Private Equity Giant Snaps Up Proofpoint for $12.3 billion Phil Muncaster UK / EMEA News Reporter , Infosecurity Magazine Proofpoint is set to become the latest cybersecurity acquisition of private equity giant Thoma Bravo after a $12.3 billion deal was announced yesterday. The all-cash deal will see Proofpoint shareholders receive $176 per share in cash, around a third more than the firm's closing price on Friday. The two parties are claiming that, following the deal, Proofpoint will benefit from the “flexibility” of being a private company and from the “operating capabilities, capital support and deep sector expertise” of its new owner. In fact, Thoma Bravo has made a string of acquisitions in the cybersecurity space over recent years, snapping up Barracuda Networks, Centrify, Flexera, Imperva, McAfee, SonicWall, Sophos, Veracode, Tripwire, Venafi and many more.