Orlando Bravo | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bravo in 2021 | |
| Born | 1970 (age 54–55)[1] |
| Education | Brown University Stanford Law School Stanford Graduate School of Business |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Co-founder and managing partner,Thoma Bravo |
| Spouse | Katy Bravo |
| Children | 4 |
Orlando Bravo (born 1970) is a Puerto Rican billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and managing partner ofThoma Bravo, a private equity investment firm that specializes inenterprise software and technology-enabled services sectors.[2] The 2019Forbes 400 listed Bravo as the first Puerto Rican-born billionaire, debuting at No. 287.[3] As of August 2025, his net worth is estimated at US$12.8 billion.[4]
Bravo was born inMayagüez, Puerto Rico.[5] When Bravo was in his early teens he moved toFlorida to pursue a possible career in tennis, studying at theNick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, which countsAndre Agassi andMaria Sharapova as alumni.[6] He returned to Puerto Rico to attend high school at theAcademia de la Inmaculada Concepción in his hometown.[7] In 1987 he competed in the Omega Easter Bowl tennis tournament held in Miami.[8] After graduating high school Bravo left Puerto Rico to attendBrown University, where he graduated with a B.A. in economics and political science in 1992.[9] Bravo enrolled in graduate school atStanford University, earning a J.D. fromStanford Law School and anM.B.A. fromStanford's Graduate School of Business.[7]
Bravo began his professional career working inmergers and acquisitions forMorgan Stanley.[10] In 1997, he joined Thoma Bravo's predecessor firm, Thoma Cressey Equity Partners, Inc. (TCEP.)[9]Crain's Chicago Business called Carl Thoma's hiring of Bravo "the smartest investment....Thoma ever made."[11]
In the early 2000s Carl Thoma, a co-founder of the firm, allowed Bravo to lead the acquisition of product distribution software provider Prophet 21. It was the first software deal TCEP had ever done, and one of the earliest take-private transactions in the sector.[12] At the time, Bravo noted it fit TCEP's strategy of buying strong franchises in large and fragmented industries.[13] Because the deal happened when lenders were hesitant to provide capital for such deals, the deal took place with almost no dependence on leverage.[12] Bravo brought in the firm's first operating partner to address the issue of the software companies' running on high gross margins with the potential of decent profitability, but were instead often losing money. After three years Prophet 21 produced a return of 4.7x at exit.[12]
This and other deals led Bravo to become a partner at TCEP, when he was 30 years old. At that time he ran the software group at the company.[12]
TCEP became Thoma Cressey Bravo in 2007, in recognition of Bravo's contribution to the firm's success.[14][15]
In 2008, Orlando Bravo helped form Thoma Bravo, LLC, when the firm changed its name and investment focus.[16][17]
In September 2017, in the days and weeks afterHurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Bravo traveled to the island and coordinated the shipment of supplies via private jet, cargo planes and container ships.[18] In 2019, Bravo committed $100 million to the Bravo Family Foundation's Rising Entrepreneurs Program with the goal of fostering entrepreneurship on the island.[18][19]
Bravo served as a trustee on theBrown University Corporation from 2019-2023.[20] In 2019, Brown University founded the Orlando Bravo Center for Economics Research to support "innovative research, collaboration and training" for faculty and students in the Department of Economics.[21][22][23] Bravo is a member of the Board of Trustees atMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.[24]
Bravo is married to Katy Bravo, with four children, and lives in Miami.[4][25]
