Crystal Ball: Where venture capital and private equity are headed in 2026

As I was wading through the waters of all our predictions, readers painted a picture of possibilities and pressure in the private markets.AI, on one hand, is a force multiplier—on the other, it will be unevenly impactful and the losses as the industry consolidates will be staggering. Liquidity, meanwhile, is making a comeback, albeit with a new normal. Velocity is increasing, but so is fragility. There was also an echo of “bigger, fewer, and with more power,” that the wave of capital concentrating at the la ...