CompTIA’s Certification Arm Acquired by Thoma Bravo & H.I.G

CompTIA, the well-known nonprofit technology industry association, is set to be acquired by two major investment firms: Thoma Bravo and H.I.G. Capital.

Under the agreement, Thoma Bravo and H.I.G. will take over CompTIA’s core business – including its well-known IT certifications, training programs, and the CompTIA brand itself. This part of CompTIA will shift from nonprofit to for-profit status under its new owners. The familiar membership side of CompTIA won’t go away, though – it’ll split off into its own separate nonprofit organization and keep working to support IT professionals and the industry as a whole.

Deal structure and timeline

The transaction is expected to be completed in early 2025, pending standard regulatory reviews. The acquiring firms did not reveal the financial terms of the agreement.

Thoma Bravo is already a heavy hitter in the tech world, with investments in companies you might recognize – like ConnectWise, Darktrace, and Sophos, just to name a few. H.I.G. is no small player either, managing a whopping $65 billion in capital.

CompTIA’s market position and reach

CompTIA’s appeal to these investment giants is clear: they’ve established themselves as a global leader in IT certification and training, playing a crucial role in developing talent across a $5 trillion global IT industry that encompasses 38 million professionals. Their reach extends throughout the technology sector, offering comprehensive training, certifications, and market research across key areas including cybersecurity, cloud computing, networking, and technical support.

CompTIA leads the tech industry in vendor-neutral certifications, with over 3.5 million professionals certified worldwide. Their credentials carry weight across all tech companies, and they work with thousands of schools and training centers globally to prepare the next generation of tech talent.

Leadership and industry perspectives

CompTIA CEO Todd Thibodeaux expressed enthusiasm about partnering with experienced tech investors, noting their expertise and resources will help expand CompTIA’s global impact. He believes the deal will accelerate their ability to train future tech workers and strengthen their position as a leading certification provider.

“The Association’s Board of Directors is very excited to be working with H.I.G. Capital and Thoma Bravo in this transformational process for the Association and also for the CompTIA business,” said Tracy Pound, chair of CompTIA’s board. Scott Barlow, vice chair, added that this move will allow them to expand their industry service while increasing their charitable impact.

H.I.G.’s managing director Matthew Robinson affirmed their commitment to partnering with CompTIA’s team to advance IT professionals’ careers globally. His colleague Matt Hankins highlighted how CompTIA is driving the shift toward skills-based education through partnerships with various institutions, helping people worldwide build careers in IT.

“The technology landscape is evolving quickly, and it is more important than ever that IT professionals have the skills needed to solve not only today’s challenges, but also those expected to emerge in the future,” said A.J. Rohde, senior partner at Thoma Bravo.

George Jaber from Thoma Bravo emphasized CompTIA’s trusted reputation in IT and their plans to invest in developing new training and certification products while maintaining CompTIA’s global standing.

This will be a classic case of wait and see,” says Michael Slater, head of sales at Sherweb. “CompTIA has a longstanding reputation of being a place where IT professionals start their learning journey, myself included. The expectation is that it is a vendor-neutral experience. I hope that CT maintains that neutrality and continues to be an education and community-first organization despite being backed by a very large company that owns a lot of proprietary products.”

Read more about the CompTIA model and how its focus is on doing great work for various communities to bring them closer to tech.