For Orlando Bravo, the story always starts in Puerto Rico.

Even today, as the billionaire founder and managing partner of private equity investment firm Thoma Bravo, he recognizes that where he came from will forever influence where he is. 

Bravo attributes his meteoric rise in the early 2000s—when he made a name for himself in software acquisitions—to his upbringing in Puerto Rico. His unique journey instilled in him a confidence to think differently in the Wild West of Silicon Valley and to ultimately separate himself from other tech entrepreneurs.

Bravo’s incredible success has since afforded him the opportunity to give back to a community that has given him so much—and to be a role model to new generations of Puerto Rican entrepreneurs who sometimes need a push to know that they can dream.