Mid-market momentum: A new battleground for opportunity in private capital

The mid‑market has emerged as one of the most dynamic battlegrounds in private capital, offering a compelling mix of growth potential, operational upside, and relative value.

At SuperReturn International 2026, we hosted our first mid-market summit, which brought together mid-market LPs and GPs to engage in conversations about how this area of private capital is developing and how investors can adapt their strategies to succeed in an increasingly complex and competitive environment. We sat down with some of them, to give you exclusive insigts into how they're navigating an increasingly attrative mid-market playing field and what challenges the area is facing.

Why is the mid-market becoming more important for investors?

Maria Sanz Garcia, Head Private Equity & Member of the Executive Committee, YIELCO Investments, has more than 20 years of investment experience across large cap, mid- and lower mid-market. We caught up with her after her session on challenges in mid-market private equity fundraising to discuss:

• Why the mid market matters now
• The value creation playbook
• Europe vs US deal dynamics
• What LPs want from GPs