CEE PE Funds: from Resilience to Execution

Agu Aarna
6 days ago
3 min read

What 500+ private equity professionals told us about the future of the region - and why the narrative has fundamentally shifted.

PE Insights Poland & CEE 2026

Last month we joined more than 500 private equity professionals and 60+ speakers at PE Insights Poland & CEE 2026 in Warsaw. The caliber of conversation was high - sharp discussions on investing, value creation, and the exit environment across Central and Eastern Europe.

If there was a single throughline across the two days, it was this: CEE funds have been doing hands-on value creation for years, often out of necessity. In an environment where that approach is now the whole game - where multiple expansion is no longer a viable strategy and operational discipline separates the winners from the rest - they feel notably well prepared.

"5 is the new 12." One of the lines that stuck with us from the conference floor.

Multiple expansion can't be the plan anymore. Funds need stronger EBITDA and real operational value creation to deliver the same returns that a more benign rate environment once handed to almost everyone. The CEE cohort, having largely operated this way by default, finds itself ahead of the curve.

KEY TAKEAWAYS - PE Funds Reorganizing

01 - MARKET MATURATION

Growth Region to Platform Market

CEE is no longer just a "growth region" story. Funds are professionalizing businesses and backing them to scale beyond home markets - increasingly westwards.

02 - RETURN COMPRESSION

Multiple Expansion is Off the Table

A line that landed hard at the conference. Stronger EBITDA and genuine operational value creation are now the only credible path to target returns.

03 - AI AS VALUE DRIVER

Fund-Led AI - Not Portfolio-Optional

AI has to be assessed in diligence, prioritized post-close, and embedded into the value creation plan. It can’t be left to individual portfolio company appetite.

04 - EXIT ENVIRONMENT

CEE is Returning Capital

Despite a tough global environment, CEE is still delivering exits via strategic buyers, secondaries, and IPOs - and speakers flagged it as one of their best-performing areas over the last 12 months.

That last point is worth dwelling on. Liquidity is the defining question across private markets right now, and much of the Western PE world is navigating a genuinely difficult exit environment. By contrast, CEE looks notably less "stuck" - capital is still moving, and LPs are still seeing returns. That’s a meaningful differentiator.

The winners from here will be the funds that pair local access with real operational value creation, AI-enabled transformation, and a credible path to international scale. On the evidence from Warsaw, the region is ready for exactly that.

Technology Due Diligence Built for This Moment

The themes from Warsaw sit squarely in our wheelhouse. At Intium, we have spent years helping lower mid-market PE funds understand what they are actually buying - and what it will take to scale it. In a market where operational value creation and AI readiness are now the primary drivers of return, that work has never mattered more.