Constrained organic growth opportunities for larger software companies have fueled consolidation in many of the major software markets. As industry-wide expected license growth slows, a heightened emphasis is being placed on vertical market functionality and integrated product offerings. Further, technology evolution and increased customer comfort with “on demand” solutions is driving a shift toward applications designed to exploit a hosted environment. Summit Partners works with software companies that are strategically positioned to capitalize on these emerging trends.
Since 1984, Summit Partners has provided growth equity and credit to more than 100 software companies. We have helped build pioneering companies in the ERP, CRM, information and data security, antivirus, messaging management and archiving, and SaaS categories. With more than 60 public offerings and strategic mergers in the software industry, Summit has a proven track record of helping companies to create value for management and shareholders.
Here are some examples:
- Summit worked with McAfee Inc. to hire Bill Larson as CEO, build a strong board, and add professionals in key financial, sales and marketing positions. In addition, Summit helped the company expand its antivirus software product line into a broad-network security product suite geared for large corporate and government entities.
- Leveraging relationships within the industry, Summit assisted Blue Ocean Software Inc. in recruiting two software veterans to the board: Gordon Eubanks, formerly the CEO of Symantec, and Roger Roberts, previously the CEO of Citrix Systems.
- Summit supported SafeBoot Holdings BV’s continued expansion by advising the company’s management team on many operational and strategic issues. Equally important, Summit’s involvement raised SafeBoot’s profile among its customers, vendors and acquisition candidates.
- Partnering with Sybari Software Inc., Summit served on its board, providing feedback on key management hires and advising on financial and operational strategies. Summit supported Sybari’s growth strategy, seeing compound revenue increase by more than 30 percent annually and rapid growth of free cash flow.
To learn more about our investments in the software industry, please view our portfolio.