Thoma Bravo Founder Orlando Bravo Speaks on SaaS Opportunities at Semafor Event

# Thoma Bravo Founder Addresses SaaS Valuations at Semafor Event Orlando Bravo spoke at the Semafor World Economy event on Wednesday. Bravo is the founder and managing partner of Thoma Bravo, a private-equity firm with $183 billion in assets under management, Semafor reported.

He expressed bullishness on software-as-a-service companies that demonstrate leadership in a niche and the ability to leverage artificial intelligence, despite lower valuations this year.

Valuations of SaaS companies have taken a big hit this year in the stock market, Semafor reported.

The first thing Thoma Bravo wants in a target company is the highest quality business in a particular space, usually the number one player, he said. The company must have a management team with deep domain experience, along with “big momentum” using AI to accelerate growth, he said.

In 2025, Thoma Bravo acquired Jeppesen ForeFlight from Boeing Co. Jeppesen ForeFlight is a provider of aviation software for tracking planes and improving safety, Semafor reported.

This acquisition aligns with Thoma Bravo's focus on high-quality businesses in specific spaces.

In January, Bravo said AI and venture capital firms that back them are in a bubble because people are taking enormous risks for small probabilities of enormous returns.

This statement provides context to his current views on AI leverage in SaaS companies. Bravo's remarks at the Semafor event highlight opportunities in the current market environment for firms meeting Thoma Bravo's criteria.