Bravo Family Foundation
Bravo Family Foundation
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Empowering purpose-driven entrepreneurs to change their communities and the world.

Our Model

The Rising Entrepreneurs Program (REP) supports emerging businesses that are ready to launch or scale their sales.

The topics covered include product development, sales, marketing, operations, and organizational design. Participants also receive hands-on guidance related to fundraising, including how to develop a winning pitch and how to communicate with investors. Finally, REP offers founders the opportunity to receive mentorship from a global network of investors, companies, and senior executives in the financial services, software, and technology industries.

The application process takes place once a year, and those who meet the program’s criteria are evaluated by an independent committee that selects 10–15 participants. Those selected also gain access to the program’s dynamic office hub, equipped to support learning, collaboration, and success.

Purpose-driven entrepreneurs promote ideas that benefit humanity. At Bravo Family Foundation, we strive to equip emerging entrepreneurs to manage and grow businesses across diverse categories anchored in contemporary times.

Goal

The Rising Entrepreneurs Program (REP) provides entrepreneurs with knowledge, access, and capital to create a more inclusive and sustainable ecosystem for tech companies in Puerto Rico.

Benefits

Inspiration & Mentorship

Work in a collaborative learning environment with direct access to high-caliber committed mentors.

Solid Business Know-how

Acquire in-depth operational and financial knowledge to build and run a profitable business.

Opportunity & Access

Connect with a network of local and global experts that can and offer expert guidance.

Ongoing Support

Establish relationships with people who will continue to sustain your development as an entrepreneur.

LEADERS

These mentors, allocated every year to ensure the best possible fit with the incoming cohorts, include REP leaders from current Thoma Bravo portfolio companies, stateside advisors from the Thoma Bravo network at large, and highly accomplished local leaders and founders.

Thoma Bravo is one of the largest software investors in the world, with more than US$142 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2024. Through its private equity, growth equity and credit strategies, the firm invests in growth-oriented, innovative companies operating in the software and technology sectors. Leveraging Thoma Bravo’s deep sector expertise and strategic and operational capabilities, the firm collaborates with its portfolio companies to implement operating best practices and drive growth initiatives. Over the past 20 years, the firm has acquired or invested in more than 480+ companies. The firm has offices in Chicago, London, Miami, New York and San Francisco.

For more information, visit Thoma Bravo’s website at thomabravo.com and LinkedIn @ThomaBravo

ACTUAL LEADERS
Orlando Bravo - Bravo Family Foundation

Orlando Bravo

Founder of Bravo Family Foundation Chairman of the Board of Directors

Founder and Managing Partner of Thoma Bravo
John Kim

John Kim

Operating Advisor, Thoma Bravo
Stephen Pace

Steve Pace

Operating Advisor, Thoma Bravo
Mike Capone

Mike Capone

Cheif Executive Office
Charlotte Muellers

Charlotte Muellers

Co-Head of North America Credit Investments
PSP Investments
Lenny Blum

Lenny Blum

Managing Director, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Jonathan Carmel

Jonathan Carmel

Operating Partner, Impact Venture Capital

PAST LEADERS
Dan Smoot

Dan Smoot

Chief Customer Officer, Riverbed
David Murphy

David Murphy

CEO, Riverbed
Senior Operating Partner, Thoma Bravo

Kevin Cunningham

Founder, Sailpoint Technologies
Alex Doñé

Alex Doñé

Deputy Comptroller for Asset Management & Chief Investment Officer, Bureau of Asset Management in the Office of the New York City Comptroller
Bill Priemer

Bill Priemer

President and Chief Executive Officer, Hyland Software
Kristin Nimsger

Kristin Nimsger

Operating Partner, Thoma Bravo

ALUMNI

Driven by an inner fire to create, innovate and succeed, entrepreneurs are key agents of large-scale global change. Motivated by an urge to solve problems, they improve our lives with innovative products and services that raise our standard of living, create jobs and trigger economic growth and prosperity.

Are you ready to change
the world?

The Rising Entrepreneurs Program is an exciting opportunity to level up your business and your entrepreneurial mindset.

Learn about our application process.

APPLY
Ana María Equal Love
"The value and support that the Rising Entrepreneurs Program has provided is immeasurable. We’ve had access to resources that entrepreneurs and startups don’t regularly have, and this has truly helped us define our goals, establish structure, advance our projects, and make them profitable."
Ana María
CEO, Equal Love
Orlando Bravo - Bravo Family Foundation

Orlando Bravo

Founder of Bravo Family Foundation Chairman of the Board of Directors
Founder and Managing Partner of Thoma Bravo

Orlando led Thoma Bravo’s early entry into software buyouts and built the firm into one of the top private equity firms in the world. He has overseen over 440 software acquisitions conducted by the firm, representing more than $250 billion in transaction value. Orlando was named “Wall Street’s Best Dealmaker” by Forbes in 2019 and placed among “Eight Buyout Pros to Watch” by Thomson Reuters in 2009. He has a bachelor’s in economics and political science from Brown University, a juris doctor from Stanford Law School and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. As founder and chairman of the Bravo Family Foundation, he helps provide access and opportunities to young adults in Puerto Rico.
John Kim

John Kim

Operating Advisor, Thoma Bravo

John Kim is an Operating Advisor at Thoma Bravo, where he provides financial planning, analysis, and reporting support to the portfolio companies and financial due diligence guidance to the companies’ board of directors. He is a seasoned finance and treasury professional with more than 25 years of experience in various financial and engineering leadership capacities. John spent the first six years of his career as an engineer at Honeywell, where he transitioned into finance. He has worked at global technology companies such as Autodesk, UTStarcom, Keynote Systems, and Embarcadero Technologies in a finance capacity and, most recently, as Vice President of Finance and Treasurer for Digital Insight Corporation, which was acquired from Intuit and subsequently sold to NCR by Thoma Bravo. John has an MBA degree from the University of Southern California and BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Stephen Pace

Steve Pace

Operating Advisor, Thoma Bravo

He has more than four decades of technology experience, starting his career as a digital logic engineer with IBM and, most recently, as the Chief Revenue Officer for Dynatrace. Steve was hired by Dynatrace soon after Thoma Bravo acquired the company in 2016. There, he built and grew the sales organization through the company’s IPO in 2019 and retired from Dynatrace in the Fall of 2023. Steve contributed to the company’s growth of nearly 500% during his tenure, marking Dynatrace as a highly desirable “Rule of 50” company with a global presence in over 50 countries. Earlier in his career, he held executive management positions with Raytheon, Forcepoint, Netscout, GeoTrust (acquired by VeriSign), NaviSite, and Seagate Software (acquired by Veritas). Steve graduated with Honors with a BSEE in Electrical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. For nearly two decades, he has served on the Advisory Board at the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State.
Mike Capone

Mike Capone

Chief Executive Officer

Mike leads Qlik’s mission to create a data-literate world, one where people, businesses, organizations, and governments tackle their most complex challenges with data. He has first-hand experience in leveraging the power of data through analytics to transform businesses and entire industries. In addition to his extensive experience in high-growth SaaS companies, Mike was the COO of Medidata Solutions, a publicly traded provider of SaaS analytics solutions to the healthcare, life sciences, and pharma markets. There he played a significant role in the company’s product development, data science, professional services, and go-to-market operations, guiding its strategy to provide a comprehensive cloud platform that leverages data and analytics to transform clinical trials. Before Medidata, Mike held senior leadership positions at ADP, including Corporate Vice President of Product Development & CIO, and SVP & General Manager of ADP’s global outsourcing business. He was also head of product development and technology operations for ADP, one of the world’s largest B2B cloud services providers, delivering critical services to over 600,000 companies and 39 million of their staff members worldwide. Mike holds a BS in Computer Science from Dickinson College and an MBA in Finance from Pace University.
Charlotte Muellers

Charlotte Muellers

Co-Head of North America Credit Investments
PSP Investments

Charlotte Muellers has over 20 years of leveraged finance experience. She is currently Co-Head of North America Credit Investments at Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments). Charlotte joined PSP in 2016. She manages the credit team that focuses on underwriting, originations and portfolio management of credit investments. PSP’s Credit Platform is $15BN in total assets focused on serving the private equity backed middle market. Before joining PSP, Charlotte worked at TPG Specialty Lending as a Vice President, focused on underwriting technology-based investments. Prior to TPG, she worked at Barclays in the Leveraged Finance Group. Earlier in her career, Charlotte joined a start-up, ProCure Treatment Centers. At ProCure she was responsible for raising both debt and equity to finance the buildout of cancer treatment centers. Charlotte received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from American University and her Master’s in Business Administration from Columbia University. Charlotte has two children (age 12 and 14) and resides in NYC.
Lenny Blum

Lenny Blum

Managing Director, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Lenny Blum is a cybersecurity leader at JPMorgan Chase. He’s recognized as an industry leader in Identity and Access Management, and has several patent filings. Previously, he led technology teams at Capital One, NBCUniversal, General Electric, several startups and Oracle. Lenny is a winner of an Emmy for his work on NBCOlympics.com, and graduated from Brown University and St. John’s High School. He represented Puerto Rico playing water polo in the 1992 Junior Panamerican Games.
Jonathan Carmel

Jonathan Carmel

Operating Partner, Impact Venture Capital

Jonathan is a 25-year financial executive with firms such as JPMorgan, Angelo Gordon and Arbiter Partners. He has run a 100mm hedge fund. He has spent time as a technology executive at Collective[i] an AI firm where he worked on their GTM strategy. He is currently an Operating Partner at Impact Venture Capital, a technology-focused venture capital fund. He advises on corporate strategy and acceleration.
Dan Smoot

Dan Smoot

Chief Customer Officer, Riverbed

Dan Smoot is an accomplished executive known for his relentless focus on execution and ability to deliver immediate impact, while leading organizations during times of growth and change. Today, he is Riverbed’s first Chief Customer Officer, ensuring customers receive exceptional value and performance from their Riverbed investments. Previously, Smoot was Executive Vice President of Global Partner Sales at Salesforce, where he managed the worldwide partner sales organization. He was also the Executive Vice President of Market Readiness at Salesforce, where he created a global organization to deliver critical go-to-market operations. Both roles revolved around ensuring a great customer experience.
David Murphy

David Murphy

CEO, Riverbed
Senior Operating Partner, Thoma Bravo

David is a Senior Operating Partner at Thoma Bravo. David has more than 30 years of experience in driving market expansion, revenue growth, and operational excellence at companies such as Blue Coat, IBM Tivoli, HP, and Mercury Interactive. He is the former President and COO of Blue Coat, which was a Thoma Bravo portfolio company during his tenure in that position. Subsequently, David sold to Bain Capital. During his time at Blue Coat, David was instrumental in developing the company’s focused security and acquisition strategy. Before Blue Coat, he was senior vice president for HP’s LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions business unit within the company’s Imaging and Printing Group (IPG). He joined HP through its acquisition of Mercury Interactive, where he was chief financial officer. Before that, David was president and general manager of IBM Tivoli. He also served as CEO at Asera and as a partner at McKinsey & Company. David has an MSEE degree from Florida Atlantic University, an MBA degree from Stanford University, and a BS degree in Computer Science from the University of Louisville.

Kevin Cunningham

Founder, Sailpoint Technologies

Kevin Cunningham founded SailPoint in 2005, with a mission of creating a new type of company – one that redefined identity’s place in the security ecosystem. He has more than 25 years experience in the software industry at companies such as UniSQL, IBM/Tivoli Systems and Sun Microsystems in addition to Waveset and SailPoint. Kevin is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Austin Ventures, an Operating Advisor at Elsewhere Partners and was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015 for his pioneering efforts in identity governance. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and a contributing writer to several publications.
Alex Doñé

Alex Doñé

Deputy Comptroller for Asset Management & Chief Investment Officer, Bureau of Asset Management in the Office of the New York City Comptroller

Alex is the Deputy Comptroller for Asset Management and Chief Investment Officer for the Bureau of Asset Management in the Office of the New York City Comptroller, which serves as investment advisor to the New York City Retirement Systems. With over $250 billion in assets, it is the fourth-largest public pension fund in the United States providing retirement benefits to over 730,000 members, retirees and their beneficiaries. With an AB from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Alex served for two years as Presidential Appointee to the Barack Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce – Minority Business Development Agency. He began his over 25 year career as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch & Co., and later on has been a member of the investment team at Clearlake Capital Group and head of retail industry investment banking at KPMG Corporate Finance.
Bill Priemer

Bill Priemer

President and Chief Executive Officer, Hyland Software

Bill is ultimately responsible for ensuring that Hyland is a great company for all its stakeholders – customers, partners, employees, shareholders and communities. Bill joined Hyland in 1997 as Vice President of Marketing. He became Vice President of Sales & Marketing in 2001, Chief Operating Officer in 2005 and CEO in 2013. Prior to joining Hyland, Bill held marketing roles at FedEx and sales roles at AST, a personal computer manufacturer. Bill received a master’s degree in Marketing from Northwestern University and undergraduate degrees from Boston College. He was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. While he has lived elsewhere and travels extensively, Bill is happy and proud to call the Cleveland area home. Bill serves on the boards of University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Business Volunteers Unlimited, Westfield Bank and 7Signal.
Kristin Nimsger

Kristin Nimsger

Operating Partner, Thoma Bravo

Kristin Nimsger is an Operating Partner at Thoma Bravo. She has more than 20 years of experience driving outsized growth in software and technology companies. Kristin was President of Kroll Ontrack, where she ran the business from start-up to more than $200M in seven years. Kroll Ontrack operated in 23 countries with 1500+ employees when the company was sold to Providence Equity Partners in 2010 for over $1.1B. She then was the General Manager of the litigation software division of Thomson Reuters. Kristin then served as CEO of two Vista Equity Partners portfolio companies: MicroEdge, which was sold to publicly traded Blackbaud (Nasdaq: BLKB) for more than 7x MOIC in 2014, and Social Solutions Global which was sold to Apax Partners in 2021 for 5x MOIC. During her time with Social Solutions, Kristin led the negotiation of the partnership and investment from Ballmer Group, which included a $59M investment from former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who joined the company’s Board of Directors. Before joining Thoma Bravo, she served as a Senior Advisor, Private Equity to Vista Equity Partners. Kristin has a BA from the University of Minnesota, a Juris Doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law, and a Certificate in Management and Leadership from MIT Sloan School of Management.