The importance of today’s elite software investor cannot be overstated. With the emergence of artificial intelligence as a multi-generational technology that is transforming how businesses and societies operate, those investors who intimately know the software industry and its key players are best positioned to also be future leaders in artificial intelligence.
Incumbent software companies have expansive reach and long-established relationships with business customers across the world as well as individual consumers. They have deep talent benches and are dedicating resources towards the development of artificial intelligence to enhance existing software solutions.
GrowthCap is pleased to announce The Top Software Investors of 2024. In our sixth year running this awards process, the number and caliber of nominees has continued to climb. To be selected as an awardee, a nominee must first have the strong support of others in the software ecosystem, which may include their own firm, their portfolio companies, and/or their peers in the industry, among others.
Further research is then performed to assess the nominee’s overall career, breadth of investing experience, capability for scaling companies, recent investments made and exited, as well as character, among other factors. While many nominees were ultimately not selected this year, we want to acknowledge their talent and contributions to the software industry.
Please join us in recognizing and celebrating the achievements of The Top Software Investors of 2024.
Firm: TA Associates
Title: Managing Director
Hythem El-Nazer is a Managing Director at TA and a member of the firm’s Executive, Management, Core Investment and Portfolio Committees. In addition, he is also responsible for leading TA’s Boston office. With a focus on leading investments in enterprise software companies, he also serves as co-head of TA’s North America Technology Group. Since joining TA in 2004, Hythem has sponsored more than 30 investments spanning across North America, Europe, India and the Middle East. Additionally, he has helped build over a dozen multi-billion-dollar enterprise value companies and has enabled over 300 strategic add-on acquisitions for TA portfolio companies.
Hythem currently serves on the Board of Directors for Advantive, Appfire, Aptean, CSI, Gamma Technologies, Idera, insightsoftware, Kinective, Lumivero, Momentive Software, MRI Software, PDI, Revalize and Sovos. Outside of TA, Hythem serves as a member of the board and executive committee of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO). He is also the Vice Chairman of the Board of the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund, a board member of Columbia University Business School’s Private Equity Advisory, Brown University’s President’s Leadership Council and Brigham and Women’s Hospital Board of Overseers. Hythem earned an MBA from Columbia Business School, an AB in economics from Brown University and a General Course degree from the London School of Economics.
“At TA, we are deeply passionate about supporting visionary leaders and driving transformational growth. Our collaborative approach empowers companies across the technology sector to unlock new opportunities and achieve lasting success. It is a privilege to be acknowledged by GrowthCap for our ongoing commitment to building enduring software businesses.” – Hythem El-Nazer
Firm: Summit Partners
Title: Managing Director
Michael is a Managing Director at Summit Partners, where he focuses on growth investments in the technology sector. Over the last 19+ years, Michael has invested in and partnered with numerous high-growth companies across the technology landscape, building deep sector expertise within several software subsectors, including e-commerce enablement, marketing automation, infrastructure and DevOps, industrial technology and supply chain. In total, Michael has led or played a significant role in 19 Summit investments, representing more than $1.0 billion in invested capital, including more than $545 million in the last five years alone.
Michael is an active, engaged board member at several Summit portfolio companies. He currently serves on the boards of Klaviyo (NYSE: KVYO), MacStadium, Markforged (NYSE: MKFG), Later (formerly known as Mavrck) and Sifted. His prior investments and directorships include Acacia Communications (Nasdaq: ACIA, later acquired by Cisco), Accedian Networks (acquired by Bridge Growth Partners), Anesthetix (acquired by TeamHealth), Clarabridge (acquired by Qualtrics), Diagnostic Hybrids (acquired by Quidel Corporation), Fermentas International (acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific), Hiperos (acquired by Opus Global), Logi Analytics (acquired by Marlin Equity Partners), Mi9 Retail (acquired by General Atlantic), and Telerik (acquired by Progress Software).
Michael holds a BS in finance and international business from Georgetown University.
“With four decades of experience investing in numerous category-defining companies across the technology stack, Summit is positioned to identify and support the growth of the next generation of industry leaders. I’m honored to work with talented executives who are driving new innovation in the technology sector and to leverage the firm’s deep experience and expansive network to help accelerate the profitable growth of their businesses.” – Michael Medici
Firm: Spectrum Equity
Title: Managing Director
Michael Farrell is a Managing Director of Spectrum Equity, a leading growth equity firm that specializes in partnering with internet-based software and data services companies. A former two-time recipient of GrowthCap’s 40 Under 40 award, Michael joined Spectrum in 2009 as a Senior Associate and has played a pivotal role in the development and execution of the firm’s software investment strategy over the past several funds. Over his 15+ years with Spectrum, his representative investments include CINC Systems, Origami Risk, Bats Global Markets, Datassential, EagleView Technologies, Expert Institute, Jagex, and Litmus.
As an investor and board member, Michael has recruited executive teams, helped guide portfolio companies with global expansion plans, assisted in building out go-to-market teams, executed on M&A strategy, and assisted teams in building world-class software companies through his strategic insights. Michael is known by his portfolio partners and colleagues as a high-integrity investor with a gift for identifying talent, putting in the time to build deep relationships, and recognizing untapped opportunities. Michael has championed Spectrum’s partnership with Minds Matter, an organization that connects driven and determined students with internship opportunities. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College and Harvard Business School.
“We’ve been fortunate to partner with great founders and leaders who have poured their energy into creating great businesses. We understand the great sacrifices they’ve made and therefore it’s important we approach our roles as business partners in a clear-eyed, conscientious, and responsible way. They’ve trusted us as stewards of their businesses and we appreciate their collaboration, leadership, and trust.” – Michael Farrell
Firm: TA Associates
Title: Managing Director
Ashu Agrawal is a Managing Director at TA and a member of the firm’s Core Investment, Portfolio and Responsible Investing Committees. Based in TA’s Menlo Park office, he helps lead investments in enterprise software and technology-enabled companies, primarily in North America. Ashu has been a technology and software private equity investor for over 23 years, and has assisted over 25 software portfolio companies, offering strategic guidance on organic growth initiatives, accretive strategic acquisitions, material divestitures, capital markets financing and recapitalizations.
Ashu currently serves on the Board of Directors of Edifecs, Edmunds GovTech, iCIMS, Idera, LeadVenture, Planview, Radiant Logic, Rocscience, Technosylva and VitalEdge Technologies. Prior to joining TA in 2011, he was a Principal at Francisco Partners. Outside of TA, Ashu serves on the Board of Trustees at the Phillips Brooks School. He also serves on the Advisory Councils of Cornell University’s Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, as well as the Entrepreneurship at Cornell program. Ashu received an MBA from the Harvard Business School, a BS in computer science and an M.Eng. in operations research and industrial engineering from Cornell University.
“At TA’s core is a commitment to being true partners to founders and management teams as they navigate pivotal moments in their growth. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to partner with many great software companies and take pride in providing these companies with the strategic support and resources needed to fuel innovation and scale sustainably. This recognition is a direct reflection of our team’s work and dedication to helping software companies unlock their full potential.” – Ashu Agrawal
Firm: Vista Equity Partners
Title: Senior Managing Director
René Stewart is a Senior Managing Director at Vista Equity Partners, a leading global investment firm focused exclusively on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses. She is a Co-Head of Vista’s Endeavor Funds, one of the world’s largest female-led tech buyout strategies, and a member of Vista’s Private Equity Management Committee.
Endeavor partners with small-cap SaaS leaders to build category-leading products and businesses, investing in enterprise software companies with $10-$40 million in annual recurring revenue – a critical growth stage where value begins to scale. In recent months, Endeavor announced strategic growth investments in three founder-driven, vertical software businesses, including Portside, Gatekeeper and Gnosis Freight and completed three add-on transactions within the portfolio.
René joined Vista in 2007 and was tapped to help launch Endeavor in 2017. Prior to joining Vista in 2007, René worked in the Corporate Finance Group at Yahoo! and in the Global Technology Group at Lehman Brothers. She has a BA in economics from Columbia University.
“Endeavor partners with founders and leaders who are looking for an operationally-focused partner during their next phase of growth. We’re not afraid to roll up our sleeves to help companies build the foundation for sustainable growth and innovation.” – René Stewart
Firm: Vista Equity Partners
Title: Senior Managing Director
Patrick Severson is a Senior Managing Director at Vista Equity Partners, a leading global investment firm focused exclusively on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses. He is a Co-Head of Vista’s Foundation Funds and a member of the firm’s Executive and Private Equity Management Committees. Patrick currently sits on the boards of Assent Compliance, Energy Exemplar, ESO, Granicus, Kibo, LogicMonitor, Monetate, Poppulo, Power Factors, Sonatype and Trintech, among others.
Launched in 2009, Foundation is Vista’s middle-market investment strategy that has a 15+ year track record of growing emerging software leaders into durable software franchises utilizing a systematic approach to value creation. Alongside Co-Head Martin Taylor, Patrick oversees a team of 25+ investors and operators who manage $9.7 billion AUM (as of 3/31/24). Foundation’s recent platform investments include Nasuni, Energy Exemplar and TRG Screen.
Prior to joining Vista, Patrick worked as Partner at Warburg Pincus where he spent 12 years investing in and working with software companies at all stages from startup to buyout. Before his time with Warburg Pincus, Patrick worked at Booz-Allen & Hamilton as a management consultant, and at Price Waterhouse, in each case focused on media and technology industries.
Patrick has a BS in computer science from Stanford University and an MBA from Columbia University.
“Our strategy is built on the conviction that strong partnerships with founders and management teams are the cornerstone of building software companies with enduring value. By leveraging our deep domain expertise and the resources of Vista’s broader ecosystem, the companies we work with are equipped to drive innovation as category leaders in their respective markets.” – Patrick Severson
Firm: Summit Partners
Title: Managing Director
Len Ferrington is a Managing Director at Summit Partners, where he focuses on growth investments in the technology sector. Over the last 18+ years, Len has invested in and partnered with numerous high growth companies across the technology landscape, building deep expertise across numerous technology subsectors including robotics and automation, application software, and solutions enhancing education, talent and overall workforce productivity.
Len has led or played a significant role in 14 Summit investments representing more than $1.8 billion in invested capital. He has served as an active, engaged board member at many Summit portfolio companies and currently serves as a director at Keeper Security, Ruffalo Noel Levitz, StackAdapt and Ylopo, and he is active in the firm’s investment in QAD. Len’s board and investment experience includes Access Information Management (acquired by Berkshire Partners), Aeryon Labs (acquired by FLIR Systems), Ascentis (acquired by UKG), Heald College (acquired by Corinthian Colleges), Redzone (acquired by QAD), Smartsheet (NYSE: SMAR), Teaching Strategies (acquired by KKR), Trident University International (acquired by Perdoceo Education Corporation) and Ubiquiti (NYSE: UI, formerly Ubiquiti Networks).
Len holds a BS in accounting from the Leventhal School of Accounting at the University of Southern California.
“Summit has been at the forefront of multiple cycles of innovation over the firm’s 40-year history. It’s truly energizing to build on this rich history as we work to find and partner with the next wave of disruptive companies in the software sector and beyond.” – Len Ferrington
Firm: Silversmith Capital Partners
Title: Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Jim co-founded Silversmith Capital Partners in 2015 and has served as a Managing Partner since inception. At Silversmith, Jim focuses on partnering with passionate founders of growing SaaS companies focused on product leadership. Over his career, Jim has served on the board of 25+ tech companies throughout the US, Canada, and the UK, and has helped these portfolio companies execute 100+ M&A transactions.
Past and current board seats at Silversmith include Absorb Software, Apryse (fka PDFTron), Centauri Health Solutions, Formstack, GiveCampus, impact.com, JETNET, Market Access Transformation (MAT), Net Health, Opensignal, Proven Optics, RedAwning, TMA Systems and Validity. Jim received an AB, magna cum laude, in English & American literature from Harvard College.
“I am honored to be recognized as a Top Software Investor for the fourth consecutive year. This award reflects the outstanding performance of the founders, CEOs, and management teams that Silversmith has had the privilege to support. The relentless pursuit of excellence by these leaders drives our success.” – Jim Quagliaroli
Firm: Silversmith Capital Partners
Title: Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Todd MacLean co-founded Silversmith Capital Partners in 2015 and focuses on building lasting partnerships with exceptional entrepreneurs within the SaaS & information services sectors. With more than 20 years investing in the information technology sector, Todd has served on the boards of 15+ growing SaaS companies and led 13 investments for the firm since its founding including, ActiveCampaign, Ascend Analytics, Digital Map Products (acquired by LightBox), DistroKid, Impel, Novatus, Onbe, Social Sentinel (acquired by Navigate 360), Unily, Venminder (acquired by Ncontracts), Webflow, Worldly, and Zonos.
Prior to co-founding Silversmith, Todd spent over 15 years as a growth equity investor at Bain Capital Ventures (BCV), Accel and Summit Partners, as well as in operating roles at several private companies. Some of his notable investments from prior firms include SurveyMonkey (Nasdaq: MNTV), Wrike (acquired by Citrix), and Deal.com (acquired by Cox Automotive). Todd received an AB, cum laude, in English from Dartmouth College and an MBA with honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
“In thinking about the foundation of Silversmith, a quote from JFK resonates with me: ‘Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.’ All of our success to date can be linked directly back to a group of entrepreneurs who took real risk to start a company in the hopes of solving a problem and making the world incrementally better. We both deeply admire this courage and are the direct beneficiaries of it.” – Todd MacLean
Firm: H.I.G. Growth Partners
Title: Managing Director and Head of H.I.G. Growth Partners
Ross Hiatt is a Managing Director and the Head of H.I.G. Growth Partners, the growth stage technology-focused investment group within H.I.G. Capital. As fund head, he is responsible for the day-to-day activities of H.I.G. Growth Partners.
Ross has over two decades of investing and finance experience, with expertise across consumer internet, fintech, SaaS and enterprise technology. Before joining H.I.G., he was a senior member of the technology investment team at TPG Capital and was responsible for all aspects of investment sourcing, execution and oversight. Before TPG, Ross spent ten years at Goldman Sachs where he worked with some of the world’s leading technology companies. Ross began his career in the high yield and leveraged finance group at J.P. Morgan.
Ross differentiates himself from other investors through his impressive history of successful investments and IPOs. With his extensive knowledge and experience in operations, digital technology, and overall business expertise, Ross empowers portfolio companies to make transformative change.
Ross is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors at ProsperOps, Bluum and WorkSuite. Prior investment and board experience includes Calm.com, Dream11, Goal.com, Age of Learning (ABCmouse) and Pray.
Ross earned a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University, both with honors.
“We are honored to partner with exceptional software and technology companies, and we deeply appreciate GrowthCap’s recognition. We remain committed to identifying and supporting innovative software businesses that have the power to disrupt industries and achieve significant growth.” – Ross Hiatt
Title: Former General Partner at B Capital
Rashmi Gopinath brings over two decades of investing and operating experience in enterprise software. Most recently she was General Partner and Head of Enterprise Software at B Capital where she led the firm’s global enterprise software practice and focused on investments in cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, devops, data and artificial intelligence, and application software. She led B Capital’s investments in companies such as Lambda Labs, Poolside, DataRobot, FalconX, Clari, Pendo, 6sense, Remote, Own Data (acquired by NYSE: CRM), Innovaccer, Phenom People, Synack, Yalo, Labelbox, Perimeter81 (acquired by CHKP), among others. She will be launching a new early-growth enterprise fund shortly.
Rashmi was previously a Managing Director at M12, Microsoft’s venture fund, where she led investments globally in enterprise software and sat on several boards including Synack, Innovaccer, Frame (acquired by NTNX), Contrast Security, Incorta, among others.
Prior to M12, Rashmi was an Investment Director with Intel Capital where she was involved in the firm’s investments in MongoDB (Nasdaq: MDB), ForeScout (Nasdaq: FSCT), Maginatics (acquired by EMC), BlueData (acquired by NYSE: HPE), among others. Rashmi held GTM operating roles at high-growth startups such as BlueData (acquired by NYSE: HPE) and Couchbase (Nasdaq: BASE), where she led global business development, product, and marketing roles. She began her career in engineering and product roles at Oracle and GE Healthcare. She earned an MBA from Northwestern University, and a BS in electrical engineering from University of Mumbai in India.
“I am honored to be recognized by GrowthCap among a list of highly accomplished growth investors. It is a privilege to partner with incredible entrepreneurs every day that are building innovative software platforms that are fundamentally transforming various industries globally.” – Rashmi Gopinath
Firm: TPG
Title: Partner
Art Heidrich is a Partner at TPG based in San Francisco, where he helps lead TPG’s investment activities in software and enterprise technology. Art currently serves on the boards of Boomi, Digital.ai, Lyric, Nextech, New Relic, Sauce Labs, and WellSky, is a board observer at Checkmarx and Sonatype, and has previously been involved with investments in Advent Software, C3 AI, Eze Software, IMS Health, SunGard Data Systems, Vertafore, and Wind River. Prior to joining TPG in 2011, Art worked at Morgan Stanley. He received an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar, and a BA in economics from Stanford University.
“Our investment strategy is based on our thematic orientation and focus on growth, transformation, and partnership. We spend years developing conviction in growing and evolving areas and strive to partner with management teams to build distinctive, market-leading businesses. It’s a privilege to work with companies that are advancing and improving industries through technology, and we are very excited about the opportunities AI offers to accelerate this process.” – Art Heidrich
Firm: TPG
Title: Partner
Arun Agarwal is a Partner at TPG focused on technology investments. Arun currently serves as a board director or observer of Presence, ServiceTitan, Zenoti, Learneo, Kajabi, Salsify, and thatgamecompany. He also led several investments for the firm including Toast (NYSE: TOST), FreedomPay, ezCater, Au10tix, and HotelTonight (acquired by Airbnb). Prior to joining TPG, he was a Co-Founder and CEO at Infinio, a datacenter software business. Before that, he served as a Senior Manager at Endeca Technologies (acquired by Oracle), and as an investor at various venture capital firms. Arun received his BS in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
“Our TPG Tech Adjacencies (TTAD) strategy leverages TPG’s deep, longstanding experience investing in tech companies across various stages of growth. With TTAD, we’re focused on bringing all the tools and capital solutions that are available to companies in the public markets to the private technology space. We aim to meet the evolving dynamics and needs of the modern technology market by providing flexible, solutions-oriented capital and we look forward to continuing to partner with many of the industry’s most innovative companies to enable future growth.” – Arun Agarwal
Firm: Francisco Partners
Title: Partner
Brian Decker is a Partner at Francisco Partners (“FP”) and focuses on investing in companies within the enterprise security and infrastructure software markets. Throughout his career at FP, Brian has been involved with a number of investments for FP including the carve-out of Boomi from Dell, take-private of Sumo Logic, carve-out of Forcepoint from Raytheon (and subsequent establishment of two separate businesses), sale of Forcepoint G2CI (now known as Everfox), and sale of Quest Software five years after FP carved-out the business from Dell.
Brian currently serves on the boards of BeyondTrust, Boomi, Forcepoint, New Relic, Perforce, SmartBear, Sonicwall, and Sumo Logic. He also previously served on the boards of Grass Valley, Healthland, K2, Plex, Quest, Sandvine, Sectigo, and Watchguard.
Prior to joining FP in 2008, Brian was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company where he focused on engagements in the technology sector. Brian graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in computer engineering and holds a master’s in electrical engineering from Cornell University.
“At Francisco Partners, we are committed to driving transformative change in a collaborative approach to empower founders and management teams of technology businesses. FP has a 25-year history of identifying opportunities where our deep sector focus can unlock value in software businesses while having the experience to assist companies with the operational challenges they face. The security and infrastructure software sectors remain a key area of focus for FP as enterprises continue to evolve their digital infrastructure.” – Brian Decker
Firm: PSG
Title: Managing Director
Adam Marcus is a Managing Director at PSG where he invests in AI, enterprise software, data and e-commerce companies. Since joining PSG in 2019, Adam has invested in nine platforms including Pacvue (Partial liquidity to Advent), SevenRooms, LogicGate, IRONSCALES, Loopback Analytics, Lusha, NoFraud, AirWorks and Vault Verify. In addition, he has completed seven add-ons across these platforms.
Prior to joining PSG, he was a Partner at OpenView Venture Partners, where he focused on software investments, specifically in SaaS and infrastructure companies. His investments included Instructure (IPO, acquired by Thoma Bravo), VTS, Spredfast (acquired by Vista), Monetate (acquired by Vista), UnboundID (acquired by Ping Identity), Fieldaware and Kareo. Prior to OpenView Venture Partners, he was an investor at Battery Ventures where he focused on B2B software and ecommerce sectors globally including Exactarget (IPO, acquired by Salesforce).
Adam received a Master of Business Administration from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College and a Bachelor of Arts from Franklin and Marshall College. Adam is a board member on Tuck’s MBA Council.
“At PSG, it is a true privilege to be a chosen capital partner by some of the best entrepreneurs and operators in software. Their ability to transform industries and fuel the global economy is inspiring.” – Adam Marcus
Firm: Francisco Partners
Title: Partner
Jason Brein is a Partner at Francisco Partners (“FP”) and co-leads the firm’s team focused on education technology, government technology and consumer internet. Jason has been with FP for over 12 years and has played a critical leadership role on an array of transactions, including some of FP’s most complex carve-outs, strategic acquisitions and exits. In 2017, he identified an untapped opportunity in the education technology space and, under his leadership, FP has subsequently returned over $1 billion of liquidity to investors from these transactions.
Jason currently serves on the boards of Accela, BARBRI, Civitas Learning, Discovery Education, Follett Software, Follett Content, MyFitnessPal, RBmedia, Renaissance, and VitalSource. He also previously served on the boards of Capsilon, Corsair, CoverMyMeds, Metaswitch, myON, NMI, Paymetric, and Verifone.
Prior to joining Francisco Partners in 2012, Jason worked at Elevation Partners and Goldman Sachs. Jason graduated from Princeton University with a degree in public and international affairs. He also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
“Francisco Partners prides itself on partnering with founders and executives of technology-enabled businesses to drive healthy and sustainable growth. Education technology is an important part of our portfolio and we will continue to invest both behind student-facing and administrative technologies. Some of our favorite investment themes are focused on personalizing student learning, reducing inequality, improving academic outcomes, and lowering costs for schools and students.” – Jason Brein
Firm: PSG
Title: Managing Director
Bill Skarinka joined PSG in 2016 and is a Managing Director. Over the last eight years, he has helped lead investments across growth-stage enterprise software and technology companies, working closely with CEOs and management teams to navigate periods of transformational growth. In his role, he focuses on assisting companies with product development acceleration, recruiting top talent, and go-to-market initiatives.
Bill currently sits on the board of eight PSG portfolio companies including 2ndWave Software, Adeptia, DoseSpot, LegitScript, MentorcliQ, Stylitics, Total Synergy and Tribute Technology.
Before joining PSG, Bill was a Vice President at General Catalyst Partners, where he focused on investments in the software and technology-enabled service sectors. Prior to his growth investing career, Bill worked at Cowen in its investment banking division in New York. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Bowdoin College.
“At PSG, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with incredible business leaders and management teams who are making a meaningful impact on the software industry. As software and AI continue to be integrated into businesses across the economy, it is exciting to be able to see CEOs and management teams change the trajectory of entire industries. As a partner our goal is to help enable our companies to move even faster.” – Bill Skarinka
Firm: Composition Capital
Title: Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Nishita Cummings is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Composition Capital, a newly formed growth capital firm. Founded in 2024, Composition builds on Nishita’s 20+ years of growth investing experience in lower middle market tech and tech-enabled service businesses, having invested in over 35 platform software companies and exited over 20 companies during her career. Prior to Composition Capital, Nishita was previously Managing Partner and Co-Head of Kayne Anderson’s growth capital strategy, which she and her team built to $1.3B in AUM.
Nishita’s successful track record as an investor is the result of her expertise in growth stage businesses, fundamentals-based approach to investing, and hands-on support to produce value. Core to her success has been developing diverse, high-performing teams, and a commitment to advancing women and minorities in the workplace. Nishita operates with a partnership-first mentality and develops deep relationships with management teams, the investor community, and strategic operators to further her vision. Composition is the realization of that vision: large firm capabilities combined with small firm agility, built from the ground up to evolve with the changing technology markets.
Nishita attended the University of Pennsylvania where she studied finance and biomedical studies.
“At Composition Capital we value diversity, transparency, agility, and collaboration in our team, entrepreneurs, and partners. Our investment philosophy remains rooted in the fundamentals and being good partners to both our investors and the portfolio companies we back. Our flexible capital solutions provide the balance and alignment needed in the evolving technology markets and we look forward to continuing to back the best technology leaders, operators, and innovators out there.” – Nishita Cummings
Firm: Norwest
Title: Managing Partner and Co-Head Equity Growth
Jon joined Norwest in 2009 and brings over 25 years of investment experience to his role as Managing Partner and Co-Head of the Growth Equity team. He is one of two managing partners responsible for the firm, which has $15.5 billion in capital under management.
Jon invests across a wide range of sectors, with a particular interest in information services, software, internet, and consumer companies. To date, his software investments at Norwest include 1010data (acquired by Advance), Avetta (acquired by EQT Group), Banyan Software, Classy (acquired by GoFundMe), CoreLogic, Cority (recapitalized by Thoma Bravo), Datacor, Ebbo, GeoComply, Infutor, The Rainmaker Group (acquired by RealPage), The Retail Equation (acquired by Appriss), SRS Acquiom, TurnitIn (acquired by Advance), World50 and YipitData. He is an active board member at Ebbo, Vuori, Wine Access, and YipitData.
“At Norwest, we have been dedicated to empowering capital-efficient businesses to drive growth and innovation in the software space since starting our Growth Equity team in 2009. As the Co-Head of the team, I’ve had the opportunity to lead many of our firm’s investments in this space, including market-leading businesses that specialize in compliance technology, vertical SaaS, and information services. With this recognition, I look forward to continuing our work with entrepreneurs and management teams to help them achieve their visions.” – Jon Kossow
Firm: Advent International
Title: Managing Partner
Bryan Taylor is a Palo Alto-based Managing Partner at Advent International, where he leads Advent Tech, the firm’s dedicated technology investment program. Since joining Advent in 2019, Bryan has been instrumental in sourcing and executing 15 key investments, including Definitive Healthcare, EBANX, Forescout Technologies, McAfee, and Wiz. He currently serves on the boards of Forescout Technologies, McAfee, and Prometheus.
Bryan has played a pivotal role in expanding Advent’s technology investment team and successfully raised two Advent Technology funds, both of which exceeded their targets, reaching a hard cap of $2 billion and $4 billion, respectively. Investments that Bryan has led include a $14 billion take-private acquisition of McAfee and a $130 million Series B round for Wiz, solidifying Advent’s presence in the cybersecurity space. Bryan also played an active role in a $430 million investment in EBANX, boosting its expansion in Latin America, and a $1.7 billion investment in Definitive Healthcare, culminating in an IPO.
Prior to Advent, Bryan co-headed TPG Capital’s technology group and co-founded Symphony Technology Group. He holds a BA in political science with honors from Stanford and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
“Through investing in disruptive companies and working hand-in-hand with visionary management teams and entrepreneurs, it is clear that technology is horizontal, impacting virtually every industry and business. At Advent, we are fortunate to partner with tech companies that are at the forefront of innovation and deliver differentiated products and services to stakeholders across sectors and geographies. It is a privilege to work alongside trailblazers leading this transformation.” – Bryan Taylor
Firm: THL Partners
Title: Managing Director, Head of Technology & Business Solutions, Head of Automation Fund
As head of THL Partners’ Technology & Business Solutions group (TABS) and a member of the firm’s Management Committee, Jim Carlisle has helped drive THL’s evolution from a pioneer in middle market consumer buyouts in the 1990s, to its current position as a leader in middle market software investing.
Under Jim’s direction, THL launched the firm’s two Automation Funds, with a focus on horizontal and vertical software and hybrid software-hardware technologies. The firm believes that these two cross-sector funds are the first middle market investment vehicles dedicated specifically to automation.
In his joint capacity, Jim helps direct the firm’s cross-vertical software initiatives, which include software investments in subsectors specific to THL’s core investment areas. To date, his Technology and Business Solutions group has invested $12.3 billion in capital across 36 companies, in addition to over 190 add-on acquisitions representing approximately $67 billion in aggregated enterprise value.
Jim is currently a director of Auction.com, Autostore, Brooks Automation, and Fortna, and a board observer at inRiver and Kinexon. Before joining THL, Jim worked at Goldman Sachs in the Financial Institutions Group. He also serves as a Trustee on The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, having served on the Board of Directors for 10 years.
“Software is a highly appreciated, investable asset class, so the question is how to differentiate. At THL, we engage with integrated teams combining deep end market expertise, functional operational capability, and strategic business development. We win through specialization.” – Jim Carlisle
Firm: Insight Partners
Title: Managing Director
Jon Rosenbaum is a Managing Director at Insight Partners. He focuses on investments in vertical and horizontal application software and is responsible for executing transactions and assisting in portfolio management post-close. He has also specialized in sourcing and executing M&A—a key strength of Jon’s and an asset to Insight’s portfolio companies as they continue to scale. Since joining Insight in 2014, Jon has been directly involved in sourcing and leading notable deals such as nCino (IPO), DocuSign (IPO), Frontline Education (acquired by Thoma Bravo) and Cloudcraze (acquired by Salesforce).
Outside of his deal work at Insight, Jon helps lead Insight’s analyst training program. He onboards and trains new Insight analysts on sourcing and SaaS company analysis, which is no small feat as Insight continues growing to provide operational and capital support to its portfolio and the broader tech ecosystem.
Jon graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology.
“In my last 10 years with Insight, while the market has ebbed and flowed, much remains the same: valuable software companies are built by talented people who can align product functionality to customer value. We believe that Insight’s scale gives our investment team an information advantage on the best practices to drive this alignment, with a substantial team of software operators on our Insight Onsite team to help put these practices into action.” – Jon Rosenbaum
Firm: Insight Partners
Title: Managing Director
Lonne Jaffe joined Insight Partners in 2017 as a Managing Director. During his time at the firm, Lonne has focused on a vast number of domains and sectors, including the deeper tech domains of applied artificial intelligence, data and machine learning infrastructure, healthtech, fintech, cybersecurity, software development tooling, and some frontier tech areas like quantum computing.
Prior to joining Insight, Lonne served as the CEO of Precisely (formerly Syncsort), an Insight portfolio company that provides data integrity software for over 12,000 customers in more than 100 countries. Lonne was previously the senior VP of corporate strategy at CA Technologies, and prior to CA, spent over a decade at IBM in various strategy and leadership roles, including director of M&As for an IBM software division and director of IBM’s software solutions business for the education, healthcare, life sciences, and government industries.
Lonne received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Harvard University.
“One of the best aspects of high-growth software investing is having the opportunity to work on the most exciting technology frontiers with real-world impact. It’s a privilege to collaborate with the extraordinary teams at Insight Partners as they support visionary founders and CEOs who are scaling up innovative ideas and building category-leading companies.” – Lonne Jaffe
Firm: Thoma Bravo
Title: Partner
Peter Stefanski is a Partner on the Flagship Team at Thoma Bravo, one of the largest software-focused investors in the world, with approximately $160 billion in AUM as of June 30, 2024. He is responsible for the investing and expansion of the Flagship Fund’s portfolio, which anchors Thoma Bravo’s business by contributing some of the most significant deals at the firm. Over the course of his 13+ year tenure with Thoma Bravo, Peter has led or played a key role in transactions across a variety of software and technology companies, including ABC Fitness, Deltek, J.D. Power, Medallia, Planview, PowerPlan, QAD, TRADER Corporation and TravelClick. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for six of Thoma Bravo’s portfolio companies, utilizing his deep sector expertise to fuel growth and catalyze innovation across each company.
Peter joined Thoma Bravo in 2011 after working in mergers and acquisitions at Barclays Capital in New York. Peter graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University with a BS in business administration where he double majored in finance and accounting.
“The innovation and dedication we see from our software companies each and every day is nothing short of inspirational. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to collaborate closely with so many impressive portfolio companies and exceptional industry leaders and look forward to continuing to support and drive these teams in achieving scale, operational excellence and sustainable growth.” – Peter Stefanski
Firm: JMI Equity
Title: Partner
Larry has been part of the JMI team since 2010. He is a Partner and is responsible for sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities as well as providing strategic and operational support to portfolio companies. Larry is currently a director of Apptegy, Bloomerang, ChurnZero, Incident IQ, RainFocus, and Raptor Technologies. Prior to joining JMI, Larry was an analyst in the multi-industries group in the investment banking division at Merrill Lynch & Co. Larry graduated from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in economics.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by GrowthCap alongside so many talented investors as a Top Software Investor. Being able to collaborate with world-class software founders and management teams to help them grow is a great privilege.” – Larry Contrella
Firm: JMI Equity
Title: Partner
Suken joined JMI Equity in 2012 and has been investing in and helping build leading software companies for over a decade. Suken is a Partner at JMI and is currently a director of ButterflyMX, Fullbay, HackerRank, Huntress, Lytics, SOCi, and Whistic and a board observer at Seismic Software. In addition to supporting JMI’s current portfolio companies and firm management, he also helps to identify and assess potential investment opportunities in high-growth software companies. Prior to joining JMI in 2012, Suken was an associate at Hellman & Friedman, where he invested in software and digital media companies. Suken graduated from University of California at Berkeley with a BA in computer science and BS in business administration and received his MBA from Harvard Business School.
“It’s an honor to be featured on this year’s GrowthCap list alongside so many talented investors. This recognition is a testament to the remarkable enterprise software executives we have the pleasure of partnering with to drive growth.” – Suken Vakil
Firm: TA Associates
Title: Managing Director
Harry Taylor is a Managing Director at TA and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Based in Boston, he plays a pivotal role in leading TA’s investments in enterprise software companies across North America. With over 23 years of experience, Harry has developed significant expertise across application software, cybersecurity and platform automation, driving TA’s investments in several well-known enterprise software companies. Since joining TA in 2005, he has sponsored 21 investments and has overseen over 80 add-on acquisitions for TA portfolio companies.
Harry serves on the boards of Fortra, iCIMS, Insurity, Ivanti, Netwrix, PDQ, Precisely, Riskonnect, and Tungsten Automation. Outside of TA, Harry is a Trustee of the Central Park Conservancy and The Portledge School. Prior to joining TA, Harry worked at Stone Point Capital and Goldman Sachs. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB in economics from Hamilton College.
“I am continually inspired by the innovation and passion of the founders and management teams with whom TA is fortunate enough to partner. In turn, we strive to be collaborative partners, providing support and input to help them achieve their next stage of growth and create lasting value.” – Harry Taylor
Firm: Summit Partners
Title: Managing Director
Andy is a Managing Director at Summit Partners, where he focuses on growth investments in the technology sector. Over his 16+ year tenure at Summit, Andy has developed deep sector expertise across various technology subsectors, including infrastructure software, cybersecurity, IT operations software, and vertical market software. In total, Andy has led or played a significant role in over 20 investments, representing over $1.65 billion in capital, including more than $700 million in the last two years alone.
Andy’s current investment and board experience includes Jamf (Nasdaq: JAMF), NinjaOne, Podium Corporation, Recharge, and Red Canary. His prior experience includes InfoArmor (acquired by Allstate Corporation), NetWitness (acquired by EMC Corporation), Reverb.com (acquired by Etsy), RiskIQ (acquired by Microsoft), Uber (NYSE: UBER), Ubiquiti (NYSE: UI, formerly Ubiquiti Networks), Wildfire Interactive (acquired by Google) and Winshuttle (acquired by Symphony Technology Group).
“Summit’s experience in the software industry is broad and deep, with investments in more than 175 companies, including category-leading businesses in cybersecurity, e-commerce enablement, marketing technology, ITOps and infrastructure. It is a privilege to work closely with visionary leaders, helping them to build durable, profitable businesses and navigate their growth as market leaders.” – Andrew Collins
Firm: Volition Capital
Title: Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Roger Hurwitz is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Volition Capital where he co-leads the software investment team. Roger’s current board directorships and investments include ButterflyMX, Creatio, Securonix, HAAS Alert, Messagepoint, Qure4U, Relish, Bond-Pro and SnapAttack. His past board directorships and investments include G5 (acquired by RealPage), Insite (acquired by Episerver), iPipeline (acquired by Thoma Bravo), Visual IQ (acquired by Nielsen), LoanLogics (acquired by Sun Capital), Velocify (acquired by Ellie Mae), and PlayerLync (acquired by Intertek). Before co-founding Volition Capital in 2010, Roger was a Partner at Fidelity Ventures and Apax Partners, where he focused on growth equity investments. Roger received his undergraduate degree from Syracuse University and an MBA from the Wharton School.
“I’m thrilled to be honored as a Top Software Investor and to share this recognition with my co-founder and Managing Partner, Sean Cantwell. I am so fortunate to partner with visionary founders, CEOs, and management teams who are shaping the future of technology with both excellence and humility. This award is truly a testament to the grit and hustle of the entire Volition Capital team and portfolio.” – Roger Hurwitz
Firm: Volition Capital
Title: Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Sean Cantwell is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Volition Capital where he co-leads the software investment team. Sean’s current board directorships and investments include Assent, Automatiq, Black Kite, Cohora, Creatio, Digital Onboarding, GRAX, Hackajob, Millions, One Day, TraceLink, and Zenarate. His past board directorships and investments include JazzHR (acquired by K1), Visual IQ (acquired by Nielsen), GlobalTranz (acquired by The Jordan Company), iPipeline (acquired by Thoma Bravo), G5 Search Marketing (acquired by Peak Equity), Ping Identity (PING), GeoLearning (acquired by SumTotal), Velocify (acquired by Ellie Mae) and EnterpriseDB (acquired by Peak Equity). Before co-founding Volition Capital in 2010, Sean was an investor at Fidelity Ventures and Summit Partners. Sean holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
“Receiving the Top Software Investor Award is an honor and I’m deeply grateful to be recognized alongside my Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Roger Hurwitz. This achievement wouldn’t be possible without the groundbreaking work of our portfolio companies and the relentless dedication of our entire team at Volition. I’m incredibly proud of the work that we’re doing to drive innovation and transformation in the tech sector.” – Sean Cantwell
Firm: Berkshire Partners
Title: Managing Director
EJ Whelan is a Managing Director at Berkshire Partners, where he plays a crucial role on the firm’s Technology & Communications team. In his nearly 20 years with the firm since joining in 2005, he has made a substantial impact on value creation efforts for Berkshire’s software and technology-enabled services portfolio.
EJ works to identify investment opportunities and collaborates with portfolio company leadership teams to scale the firm’s investments within the software and technology-enabled services sectors. He is also a member of Berkshire’s Investment Resource Committee (IRC) – one of the firm’s executive committees which is focused on private equity investment strategy and decision-making.
EJ is actively involved with the firm’s portfolio company Tango, helping Tango drive and capitalize on key value creation initiatives including their 2023 acquisition of WatchWire. He was instrumental in Berkshire’s 2023 investment in PDQ and the firm’s 2014 sale of Skillsoft to Charterhouse. Additional relevant portfolio company involvement includes Curriculum Associates and Accela.
EJ received an AB in economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Beyond Berkshire Partners, he plays an active role with several nonprofit organizations, including serving as a board member at Horizons for Homeless Children, The Upward Project, and The Pedro Martinez Foundation.
“This award is a direct reflection of the strong partnerships we’ve built with the senior leadership and management teams of our portfolio companies. Across the entire firm, we prioritize winning as a team over winning as individuals, so this recognition extends to all of our wonderful investment colleagues within the technology and communications sector and beyond at Berkshire.” – EJ Whelan
Firm: Berkshire Partners
Title: Managing Director
Jon Nuger is a Managing Director at Berkshire Partners, where he is an essential member of the firm’s Technology & Communications team. Since joining the firm in 2012 as a Vice President, he has made a significant impact on the technology team and their efforts of surfacing value creation opportunities for the firm’s investments within the technology and software sector.
Jon has been integral in developing the firm’s technology and software investment strategy, which includes helping build the team, expanding the firm’s network of executives and advisors, and completing several platform investments. Jon is also a serving member of the firm’s Investment Resource Committee (IRC) and is particularly passionate about mentoring and recruiting junior investment professionals at Berkshire.
He is directly involved and works with Berkshire portfolio companies including Accela, Access, PDQ, and Tango.
Jon received an AB from Princeton University, where he graduated summa cum laude, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Beyond Berkshire Partners, he serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the Meadowbrook School and the Finance Committee of Boston Collegiate Charter School. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring the outdoors, running, reading, listening to history podcasts, and most of all, spending time with his wife, son, and daughter.
“At Berkshire Partners, we strongly believe in the power of teamwork and deep collaboration with our portfolio companies, which we see as essential for shaping our investment strategy and achieving long-term success. EJ and I are honored to be recognized by GrowthCap and among so many other talented and skilled software investors.” – Jon Nuger
Firm: Blackstone Growth
Title: Managing Director
Vishal Amin is a Managing Director in Blackstone Growth (BXG), co-heads investments across enterprise software and leads the consumer technology sector. Since joining Blackstone, Vishal has been involved in leading the firm’s investments into Bumble (NasdaqGS: BMBL), Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW), Wiz, Celonis, Chainalysis, Epidemic Sound, Alation, Weee, GeoComply, Supergoop, Clari, XpressBees and Optimizely (fka Episerver). Prior to joining Blackstone in 2018 to launch BXG as a founding member, he was a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, where he led growth investing and capital execution.
One of Vishal’s key strengths as an investor is being able to identify opportunities across a range of transaction types and software end markets. Over the course of his career, he has invested in both majority and minority deals across nearly every area of software: application, vertical, infrastructure and cybersecurity. Outside of specific investments, he is most proud of his work on talent development and mentorship.
Vishal is revered for having an almost encyclopedic knowledge of technology companies, which continues to prove valuable to Blackstone across the firm. He is known to be a collaborative partner across the firm’s investment strategies and a balanced leader with a keen eye for spotting emerging market leaders.
“I’m honored to be recognized by GrowthCap amongst such a talented group of peers. I truly believe that BXG is investing in companies shaping the future, helping emerging tech leaders become global players through the power of the Blackstone platform. I’m grateful to be helping equip our companies with the tools and support to expand rapidly across the tech sector.” – Vishal Amin
Firm: Bregal Sagemount
Title: Partner and Co-Founder
Adam Fuller is a Partner and Co-Founder at Bregal Sagemount. He is responsible for originating and leading investments in high-growth companies in the software and business services sectors. Adam led Sagemount’s investments in MicroEdge (acquired by Blackbaud), Keg Logistics (acquired by Seaport Capital), MOBI (acquired by Tangoe), Bite Squad (acquired by Waitr), Advanced Solutions International, Enprecis, and Vital Insights.
Prior to Bregal Sagemount, Adam spent five years as a member of the growth equity team at Goldman, Sachs & Co.’s Merchant Banking Division. While at Goldman, Adam led investments in many successful growth companies, including Cyber-Ark (Nasdaq: CYBR), AppSense (acquired by LANDesk), American Traffic Solutions (acquired by Platinum Equity), Imaging Advantage (acquired by Envision Healthcare), Nimsoft (acquired by CA, Inc.), and CambridgeSoft (acquired by PerkinElmer). Prior to Goldman Sachs, Adam was an Associate at Arbor Advisors, an investment bank focused on mergers & acquisitions advisory services for technology companies.
Adam received a BA in economics from Stanford University.
“At Sagemount, we collaborate with founders and entrepreneurs to help accelerate growth and create value. We take a custom approach to every investment, combining flexible capital and value-creation solutions to address the unique needs of successful entrepreneurs. We believe our partnership helps deliver outsized outcomes for our companies.” – Adam Fuller
Firm: Bregal Milestone
Title: Managing Director
Ian Kwok is a Managing Director at Bregal Milestone. He brings significant operating and technology sector experience to management teams. Prior to joining Bregal Milestone, Ian was a Vice President at Insight Partners, where he focused on partnering with Insight’s portfolio companies to scale effective go-to-market teams through the application of proven and repeatable best practices. Prior to Insight, Ian led Sales Strategy and Operations at ZocDoc (a healthcare startup in New York) and was also an entrepreneur, having owned and operated an automotive dealership group and successfully sold the business to Lithia Motors (NYSE: LAD) in 2014. Ian started his career at Centerview Partners executing large-cap and complex M&A transactions.
Ian received his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his BA with honors from Pomona College. Originally from Hong Kong, Ian also speaks Cantonese and Mandarin.
“We are an army of entrepreneurial investors and operators that help companies reach their potential. What sets us apart from our competition is our concentrated investment philosophy, which enables us to offer in-depth sector expertise and tailored strategies to our management teams.” – Ian Kwok
Firm: Guidepost Growth Equity
Title: General Partner
Gene Nogi is a General Partner at Guidepost Growth Equity where he leads the firm’s investing efforts in the infrastructure software and tech-enabled services sectors with FinTech, EdTech and GovTech vertical focus. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of ClassWallet, Innovative Solutions, Intellum, and Shibumi. He formerly served on the board of ActiveViam (acquired by Nordic Capital), Network to Code, and Traction on Demand (acquired by Salesforce).
Previously, Gene was a General Partner with Symmetric Capital, a Boston-based growth equity firm. He began his investing career at Summit Partners, where he focused on software and tech-enabled services. Gene holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and received a BA in economics, cum laude, from Amherst College.
“Guidepost’s singular focus is partnering with bootstrapped, entrepreneur-led enterprise software and tech-enabled businesses demonstrating significant organic, profitable growth and typically $10-$50 million of revenue scale. We build trusted minority or slight majority partnerships from our thematic, proactive partner-led outreach to management teams and drive value creation through impactful strategic, financial, and operational assistance. The expertise of our Value Creation Group (“VCG”) is a key differentiator in this part of the market, where Guidepost’s relationships with executives in our core industry groups provide crucial functional assistance across sales and marketing, product, GenAI, strategic HR, strategy and operational finance to build to $100M+ of revenue scale.” – Gene Nogi
Firm: Centana Growth Partners
Title: Partner and Co-Founder
Eric Byunn co-founded Centana Growth in 2015 and is one of its Partners. Before founding Centana Growth, Eric spent over 20 years in growth equity and technology. Eric currently serves on the boards of Athennian, Beacon, Cayosoft, Jumio, Operto, SheerID, SpyCloud, Teikametrics and Vena. He previously led investments in companies including Cloudmark (acquired by Proofpoint), Coremetrics (acquired by IBM), Covario (acquired by Dentsu Aegis Network), Ease (acquired by Employee Navigator), GMI (acquired by WPP), KVS (acquired by Veritas), MarketShare Partners (acquired by Neustar), One, Inc., PSS Systems (acquired by IBM), Sentieo (acquired by AlphaSense), Sourcecode/K2, Varicent (acquired by IBM) and Vindicia (acquired by Amdocs).
Eric was previously a Partner at FTV Capital, where he led investments in enterprise technology. Prior to FTV, Eric served as Director of Online Services at myCFO, a startup wealth management firm. He held several positions at Netscape/AOL, including management of Netscape’s Personal Finance Channel and product management for the Netscape Navigator browser. He also has worked at Microsoft and McKinsey & Company.
He received an AB, summa cum laude, in economics with an additional focus in computer science from Harvard College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. Eric is also a CFA charterholder.
“Over the last decade, our portfolio companies at Centana have been pivotal in driving software advancements within and around financial services. Our team has had the privilege to partner with and empower these founders and their teams, through guidance and resources, supporting them in their efforts towards sustainable growth. This collaboration has and continues to help these founders and companies solve complex customer challenges, achieve organizational success, and deliver out of the box solutions to financial institutions and related enterprises of all sizes.” – Eric Byunn
Firm: Brighton Park Capital
Title: Partner
Sam Kentor is a Partner and member of the Investment Committee at Brighton Park Capital (“BPC”). He has been a key player in shaping the firm’s investment strategy and driving its success.
At BPC, Sam leads investments in software companies with a focus on entrepreneur-led companies providing innovative solutions to today’s challenges. His deep understanding of the enterprise software landscape has led to impactful investments in many high-growth companies including LucidLink, Posit, Paradox, Relatient, and AppViewX. Sam currently serves on the boards of LucidLink and Posit, and previously served on the board of Relatient and as an observer on the board of Paradox.
Prior to joining BPC in 2019, Sam held investing roles at JMI Equity and Elsewhere Partners, where he focused on founder-led enterprise software companies, and was involved in multiple investments including Benevity, Schoology, automotiveMastermind, and Itential. He began his career with Bain & Company.
Sam received a degree in finance and economics & strategy from Washington University in St. Louis.
“It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to work with the visionary founders and management teams who choose Brighton Park as a partner. Our team is dedicated to providing the strategic support and resources necessary to build long-term value and deliver transformative solutions. We look forward to continuing our work in shaping the future of software and technology.” – Sam Kentor
Firm: Five Elms Capital
Title: Partner
Joe is a Partner and Co-Investment Chair at Five Elms Capital, a leading growth equity firm that invests in B2B software businesses globally. He joined Five Elms in 2010 and over the last 14 years has been involved in close to 20 investments across a wide range of software verticals. As a member of the investment committee, Joe draws from his prior experience investing in public and private markets across the US and Asia to support founder-owned SaaS businesses to accelerate growth and further cement their role as industry leaders.
He currently serves on the boards of several Five Elms portfolio companies, including Crelate, FMX, IntelligenceBank, Karbon, Scilife, Skedda, and Userlane. Prior to joining Five Elms, Joe worked as an investor with Jayhawk Capital. Joe holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arbuckle Leadership Fellow, and a BS in finance from the University of Kansas.
“At Five Elms, we’ve honed our approach to transform great products into extraordinary businesses. This award validates our philosophy: innovative products plus remarkable people yield exceptional outcomes. As we continue supporting founder-owned SaaS businesses across diverse verticals, our commitment to being true growth partners remains steadfast. I’m grateful to collaborate with talented founders in scaling category-defining software platforms globally.” Joe Onofrio
Firm: One Peak
Title: Co-Founder and Managing Partner
David is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of One Peak, and focuses on investing in the technology sector. His investment and board experience at One Peak includes Akur8, Ardoq, Brightflag, Coople, Coro, Cymulate, DataGuard, Deepki, DocPlanner, Emnify, HighQ, Hygraph, Infermedica, IP Fabric, Keepit, Lucca, Neo4j, Orgvue, PandaDoc, Quentic, and Spryker.
Prior to One Peak, David was a senior investment professional at growth equity fund Summit Partners in London where he was responsible for technology investments across Europe and Israel, with a focus on software and communications technology. He also led growth investments at Morgan Stanley Principal Investments in Europe and Israel. He started his career in the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group at Morgan Stanley in London and São Paulo. David enjoys sports, travelling, and arts. He was also a trustee of Age UK Tower Hamlet, the UK’s largest charity for the elderly.
David speaks English, German, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. He holds a master’s degree in economics and business administration from University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.
“We’re grateful to be recognized among this set of software leaders and look forward to continuing to partner with best-in-breed entrepreneurs across their growth journey.” – David Klein
Firm: One Peak
Title: Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Humbert is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of One Peak, and focuses on investing in the technology sector. His investment and board experience at One Peak includes Akur8, Ardoq, Brightflag, Coople, Coro, Cymulate, DataGuard, Deepki, DocPlanner, Emnify, HighQ, Hygraph, Infermedica, IP Fabric, Keepit, Lucca, Neo4j, Orgvue, PandaDoc, Quentic, and Spryker.
Prior to One Peak, Humbert was an Investment Director at growth equity fund AnaCap Financial Partners. He also led growth investments at Morgan Stanley Principal Investments in Europe and Israel. Before joining Morgan Stanley, Humbert worked at ABN AMRO and Umicore.
Humbert speaks English, Dutch, and French. He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial relations from the London School of Economics, United Kingdom, and a master’s degree in general management from Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, Belgium.
“At One Peak, we’re fortunate to partner with visionary founders building the next generation of software. It’s an honor to be recognized by GrowthCap for our commitment to helping founders build great companies.” – Humbert de Liedekerke Beaufort
Firm: Brighton Park Capital
Title: Partner
Tim Drager is a Partner and member of the Investment Committee at Brighton Park Capital (“BPC”) where he leads investments across software and technology-enabled services with a focus on infrastructure software and services, AI, developer tools, and cybersecurity.
Tim oversees several of Brighton Park’s investments, including PortSwigger, Silverfort, DataVisor, Posit, Reltio, Indegene, and Glassbox. He partners with management teams to provide operational insight to drive growth and innovation. Additionally, he serves on the boards of PortSwigger, DataVisor, and Glassbox, and as an observer on the boards of Silverfort and Posit.
Prior to joining BPC, Tim was an investor at Berkshire Partners, where he specialized in technology, communications, business services and consumer retail investments. He began his career at Bain & Company as a Management Consultant, where he provided strategic advice to leading organizations.
Tim received an MSc in financial economics from the University of Oxford and holds an MA and BSoSc in economics from the University of Ottawa.
“At Brighton Park, we partner with founders and management teams of growth-stage companies to facilitate innovation, accelerate growth and build long-term value. It’s an honor to be able to collaborate with some of the best founders in the business who are tackling critical issues in our rapidly evolving environment by offering innovative products in AI, cybersecurity, and infrastructure software that address complex global challenges.” – Tim Drager
Firm: Five Elms Capital
Title: Partner
Ryan Mandl is a Partner at Five Elms Capital, a leading growth equity firm that invests in B2B software businesses globally. Joining in 2010, Ryan has spent his entire career investing in software businesses at Five Elms. As a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, his biggest strengths span across the deal and company lifecycle, making him a valuable asset to the firm and a trusted partner to the companies he works with. Ryan has helped lead 17 investments and numerous exits, including the recent recapitalization of Apptegy with JMI Equity and the sale of Tagger to Sprout Social (Nasdaq: SPT). Other notable successful exits Ryan has been a key influence on include Service Fusion to Evercommerce (Nasdaq: EVCM), OnBoard to JMI Equity, and MemberClicks to Personify.
Ryan currently serves on the boards of six Five Elms portfolio companies: Apptegy, AskNicely, ContractSafe, Field Agent, SingleOps, and Skedda. When he is not focused on new deal generation, Ryan spends significant time on value creation efforts with each of his companies, helping to identify and execute significant growth levers, including product innovation, go-to-market initiatives, pricing and packaging, and M&A, among others.
“For 17 years, Five Elms has partnered with innovative software companies, reinforcing our belief that exceptional people drive successful SaaS businesses. As we invest in high-growth B2B software globally, we remain focused on fostering strong partnerships and driving value creation. I’m honored to support visionary founders as they build category-leading companies and shape the future of software.” – Ryan Mandl
Firm: Lead Edge Capital
Title: Partner
Nimay Mehta is a Partner at Lead Edge Capital where he has played a key role in shaping the firm’s investment strategy as a member of the Investment and Management Committees. Nimay has demonstrated an exceptional ability to identify and partner alongside market-leading technology businesses.
For over a decade, Nimay has led investments at Lead Edge in vertical SaaS, internet marketplaces and financial technology. His investments include Arrive Logistics, Azul Systems, ClearScore, Delivery Hero, Drillinginfo, Ensighten, eSSENTIAL Accessibility, GlobalVetLINK, Help Scout, Holistiplan, iParadigms, Lean Solutions, LiveView Technologies, Mindbody, SafeSend, Spotify, Uber, VivaReal, Weave, Wise, and Zoom. Nimay is currently a board member of Akuity, Arrive Logistics, Azul Systems, Help Scout, Holistiplan, Lean Solutions Group, LiveView Technologies, and SafeSend.
Nimay’s commitment to adding value to Lead Edge’s portfolio is demonstrated by his role in establishing and leading Lead Edge Capital’s value creation and talent team, which works closely with senior management at portfolio companies to execute growth strategies across go-to-market, product, operations, and talent functions. This holistic approach makes Nimay a top-tier partner for CEOs aiming to scale their businesses effectively.
Before joining Lead Edge, Nimay held positions on the investment teams at Eastern Advisors, Insight Venture Partners, and General Catalyst Partners, where he invested in growth-stage technology companies. Nimay received his AB in economics from Harvard College.
“Our focus has always been on working closely with entrepreneurs to help them grow and achieve their goals. Since day one, we’ve looked to invest in companies where we can make a meaningful impact, and I feel privileged to have been so actively engaged with leadership teams across our portfolio. I’m proud of the success we’ve seen from our portfolio over the last decade and am excited to continue learning from and evolving with the industry.” – Nimay Mehta
Firm: K1 Investment Management
Title: Managing Partner
Hasan has helped build K1 into one of the largest investors in small-cap enterprise software companies. The firm has grown to over 100 employees in its single office in Manhattan Beach, where the entire team follows a single strategy: building category leaders in enterprise software.
Hasan has been dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion since the firm’s founding, and as a result, almost a fifth of its employees are first-generation college students. His passion for building a diverse organization extends to the firm’s portfolio companies, where he has worked closely with K1’s Operations team to recruit and hire executives from underrepresented communities.
“It has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my life to have built K1 alongside my amazing colleagues and the incredible management teams we have been fortunate to work with. It’s amazing to have played a small part not only in shaping the futures of many organizations but also the lives of people within K1 and our portfolio companies.” – Hasan Askari
Firm: Norwest
Title: General Partner and Co-Head Equity Growth
As a General Partner and Co-Head of Norwest’s Growth Equity team, Ran focuses on growth equity investments across a wide range of sectors including technology, business services, and consumer. He is passionate about investing in leading software and technology businesses that create both strong financial returns and social impact. His current and prior investments include AbsenceSoft (acquired by Luminate Capital), Avetta (acquired by EQT), Banyan Software, Cority, Datacor, Elite Business Ventures, Envisage (acquired by Vector Solutions), Galvanize (acquired by Diligent), GeoComply, SpryPoint, Supplier.io, Velocity Global and YipitData.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by GrowthCap alongside such distinguished peers. I feel blessed to be able to partner with founders, owners and operators every day and help them build industry leading businesses. This recognition is ultimately a testament to their success as well as the strength of the Norwest team and platform.” – Ran Ding
Firm: Lead Edge Capital
Title: Partner
Brian Neider is a Partner at Lead Edge Capital and has been instrumental in shaping the firm’s investment strategy, particularly in the software industry. Brian plays a crucial role in Lead Edge’s executive leadership as a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and Management Committee and has a unique ability to both identify and grow successful software companies, as evidenced by his early investments in Asana, Duo Security, Toast, Signal Sciences, and Yousign.
Since joining Lead Edge in 2012, Brian has led software investments across cloud infrastructure, hospitality and tech-enabled services, including Amplitude, Anaqua, Asana, Catawiki, Duo Security, Immedis, Kapost, Knock, Lucid, Pacemate, SafeSend, Signal Sciences, Toast, Workhuman, Xamarin, and Yousign.
Brian not only excels as an investor, but also brings invaluable expertise in governance, talent acquisition, and strategic initiatives such as M&A and market expansion. Brian’s investment acumen and strategic insights have established him as a reliable and valued advisor to CEOs and leadership teams throughout the software industry.
Prior to Lead Edge, Brian was a member of the investment teams at both FTV Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners. While at Bessemer, he was integrally involved in building Bessemer’s deal-sourcing initiative. Brian received his BS in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA in finance from Columbia Business School.
“It’s an honor to be recognized for our work in the software industry, especially at such an exciting time for innovation and growth. At Lead Edge Capital, we’ve had the privilege of partnering with exceptional management teams for over a decade and I’ve been fortunate enough to support businesses across a variety of industries and stages. This award is a reflection of the collaborative efforts we share with the entrepreneurs we work alongside, and I look forward to seeing what the next decade will bring.” – Brian Neider
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Copyright: GrowthCap’s Top Software Investors of 2024 publication is copyrighted material, produced and published by GrowthCap, LLC. For information pertaining to content permissions, please refer to GrowthCap’s award usage regulations.
Disclaimer: The data provided in this publication is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice, endorsement, nor recommendation. GrowthCap believes the information in this publication to be accurate but does not verify its accuracy independently and does not warrant or guarantee that it is accurate or complete. GrowthCap has no obligation to provide any updates or changes to the information. No investment decisions should be made using this information.
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