Expanded Partnership Reflects Growth and Success of Firm’s Investments
SAN FRANCISCO—Thoma Bravo, LLC, a leading private equity investment firm, today announced Hudson Smith has joined the firm as a partner. Thoma Bravo is an investment specialist in the software and technology industries, and has completed approximately 140 software and technology-enabled services acquisitions since 2003, representing about $30 billion in enterprise value. Thoma Bravo is currently completing the investment of its flagship vehicle, Thoma Bravo Fund XI, which focuses on middle market and large software opportunities. Recent transactions include the acquisitions of innovative technology companies such as SailPoint, Riverbed and SolarWinds.
Smith joins Thoma Bravo during a time of rapid growth for the firm: since the beginning of last year, Thoma Bravo has added nearly two dozen employees and has now expanded its partnership with the addition of Smith.
Smith will initially work on the Thoma Bravo Discover Fund, where he will focus on sourcing and managing lower middle market software investments. Established in 2015, the Discover Fund enables Thoma Bravo to partner with management teams at smaller, growing companies that benefit from the firm’s experience and expertise in software. “Hudson’s proven track record of investment success is a testament to his deep knowledge of the software and technology industries,” said Orlando Bravo, a managing partner at Thoma Bravo. “We are looking forward to having Hudson on our team to help build and grow the Discover portfolio beyond the success that it has already seen.”
Smith joins Thoma Bravo from HGGC, where he directed the firm’s investment efforts in technology. His successful technology investment track record includes Serena, Hybris, Sunquest, FPX, Selligent, SSI and MyWebGrocer. Smith has also held positions at Bain & Co and Lincoln International LLC, as a consultant and investment banker, respectively. Smith earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University after obtaining his BS in Business Administration from Washington & Lee University.
“I’m very excited to be a part of Thoma Bravo’s growing team, which leads the private equity industry in software and technology investments,” said Hudson Smith, partner at Thoma Bravo. “This is an incredibly strong market with tremendous opportunity for continued growth, and I’m eager to contribute to Thoma Bravo’s excellent performance in the software sector.”
The firm has also welcomed two new vice presidents, Matt Gilbert and AJ Jangalapalli. Gilbert joins from Summit Partners and will work in Thoma Bravo’s Capital Markets Group, and Jangalapalli comes as a recent MBA graduate from the Wharton School and will be a part of the firm’s investment staff.
About Thoma Bravo, LLC
Thoma Bravo is a leading private equity firm focused exclusively on the business-to-business software and technology-enabled services sectors. With more than $17 billion in cumulative committed capital, Thoma Bravo partners with a company’s management team to implement operating best practices, invest in growth initiatives and make accretive acquisitions to rapidly improve revenue and earnings and accelerate equity value. Representative past and present portfolio companies include industry leaders such as Datatel, Digital Insight, Entrust, SonicWall, Network Instruments, Hyland Software, Deltek, Blue Coat Systems, Elemica, Riverbed, Compuware and SolarWinds. The firm has offices in San Francisco and Chicago. For more information, visit www.thomabravo.com.
