control stakes in financial and business services

Continental Europe

Seven firms from Norway to Spain. Main Capital Partners raised the most, €5.25B for enterprise software; Talde in Bilbao backs Spanish SMEs with tickets of €6–20M.

Firm	City	New fund (2026)	What it buys
Main Capital Partners	The Hague	Main Capital IX and Main Foundation III, €5.25B	Enterprise software buyouts
CVC	Luxembourg	Catalyst III, €3B	Mid-market companies in Europe
Norvestor	Oslo	Norvestor X, €2B	Nordic companies, often via acquisitions
Nextalia	Milan	Private Equity II, over €1.1B at first close	Italian SMEs: software, fintech, services
Longship	Oslo	Longship Fund IV, $228M	Medium-sized growth companies in Norway
Avallon MBO	Łódź	Fourth fund, €171.5M	Management buyouts in Poland
Talde	Bilbao	Capital Crecimiento III, €155M at first close	Spanish SMEs, tickets of €6–20M

Asia, Canada and the Middle East

Four buyers based outside the US and Europe raised in 2026. Bain Capital and TPG also raised Asia funds, listed with the US firms above.

Firm	City	New fund (2026)	What it buys
Brookfield	Toronto	Middle East Partners, $2B	Private equity in the Middle East
Ikhlas Capital	Singapore	Second fund, $370M	ASEAN infrastructure, energy, cleantech and tech
Lakeshore Capital	Bangkok	Third fund, $305M	Mid-market growth and buyouts in Thailand and the Mekong region
Excelsior Capital Vietnam	Vietnam	Second fund, over $170M	Healthcare, consumer, tech and education in Vietnam

How a sale to private equity works: seven steps

Selling a startup: strategic acquirers and growth buyers

Strategic acquirers: larger companies in your market buy startups for products, teams or customers. Corporate venture arms show which of them watch your space: see the corporate VC list.
Growth buyers for software: profitable software companies sell to private equity too. Serent Capital backs founder-led software and tech-enabled services, and L Squared Capital Partners targets companies worth $50M to $800M+ that grow more than 15% a year.
European software: PSG closed its third European growth fund at over €4.4B for software and AI companies.
Partial sales: Savano Capital Partners buys shares from existing holders of software and technology companies, so founders and early investors can sell part of their stake.

How to find a private equity buyer for your business

Start with fresh money: firms that raised in 2026 have to invest those funds. The new funds tracker adds each fund as it is announced.
Filter by sector and size: the private equity firms list and search filter by sector, country and cheque size.
Add family offices and sponsors: the family office list holds investors with their own money; independent sponsors bring their own backers.
Check the debt side: most buyouts borrow part of the price, so the buyer's lenders matter. See private credit funds and firms.
Reach the partners: profiles list partners and deal teams with their roles. CSV export comes with the Pro+ plan.

Data and methodology

Buyers: 64 private equity firms whose new buyout or growth fund was announced between 1 January and 30 October 2026, from the Private Equity List fund tracker. Each fund was checked against its announcement and the firm's profile; secondaries, fund-of-funds, co-investment, credit, real estate and infrastructure funds are left out.
Fund sizes: as announced, with euro funds shown in euros; totals use the US dollar amounts recorded in the tracker.
What each buyer looks for: company sizes, sectors and cities come from Private Equity List profiles, as of 31 October 2026.
Market figures: GF Data via ACG, BizBuySell, Porte Brown and Lathrop GPM, linked where they are used.