What Great Hill Partners does

Great Hill Partners is a Boston-based private equity firm founded in 1998 that invests in high-growth, disruptive middle-market companies. The firm targets companies beyond the early stage with 15%+ annual growth and enterprise values under $1.25 billion, deploying $100-$750 million per transaction across five core verticals: software (30 historical investments), financial services (16), healthcare (13), consumer (22), and business services/digital infrastructure (27). Since inception, Great Hill has invested in over 100 companies and maintains operating offices in Boston and London covering North American and European deal flow.

The firm generates revenue through traditional private equity fund management economics: management fees on committed capital plus carried interest on fund realizations. Cumulative LP commitments exceed $19 billion, anchored by Fund VIII at $4.65 billion (closed January 2022) and Fund IX at $7 billion (closed 2025, oversubscribed against a $5 billion target within five months). Limited partner commitments span institutional investors across North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America, and Australia. Distribution occurs through direct outreach to founders and management teams, investment banking intermediary relationships, founder referrals, and dedicated institutional LP fundraising. The firm is privately held, with founding and managing partners retaining majority ownership and Blackstone GP Stakes holding a minority stake acquired in November 2021.

Great Hill differentiates via an in-house operating platform including a Head of Growth Team, Head of Capital Markets, Head of Revenue Operations, Head of AI, and sector-focused Growth Partners. Track record includes the Wayfair IPO (growing from $500M to over $5B in revenue during ownership), the ZoomInfo growth and exit, Ascenty's $1.8B+ sale to Digital Realty, and recent exits of AffiniPay (to TA Associates) and Qualifacts (to Warburg Pincus). The firm has earned top-5 HEC Paris-DowJones Performance Rankings for five consecutive years (2021-2025) and Inc. Magazine Founder-Friendly Investors recognition in 2024 and 2025.

Name

Great Hill Partners

Legal name

Great Hill Partners, L.P.

Website

https://www.greathillpartners.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Great Hill Partners is a Boston-based private equity firm founded in 1998 that invests $100-$750 million in high-growth middle-market companies across software, financial services, healthcare, consumer, and business services sectors, with over $19 billion in cumulative fund commitments and offices in Boston and London.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity Investment Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Sector / Generalist Growth Equity (FSANACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technology & Software Growth Equity (FSANACAA), Business Services (B2B) Growth Equity (FSANACAD), Telecom, Networking & Infrastructure Growth Equity (FSANACAJ)

Keywords

• Private equity investing
• Growth buyout funds
• Middle market investments
• Portfolio management
• Limited partner fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fund Management: Great Hill Partners generates revenue through management fees on committed capital and performance fees (carried interest) based on fund returns. The firm has raised over $19 billion in commitments since inception across multiple funds, with Fund IX closing at $7 billion in 2025.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Great Hill Partners is a Boston-based private equity firm that manages growth buyout funds providing equity capital of $100-$750 million to high-growth middle-market companies. The firm invests majority or minority stakes in companies with enterprise values under $1.25 billion and 15%+ annual growth across five core sectors: software, financial services, healthcare, consumer, and business services. In addition to capital, the firm provides strategic counsel, operational support, and executive network access to portfolio companies.

Product overview

Great Hill Partners is a private equity investment firm, not a product company. The firm offers private equity fund management and investment services, currently managing Great Hill Equity Partners IX, a $7 billion growth buyout fund targeting high-growth companies across five core sectors: software, financial services, healthcare, consumer, and business services. The firm makes investments of $100 million to $750 million in companies with enterprise values under $1.25 billion, pursuing majority or minority stake acquisitions. Great Hill does not offer a unified product platform but rather provides capital, strategic counsel, and operational support to portfolio companies. Notable portfolio companies include Wayfair, ZoomInfo, AffiniPay, Qualifacts, Ascenty, Perkbox, Jumio, Peter Park, and Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming, spanning various industries from e-commerce and SaaS to healthcare and digital infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Growth Equity & Buyout Investments
• Great Hill Equity Partners IX, L.P.
• Great Hill Equity Partners VIII, L.P.

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 5 ranking in HEC Paris-Dow Jones Performance Rankings for 5 consecutive years (2021-2025)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MARIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026MARI acquired TodayTix Group from Great Hill Partners to expand its global events portfolio with digital ticketing technology. MARI aims to enhance its portfolio with advanced ticketing technology for live entertainment, including properties like Miami Open and Frieze.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Thoma Bravo: Thoma Bravo is one of the largest software-focused PE firms globally, operating at generally larger check sizes than Great Hill but competing for many of the same software assets in Great Hill's largest vertical.
• Permira: Permira is a global PE firm with European roots investing across technology, consumer, and financial services — overlapping with Great Hill's European strategy and DACH digital infrastructure investments like Peter Park.
• Bain Capital: Bain Capital is a global multi-strategy alternative asset manager with private equity operations that co-invest with Great Hill (e.g., Ren/DAF platform) and compete for similar middle-market growth opportunities across healthcare, software, and consumer.

Direct peers

• Vista Equity Partners: Vista is one of the largest software-focused PE firms with growth and buyout strategies across enterprise software — directly competitive in Great Hill's 30-deal software vertical, though typically at larger check sizes.
• Summit Partners: Summit Partners is a Boston-based growth equity and buyout firm with highly comparable strategy: multi-sector (tech, healthcare, financial services), $100M-$500M+ check sizes, and similar mid-cap growth targets. Often bid against Great Hill for the same assets.
• Insight Partners: Insight Partners is a New York-based growth equity firm specializing in software and technology, with comparable check sizes ($100M-$1B+) and similar growth-stage investing approach. Both firms target the same software PE opportunities in Great Hill's largest vertical.
• Hg: Hg is a London-headquartered PE firm specializing in software and services investments across Europe — directly competitive with Great Hill's European platform (London office, Peter Park, Perkbox/UK assets) and software vertical.
• TA Associates: TA Associates is one of the most direct comparables to Great Hill — a Boston-based growth equity firm with similar check sizes ($100M-$500M+), multi-sector focus (software, healthcare, financial services, consumer), and similar target companies with 15%+ growth rates. AffiniPay was sold by Great Hill to TA Associates.
• General Atlantic: General Atlantic is a global growth equity firm investing $50M-$1B+ across technology, financial services, healthcare, and consumer — a multi-sector strategy closely paralleling Great Hill's approach, with overlap in software and growth-stage equity investments.
• New Mountain Capital: New Mountain Capital is a New York-based growth-oriented PE firm investing $100M-$1B in software, healthcare, and business services — overlapping with Great Hill's core verticals and similar middle-market thesis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-hill-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A33 records

Investments87 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Great Hill Partners