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PE Hub opens up Deal of the Year call for nominations; mid-market companies embrace AI, says Access Holdings

It's been a tough year for dealmaking, but the challenging environment makes successful deals that have managed to close stand out even more than usual. PE Hub is starting to look for the best transactions of 2024, and we've opened up the call for nominations for Deals of the Year. See below for what's new in our awards this year.

Today we’re highlighting a mid-market executive AI survey conducted by private equity firm Access Holdings in conjunction with non-profit Noah Research.

And we’ll close out today’s Wire with my latest companies for sale update as of late October. The outlook for the remainder is surprisingly upbeat.

Awards

PE Hub is now accepting nominations for the 25th annual Deal of the Year Awards, which honor exceptional buyouts that were fully or mostly realized in 2024.

The deadline for submission is Friday, January 10, 2025. 

Click here to submit your nomination.

For more on the process, including details on qualifications and what it takes to win, click here.

For past winners, click here.

Survey says more AI

Access Holdings, a lower mid-market private equity firm based in Baltimore, provided PE Hub with early access to a survey to be released later this morning showing that mid-market corporate executives lack some of the basic AI tools needed to boost efficiencies and production.

Upgrade to the premium version of the Wire for more of the Access survey.

On the block

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been tracking companies or corporate carveout assets that sources have told me are on the market, or coming to the market in a matter of months, potentially attracting PE buyers. The list I’m tracking has grown to more than 200 companies.

Sign up for the premium version of the Wire for more companies for sale insight.

That’s a wrap for me today.  Stay tuned for Irien Joseph bringing you the Europe edition of the Wire tomorrow and Rafael Canton delivering the US edition.

Cheers,

Michael

Read the full Wire commentary on PE Hub ...

Also of note (may require subscriptions)

Ardian Semiconductor, a platform managed by private equity firm Ardian, has acquired semiconductor equipment and services company Ion Beam Services. The investor saw off competition from strategic buyers offering “significantly higher prices” in a sector that offers private markets the “opportunity of the decade,” Silian Partners managing director and co-founder Thomas Pebay-Peyroula told PE Hub.

Speaking of Ardian (which is also the world’s biggest secondaries buyer according to the SI 50 ranking): the firm is seeking to raise more than $1 billion for a dedicated GP-led focused vehicle, Secondaries Investor has learned.

Private Equity International lays out what the UK carry tax increase means for the industry.

Is the ‘missing middle’ missing common ground? Scaling up assets involves taking on more risk. Just how much more is where it gets nuanced. (Infrastructure Investor)

Campbell Lutyens has bolstered its secondaries advisory unit with a senior hire from the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation amid an ongoing battle for talent in the secondaries space. (Secondaries Investor)

Growing interest in venture capital secondaries helped Adams Street Partners raise 40 percent more for its fourth Venture Innovation Fund program than its previous effort. (Venture Capital Journal)

Why Patria Investments is taking a $100m dip into LatAm reforestation: Head of private equity growth Pedro Faria says the firm is trying to find its feet in a nascent market that could attract as much as $40bn within 15 years. (Agri Investor)

They said it

“Today more than ever, businesses must prioritize data-driven decisions.”

— Nik Kapauan, managing director of Access Holdings, on advice for the lower middle market on AI.