Waud Capital Partners Announces Partnership with Software Leader Mark Layden

Waud Capital Partners teams up once more with Mark Layden to acquire and build a leading enterprise application software company

CHICAGO, March 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Waud Capital Partners ("Waud Capital"), a growth-oriented middle-market private equity firm, announced today that it has entered into a partnership with Mark Layden to acquire companies and assets in the enterprise application software market. This marks the second partnership between Waud Capital and Mr. Layden, having previously joined together to acquire and grow CyberGrants, a corporate social responsibility software platform where Mr. Layden served as CEO. Waud Capital will invest alongside investments from Mr. Layden and co-investors.

Mr. Layden is an accomplished software executive with more than 30 years of operating experience, with previous leadership roles at Bonterra, CyberGrants, Applied Systems, FICO, TempoSoft, SAP and Campbell Software. His experience spans a broad range of software end markets, including financial services, risk management, corporate finance and workforce management, and across enterprise size, from startup to large-cap private equity to publicly traded multinational, consistently delivering significant shareholder value.

"I'm delighted to be working together again with Waud Capital," said Mr. Layden. "Enterprise application software is a market and a business model we know well, and we have had great success together in the past. Waud Capital's executive-led approach, growth-minded investment strategy and resource ecosystem of talented professionals give me confidence in our potential to build great businesses and replicate the success we had at CyberGrants. We believe we have the opportunity to create something special and I can't wait to get started."

Most recently, Mr. Layden served as Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Strategy Officer of Bonterra, a market-leading software platform for social good, which was created through the combination of CyberGrants, EveryAction and Social Solutions in a transaction valued at $2 billion. Prior to Bonterra, Mr. Layden served as CEO of CyberGrants, where he executed several strategic initiatives to drive transformational growth, including recruiting a strong leadership team, accelerating revenue growth, professionalizing operations and enhancing the solution suite before ultimately leading a successful sale to Apax Partners.

"This partnership with Mark is another example of Waud Capital's commitment to fostering long-term relationships with high-caliber executives," said Matthew Clary, Partner at Waud Capital. "We have known Mark for over a decade, and we continue to be impressed by the outcomes he's delivered throughout his career. From our shared experience at CyberGrants, we know the exceptional leadership he brings, and we look forward to working alongside him again in this next endeavor."

"We are incredibly excited to renew our partnership with Mark," said Paul Sutphin, Principal at Waud Capital. "The enterprise application software market remains highly attractive, offering numerous areas in which to invest and many proven strategies to drive growth and create value. We believe Mark's experience, playbook, and history of success make him the ideal partner to pursue this initiative and achieve a great outcome."

About Waud Capital Partners

Based in Chicago, Waud Capital Partners is a growth-oriented private equity firm with over 30 years of investing experience. Waud Capital seeks to partner with experienced management teams to build market-leading companies within two industries: healthcare and software & technology. Since its founding in 1993, Waud Capital has successfully completed more than 460 investments, including platform companies and follow-on opportunities. For additional information on Waud Capital, please visit www.waudcapital.com.

Investment Professional Contacts:
Matthew Clary, Partner
[email protected]

Paul Sutphin, Principal
[email protected]

Business Development Contact:
Phil Olson, Partner
[email protected] 

Investor Relations Contact:
Matt Albers, Partner
[email protected]

SOURCE Waud Capital Partners