00:00It's Benzinga, bringing Wall Street to Main Street.
00:02Private equity firms face a growing backlog of unsold portfolio companies as concerns
00:07about AI's impact on software deepen, according to The Wall Street Journal.
00:12PricewaterhouseCoopers said firms would need about nine years to clear the logjam at the
00:15current pace based on pitch book data. About 13,500 U.S. companies sat in private equity
00:21portfolios as of June 30, up from roughly 13,300 at the end of 2025. Nearly 4,000 have been
00:29held
00:29for at least six years, while about 1,500 have been held for nine or more. Fundraising remains
00:35muted, with $159.6 billion raised in the first half. Software companies bought at high valuations
00:41in 2020 and 2021 have become harder to sell as AI fears pressure valuations and debt loads
00:48rise. Firms are turning to secondary markets and continuation vehicles, while a recovering
00:53IPO market offers a potential exit route.
00:56For all things money, visit Benzinga.com.
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