About Orlando Bravo
Orlando Bravo, founder and managing partner of Thoma Bravo, has been active in multiple media appearances in 2025 and 2026, discussing the state of software investing and the impact of artificial intelligence. At the SuperReturn 2026 conference, Bravo stated that the so-called "SaaSpocalypse" is "finished" and "no more," calling the term "terrible." He argued that software-as-a-service companies are not static and that AI represents a major tailwind for the industry. Bravo also noted that lending for software is "very difficult" due to large asset managers needing to raise money from retail, but said that as a value investor, Thoma Bravo performs better in down markets. He added that large, historic IPOs like SpaceX and OpenAI are absorbing market attention, making it harder for smaller companies to go public in the short term.
In other appearances, Bravo emphasized the importance of domain expertise and leadership in distinguishing software companies that will thrive in the AI era. He cited portfolio company Jeppesen, which provides aviation software, as an example of a deep-domain business. Bravo said Thoma Bravo has completed about $3 billion in add-on acquisitions of AI companies and that roughly 50% of new revenue across its portfolio comes from AI-related products. He also expressed optimism about AI's potential, but urged policymakers to regulate it responsibly to avoid job destruction. At Miami Dade College's 2026 commencement, Bravo delivered a speech encouraging graduates to "go for it," drawing on his own career path from Puerto Rico to Stanford and private equity.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Orlando Bravo's recent appearances.
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✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
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Interviewer0:00
So to be somebody who's successful like you in the buyout world, what would you recommend that somebody do? Do they learn how to play tennis first, grow up in Puerto Rico, go to Brown, Stanford? What would you say somebody young who's watching this should do if he or she aspires to be like you?
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Orlando Bravo0:17
You can follow any career path, and the traditional career path, because I do have the traditional elements: Brown, Morgan Stanley, Stanford, and then you go from there. But there's one component of our industry that people need to focus on, and it's not technical, and that's communication skills. Be a focus on being a phenomenal communicator. Invest in that. Think about it: we have to convince a company to sell to us. You just don't walk in and buy the stock or tell them, 'Yeah, you're for sale, I'll pay you this price.' That takes years of relationship and effort. Why would somebody sell you that billion-dollar software company growing at 20% just because? No. No way. People hang on to these great assets. And then how do you get on the same page with the executive team of that company, even if they're existing or new? It requires amazing communication.
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Interviewer1:12
What would you say has been the best investment advice you've ever received?
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Orlando Bravo1:16
I was in a meeting a long time ago when I was getting started, and there was a young partner that was advocating for a deal where the economics of the business were not that proven, call it venture-y that way. And Carl Thoma did not like the deal, and he said, 'I really don't like this.' And the partner said, 'Well, Carl, if you want to make money, you have to take risk.' And he said, 'Not that kind.' 'Not that kind' is the best investment advice. And what that meant to me is think about how you minimize risk as much as possible from what you know and from what you can tell in that business, instead of meditating too much and focusing on other things.
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Interviewer2:04
As you look at investors over the course of your career, what would you say is the biggest mistake that investors make, either average investors or people in your business? What's the biggest mistake that people make?
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Orlando Bravo2:11
Not focusing on the actual business. Just like software was back then, people had general comments about it—'Oh, this space can go out of business because of that.' Focus on the business. Get to know it and figure it out. Young people in private equity, there's a thing about the diligence process: you have all these kinds of consultants and quality of earnings and all these processes going on at the same time. And that's not investing. You may be checking things. Focus on the top two or three things that you need to figure out so that you can make money on this.
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Interviewer2:46
So today you're well known in the private equity world, but you're also probably pretty well known in Miami. If you go to a cocktail party and somebody comes up to you and says, 'I have $100,000, I'd like to invest,' what would you recommend that person do with $100,000? What do you think is a good idea to do with $100,000 today?
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Orlando Bravo3:02
Sometimes they do. And I give them the most boring answer ever: S&P 500. Just buy an index, buy the index. You don't have to worry about the quarterly earnings of a company, did something change, did somebody change management. You don't have to make this your full-time job. Just buy the index. You're going to be okay.
