Private Equity Firms’ Secret Weapon for Big Software Buyouts

When Thoma Bravo was drawing up the financing of its $8 billion acquisition of Coupa Software last year, the private equity giant didn’t turn to a bank, and it didn’t get a traditional loan. Instead, it tapped a group of non-bank lenders including Sixth Street for a relatively obscure type of financing—one that has been making its way into more and more multibillion dollar deals.