A major global investment company has brought aboard a seasoned technology expert as it positions itself for what executives anticipate will be a significant wave of artificial intelligence-driven business deals.
Permira announced it has recruited Mike Hoffmann from rival firm Thoma Bravo to serve as a partner on its technology investment team. Hoffmann began his new position Monday and will operate from the company’s Menlo Park, California office.
The new hire brings more than 15 years of expertise in software and technology investments to his role. During his tenure of over ten years at Thoma Bravo, Hoffmann served as a partner on the firm’s primary buyout fund, spearheading investments spanning software, infrastructure, cybersecurity, data management and information technology sectors. His portfolio included companies such as ConnectWise, which develops software for managed IT service providers; Verint, a customer engagement and analytics firm; and Talend, which specializes in data integration and management software. Prior to Thoma Bravo, he held positions at Providence Equity Partners and Citigroup Global Markets.
In his new position, Hoffmann will concentrate on transactions across various investment approaches, encompassing large-cap and upper middle-market buyout transactions as well as smaller growth-focused investments.
The investment firm is seeking to broaden its technology platform across software and AI-enabled enterprises, while intensifying its focus on investments in AI-enabled infrastructure, particularly data centers, as computing capacity demand continues to rise.
“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.”
During 2025, Permira’s technology team achieved its largest-ever annual distributions to investors, contributing to more than €12.6 billion ($14.7 billion) returned across the entire firm. A significant portion of these returns resulted from strategic exits, including the sale of Informatica to Salesforce and Genesys’ sale of equity stakes to Salesforce and ServiceNow.
Established in 1985, Permira provides advisory services for funds across two primary asset classes, private equity and credit, managing approximately $100 billion in total committed capital. The Permira funds have previously supported and helped scale numerous major technology companies worldwide, including Genesys, TeamViewer, Zendesk, McAfee, Mimecast, Octus, Informatica, Klarna, Magento and Teraco, among others.
