Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal

Ping Identity helps some of the largest enterprises in the world secure the logins of their employees and customers, helping to keep systems secure, prevent fraud, and decrease friction as companies undergo their digital transformation. In this episode of Behind the Deal, Thoma Bravo Founder and Managing Partner, Orlando Bravo, and Partner, Chip Virnig, sit down with Ping Identity Founder & CEO, A...

In this Beyond the Deal mini-sode, Applitools Co-Founder and CTO, Adam Carmi, and CEO, Alex Berry, speak with Thoma Bravo Partner, Carl Press, about the evolution of Applitools from its early days to a leader in AI-enabled test automation. Adam discusses the initial problem he and co-founder Moshe Milman sought to solve and Alex shares his perspective as CEO and how he embraces the founders’ visio...

Hear the story behind Thoma Bravo’s investment in Applitools with Partner Carl Press in conversation with Alex Berry, CEO of Applitools, and Adam Carmi, Co-Founder and CTO of Applitools. The company’s all-in-one, AI-powered testing platform revolutionizes the way businesses approach quality assurance and test automation. Carl, Alex and Adam discuss the evolution of the business, the market trends...

In this Beyond the Deal mini-sode, former Mailgun CEO and CTO, Will Conway and Josh Odom, join Thoma Bravo Partner Hudson Smith to share their experiences of leading a growing technology company starting as college friends turned business partners. They highlight the critical role of a strong, supportive team culture, how their friendship strategically plays to their individual talents and strengt...

Mailgun enables over 150,000 companies to send, track, test, and optimize more than 250 billion emails per year effortlessly for marketing and business communication to their customers. Thoma Bravo Partner Hudson Smith sits down on Behind the Deal with former Mailgun CEO Will Conway and CTO Josh Odom as they dive into Mailgun’s journey from a spin out from Rackspace to a leading email delivery ser...

In a special episode of Behind the Deal live from Miami at Thoma Bravo’s Annual Meeting in March 2025, Thoma Bravo Managing Partner Seth Boro welcomes two prominent leaders in the cybersecurity industry: Jill Popelka, CEO of Darktrace, and Joe Levy, CEO of Sophos. Cybersecurity has been a focus of Thoma Bravo's investment strategy since 2008, driven by the growing complexities of an increasingly d...

In this Beyond the Deal mini-sode, Todd Dauchy, CEO of SMA Technologies, speaks with Thoma Bravo Partner, Adam Solomon, about how he’s navigated his career with the lessons he learned from chess. He also details his focus on strategic thinking, anticipating future trends in the market, and building strong interpersonal relationships within the company.  For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind...

Hear the story behind Thoma Bravo’s acquisition of SMA Technologies with Thoma Bravo Partner Adam Solomon and CEO of SMA Technologies, Todd Dauchy. SMA Technologies provides workload automation and orchestration software solutions for banks, credit unions, and other financial services businesses. Adam and Todd discuss how they transformed a “sleepy” business into a high-performing company by focus...

In this featured episode, we’re excited to share a conversation from Best But Never Final, featuring Thoma Bravo Partner Carl Press and Kevin MacDonald, CEO of Thoma Bravo portfolio company Bluesight. Listen to them share a behind-the-scenes look at scaling a software company from a bootstrap startup to a private equity-backed category leader. They discuss the importance of alignment between CEOs...

In this Beyond the Deal mini-sode, Thoma Bravo Partner Irina Hemmers and EQS Group Founder and CEO Achim Weick discuss the crucial role of culture in EQS Group's journey.  Achim shares his experience founding a company culture centered on trust. Hear how his focus has driven EQS Group's success as a leading European software company and some lessons he’s learned along the way. For more information...

Hear Thoma Bravo Partner Irina Hemmers and Achim Weick, Founder and CEO of EQS Group, dive into the details behind the acquisition of EQS Group. In this episode, they discuss EQS Group's journey of becoming a leading GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) software provider. Achim Weick shares his story of founding the company, why EQS Group chose private equity after 20 years, and how EQS Group is...

Fran Rosch, CEO of Imprivata, joins Managing Partner Scott Crabill on this Beyond the Deal mini-sode to discuss his career journey and leadership philosophy. Rosch shares his belief in open communication, setting ambitious goals, and the importance of continuous learning. He also provides advice on navigating career challenges and emphasizes the significance of having the right people to drive res...

In this episode of Behind the Deal, Imprivata CEO Fran Rosch shares how the company is revolutionizing access to critical healthcare systems with its cutting-edge security solutions. As a leader in cybersecurity for hospitals and health systems, Imprivata specializes in Access Management for shared device ecosystems, as well as streamlining and securing access for professionals in critical environ...

In this Beyond the Deal mini-sode, Thoma Bravo Managing Partner Holden Spaht sits down with Coupa CEO Leagh Turner to discuss her career journey and the significance of mentorship. They also delve into the future of AI and its implications for businesses. Learn about Coupa’s approach to AI governance, aiming to ensure it is utilized safely and responsibly to establish a new industry standard. For...

Coupa has helped businesses better manage direct and indirect spend through its community-generated AI and industry-leading total spend management platform for almost 20 years. Coupa AI is informed by over $7 trillion of spend data across a global network of 10 million+ suppliers and buyers. Coupa aims to empower its customers with the ability to predict, prescribe, and automate smarter, more prof...

In this Beyond the Deal mini-sode, Thoma Bravo Senior Partner A.J. Rohde and Principal George Jaber discuss with HCSS President and CEO Steve McGough the company’s strong employee relationships, the true essence of leadership, the core values he took with him from his time at Texas A&M, and how the impact of treating every customer with care and respect has led them to build a reputation for award...

For nearly 40 years, HCSS has been a driving force in construction software, helping companies streamline operations and achieve success. In this episode of Behind the Deal, Thoma Bravo’s A.J. Rohde and George Jaber sit down with HCSS President and CEO Steve McGough to explore the company’s journey—from its beginnings in the late ‘80s to creating HeavyBid, an industry-leading estimating software f...

In this Beyond the Deal mini-sode, Thoma Bravo Managing Partner Seth Boro and Qlik CEO Mike Capone discuss Qlik’s growth since its 2018 acquisition by Thoma Bravo, including its global expansion from Sweden, how the company stays ahead of AI’s rapid evolution to drive ongoing business transformation and how Mike’s leadership style of “leading from the front” has helped Qlik cultivate a culture tha...

Season three of Thoma Bravo's award-winning podcast kicks off with a conversation between Thoma Bravo Managing Partner Seth Boro & Mike Capone, CEO of Qlik. Together, they explore Qlik's growth from a visual analytics company to an industry leader in data integration, analytics, and AI solutions for businesses. Listen as they explore Qlik’s differentiated vision for end-to-end AI driven solutions...

We’re back with season 3 of Thoma Bravo’s Behind the Deal! Our chart-topping and award-winning podcast offers a glimpse into the world of the largest tech-focused buyout firm. This season, hear CEOs from Qlik, HCSS, Coupa, and more share untold stories of some of Thoma Bravo's biggest and most dynamic acquisitions. New episodes drop every Thursday!  For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the...

In a special episode of Behind the Deal live from Thoma Bravo’s Annual Meeting in March 2024, Managing Partner Seth Boro welcomes Sumit Dhawan, CEO at Proofpoint, Mike Capone, CEO at Qlik, and Charlie Gottdiener, CEO at Anaplan, to the stage to discuss how their companies are leveraging the power of artificial intelligence. The CEOs share perspectives on generative AI and its impact on cybersecuri...

In this special Beyond the Deal mini-sode, Thoma Bravo Co-Founders and Managing Partners Carl Thoma and Orlando Bravo go beyond their long, storied and industry-shaping partnership to discuss the importance of fostering relationships, focusing on performance and staying humble while building a successful firm. Carl also shares his insights on the value of finding the right mentor and discusses one...

On the season finale of Behind the Deal, Co-Founders and Managing Partners Orlando Bravo and Carl Thoma sit down to discuss how they built Thoma Bravo into the world’s largest tech-focused buyout firm. Orlando interviews his mentor, Carl, to get his perspective on the evolution of private equity over his nearly 50-year career in the industry. The Co-Founders discuss their partnership and relive th...

In this Beyond the Deal mini-sode, Thoma Bravo Managing Partner Seth Boro sits down with SailPoint’s CEO and Founder Mark McClain and President of Worldwide Field Operations Matt Mills to talk about the effects of AI on identity security, being acquired by Thoma Bravo not once but twice, and what it was like to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. For more information on Thoma Bra...

SailPoint Co-Founder and CEO Mark McClain speaks with Thoma Bravo Managing Partner Seth Boro about forging a relationship that led to Thoma Bravo’s first ever IPO of a portfolio company, and then a second acquisition of SailPoint just a few years later. The conversation covers the cutting edge work SailPoint is doing in identity security, as well as the inside experience of partnering with a Priva...