In this bonus episode, Thoma Bravo founder and managing partner, Orlando Bravo joins View From The Top from Stanford GSB for a candid conversation on his nonlinear journey—from leaving a small town in Puerto Rico to building one of the world’s leading software investment firms. Orlando opens up about early career setbacks—including rejection, failed deals, and the mentors who shaped his investing and leadership philosophy. He shares why discipline, humility, strong partnerships, and “doing your own thing” became the foundation of Thoma Bravo’s approach, as well as his long-term commitment to entrepreneurship and impact in Puerto Rico. This conversation offers rare insights on leadership, resilience, mentorship, and what it really takes to build enduring software companies. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Learn more about View From the Top: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/view-top-podcast

Inspired by the book Getting Real, HubSync Founder and CEO John McGowan explains to Thoma Bravo Partner Ross Devor how operating under tight timelines and budgets with a lean team forced HubSync to focus on an engineer-first approach, providing a foundation for a company that was able to scale.

HubSync started as a bootstrapped idea from John McGowan, a former Big Four tax professional who saw the tech gap in mid-sized CPA firms. In this episode of ‘Behind the Deal,’ Thoma Bravo Partner Ross Devor talks with John about how he turned early consulting work into a profitable SaaS business, the strategy behind landing over 40% of the top 25 accounting firms, and how product market fit shaped every decision.

In the Beyond the Deal mini-sode with Thoma Bravo’s A.J. Rohde and Peter Hernandez, hear NextGen Healthcare CEO David Sides explain his approach to leadership, inspired by his family’s medical roots, and how NextGen Healthcare grew into one of the most trustworthy companies in America. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedealLearn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/Visit NextGen Healthcare's website: https://bit.ly/3TN6i7s

In this episode, Thoma Bravo Senior Partner A.J. Rohde sits down with Peter Hernandez, a Senior Vice President on our Discover team, to detail the strategic take-private of NextGen Healthcare, a leading provider of innovative, cloud-based healthcare technology solutions. They are joined in the studio by NextGen Healthcare CEO David Sides and discuss their bold vision for the future of healthcare IT. Hear perspectives on NextGen Healthcare’s exciting new chapter, marked by a recent investment by Madison Dearborn Partners, to further accelerate the company’s growth. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedealLearn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/Visit NextGen Healthcare's website: https://bit.ly/3TN6i7s

In this Beyond the Deal minisode, hear Instructure CEO Steve Daly share how his past experiences informed his mission to create a results-oriented, customer-centric company and a culture where people genuinely enjoy coming to work. Thoma Bravo Managing Partner, Holden Spaht, and Partner, Brian Jaffee, speak with Steve Daly about his leadership philosophy and building a company culture that emphasizes collaboration. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit Instructure's website: https://www.instructure.com/

Instructure’s Canvas, the learning management system used by over 4,000 school districts and 2,500 higher education institutions, became a lifeline during the pandemic. On this episode of Behind the Deal, Thoma Bravo Managing Partner Holden Spaht and Partner Brian Jaffee sit down with Instructure CEO Steve Daly to discuss how they worked together to refocus Instructure to grow into a leading EdTech platform. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit Instructure's website: https://www.instructure.com/

Ping Identity Founder & CEO, Andre Durand, explains that in a 10-10 culture, “the how matters as much as the what.” Over time, through his experience as a multi-time founder, he has come to resonate with one simple cultural north star that he refers to as “10-10” to strike a balance between performance and attitude. In this Beyond the Deal minisode, Andre Durand sits down with Thoma Bravo’s Orlando Bravo and Chip Virnig to discuss some of the pivotal moments that shaped his journey as an entrepreneur and what guides his leadership style today. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit Ping's website: https://www.pingidentity.com/en.html

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, Andre Durand, to discuss the $2.8 billion take-private transaction and the strategic rationale behind combining Ping with ForgeRock to create a leading identity security platform for some of the world’s largest organizations For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit Ping's website: https://www.pingidentity.com/en.html

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’ vision. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit Applitools's website: https://applitools.com/

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 driving the adoption of AI in application testing, and why thousands of companies worldwide trust Applitools’ technology to elevate their testing processes and improve digital experiences for their customers. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit Applitools's website: https://applitools.com/

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 strengths, and how that impacted the business.  For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit Mailgun's website: https://www.mailgun.com/

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 service for businesses around the world. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit Maligun's website: https://www.mailgun.com/

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 digital world. Jill Popelka shares a perspective on Darktrace's pioneering use of AI in cybersecurity and the evolution of AI-driven software. Joe Levy of Sophos provides insights on scaling cybersecurity solutions and the future of the industry. Together, the leaders shared insights on how their companies are leading the cyber industry to protect their customers from advanced zero-day cyber threats.

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 the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit SMA Technologies's website: https://smatechnologies.com/

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 focusing on people, customers, and their flagship product to achieve growth while boosting profitability. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit SMA Technologies's website: https://smatechnologies.com/

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 and private equity partners, integrating acquisitions, and managing growth with clarity and focus. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Learn more about Bluesight: https://bluesight.com/ Listen to Best But Never Final: https://bestbutneverfinal.buzzsprout.com

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 on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit EQS Group's website: https://www.eqs.com/

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 helping its customers find solutions for key regulations. Irina and Achim explain how Thoma Bravo and EQS Group aligned in their vision to scale the business into a global industry leader. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit EQS Group's website: https://www.eqs.com/

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 results and achieve success. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit Imprivata’s website: https://www.imprivata.com/