Investment firm Permira taps Thoma Bravo veteran Mike Hoffmann as part of AI dealmaking push

Klarna

01/06/2026 13:00

By Milana Vinn
NEW YORK, June 1 (Reuters) - Global investment firm Permira has added Thoma Bravo’s Mike Hoffmann as a partner on its technology team as the firm looks to step up large technology dealmaking ahead of an expected AI‑driven M&A wave, Permira executives exclusively told Reuters.
Hoffmann will join the global investment firm on Monday as a partner based in Menlo Park, California, bringing more than 15 years of software and technology investing experience.
He joins from Thoma Bravo, where he spent over a decade and was a partner on the firm’s flagship buyout fund, leading investments across software, infrastructure, cybersecurity, data and IT, including in companies like ConnectWise, which provides software for managed IT service providers; Verint, a customer engagement and analytics company; and Talend, a data integration and data management software provider. He previously worked at Providence Equity Partners and Citigroup Global Markets.
In the new role, Hoffmann will focus on deals across multiple investing strategies, including large-cap and upper middle-market buyout deals as well as smaller growth investments.
Permira is looking to further expand its technology platform across software and AI‑enabled businesses, and deepen its focus on investments in AI-enabled infrastructure, including data centers, as demand for computing capacity grows. 
“The next investing cycle will produce one of the most exciting and challenging investment vintages for some time, particularly in the technology industry as AI continues to transform the economy," Brian Ruder, Co-CEO of Permira, said. "What’s clear is that even deeper sector expertise than before is a must."
In 2025, Permira's tech team delivered its largest‑ever annual distributions to investors, contributing to more than €12.6 billion ($14.7 billion) returned across the firm. Much of that came from strategic exits, including the sale of Informatica to Salesforce CRM.N and Genesys' sale of equity stakes to Salesforce and ServiceNow NOW.N.
Founded in 1985, Permira advises funds across two core asset classes, private equity and credit, with total committed capital of approximately $100 billion. The Permira funds have previously backed and helped scale some of the largest technology businesses globally, including Genesys, TeamViewer TMV.DE, Zendesk, McAfee, Mimecast, Octus, Informatica, Klarna KLAR.N, Magento and Teraco, among others.
($1 = 0.8576 euro)

(Reporting by Milana Vinn in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
((Contact Milana via Signal @MilanaVinn.01 or at milana.vinn@tr.com))