US private equity giant Thoma Bravo has closed its first European fund at £1.5bn.
The backer of cybersecurity leaders Darktrace and Sophos, headquartered in Cambridge and Abingdon respectively, is targeting further investments in software businesses with category-leading potential.
“Our first dedicated pool of capital for European software marks a significant milestone for our firm,” said Orlando Bravo, founder and managing partner at Thoma Bravo.
“We see an enormous opportunity to back Europe’s technology innovators and help them scale, and we are grateful for the long-term support of our investors in realising this ambition.”
Thoma Bravo has invested in European businesses for 14 years, having deployed over €14bn of equity across 16 transactions in the region.
Since the opening of its first international office in London in 2023, Thoma Bravo’s European team has made four investments across the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden, including the €400m take-private of EQS Group and growth investments in USU, Hypergene and LOGEX.
Irina Hemmers (pictured, main image), a partner at Thoma Bravo and head of its European office, added: “The closing of our first Europe Fund represents a significant opportunity to deepen our presence in the region.
“Europe is digitising rapidly, and leading software companies are increasingly looking for dedicated support and investment to accelerate their growth strategies.
“As a highly specialised investor, we bring decades of operational expertise and best practice that we believe can help turn the top regional software businesses into European champions and global leaders.”