Silver Lake is reportedly in talks to take Workday private at $43bn
THE SO WHAT
A $43bn take-private of a mature cloud HR/finance platform is a bet that AI-era workflow refactoring will happen better off the quarterly earnings treadmill. If you build on or compete with legacy SaaS, assume more aggressive product and pricing experiments as PE owners look for AI-driven margin expansion.
READ THE SOURCE
MORE FROM THE WIRE
Startups & VentureInvestors sue Selena Gomez, claiming her wellness startup’s app was never built
A celebrity-led wellness startup being sued over an allegedly non-existent app is a governance story, not a tech one — diligence failed because brand halo substituted for product reality. For investors and partners, the lesson is simple: demand working software, metrics, and code access before wiring money, regardless of who’s on the cap table.
Startups & VentureThe best meetups in London for founders and VCs
Offline density in London still compounds faster than any online founder community—if you’re building or raising there, your deal flow and hiring edge will come from showing up, not another Slack. Treat curated meetups as part of your distribution and capital strategy, not a social extra.
Startups & VentureEurope’s 30 most active public funds in H1 2026
Public funds are now a predictable part of the European cap table—non-dilutive and strategic, but slower and more political. Founders should map which of these 30 funds align with their sector and geography early, because their timelines and reporting demands will shape how you can execute.
Startups & VentureTrustar Is Said to Near $1.5 Billion Deal for Alibaba Gaming Arm
A $1.5B carve-out of Alibaba’s gaming arm to Trustar shows private equity is ready to unbundle non-core assets from tech conglomerates and run them for cash and focus. If you partner with or sell through large platforms, expect more portfolio reshuffling—and revisit your dependency on any single parent’s strategy.