Happy Monday Hubsters! How’s the week lookin’? Pharma services: Levine Leichtman Capital has been focusing on pharmaceutical services, where the firm believes tailwinds exist beyond pressures from the pandemic, according to the most recent Q&A in PE Hub’s ongoing series. Reporter Aaron Weitzman spoke with Mike Weinberg, managing partner at Levine Leichtman, about the strategy. Click here for the full interview. Here’s a sample: “Just think about how drug enhancement is impacting success rates in treating disease, improving quality of life for chronic illnesses, and there’s more to come. There is so much research occurring in real-time, so we do not need to overlap with the venture end, but rather attach ourselves to the growth aspect. It is an exciting sector.” Big close: KKR announced this morning it has closed its 13th North America flagship fund on $19 billion. The firm kicked in $2 billion from its balance sheet, affiliates and employees. The firm’s Fund XII, which began investing in 2017, is fully deployed and is generating a 41.9 percent net internal rate of return, and a 2.2x net multiple as of Dec. 31, the firm reported. “Particularly at a time of continued volatility, we believe we are entering a macroeconomic environment that is tailor-made for private equity and for KKR specifically,” said Pete Stavros and Nate Taylor, co-heads of KKR's Americas Private Equity platform, in a statement. Read more here. Off-Duty: In Buyouts’ latest “Off-Duty” Q&A – which focuses on private equity folks’ life outside of work – Elizabeth Weymouth, founder of Grafine Partners, gives us a glimpse of life outside of PE. Read the full piece on Buyouts. Here’s a sample: If you weren’t in PE, what job would you like to have? A CNBC anchor covering markets. That’s it for me! Have a great Monday. Hit me up with tips n’ gossip, feedback, or book recommendations at [email protected] or over on LinkedIn. Read the full wire commentary on PE Hub ... | 