Key Takeaways
- • LightBay Capital has invested in Centre Technologies, a Houston-based managed IT services provider serving more than 750 organizations across Texas and Oklahoma in healthcare, energy, financial services, manufacturing, and construction sectors.
- • Centre Technologies offers a comprehensive service portfolio including managed IT, cloud computing (Microsoft Azure and AWS), cybersecurity (SIEM, MDR, vulnerability scanning), business intelligence, and IT consulting—all historically built without private equity backing since its 2006 founding.
- • The company has demonstrated disciplined M&A execution, completing nine acquisitions prior to the LightBay transaction, including three recent IT services purchases: Hummingbird Technology (2025), Atlas Technology Group (2024), and Applied Resource Technologies (2024).
- • The global managed services market is projected to grow from $437 billion in 2026 to $847 billion by 2033 at a 10% compound annual growth rate, driven by increasing IT complexity, cloud adoption acceleration, and rising cybersecurity requirements across regulated industries.
- • LightBay Capital closed its second fund at $1.0 billion in May 2023, exceeding its $800 million target, and typically invests $100–$300 million in middle-market companies across business services, healthcare, and consumer sectors.
Summary
LightBay Capital has announced an investment in Centre Technologies, marking the Houston-based IT services provider's first institutional backing since its 2006 founding by CEO Chris Pace. Centre operates as a comprehensive outsourced IT solutions provider serving more than 750 organizations across Texas and Oklahoma, with particular strength in healthcare, energy, financial services, manufacturing, and construction sectors. The company's service offerings span managed IT infrastructure, cloud computing platforms (including Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services), cybersecurity (managed SIEM, detection and response, vulnerability scanning, and employee training), business intelligence, and strategic IT consulting.
Prior to partnering with LightBay, Centre grew exclusively through organic expansion and disciplined acquisition activity, completing nine acquisitions and integrating them into its operations. Recent acquisitions include Hummingbird Technology in 2025, Atlas Technology Group in 2024, and Applied Resource Technologies in 2024—demonstrating the company's ability to identify, acquire, and integrate complementary IT service providers. This acquisition track record was explicitly cited by LightBay as a key investment thesis.
The timing of LightBay's entry into Centre aligns with substantial market tailwinds in the managed services sector. According to Grand View Research, the global managed services market is forecast to expand from $437 billion in 2026 to $847 billion by 2033, representing a 9.6% compound annual growth rate. This growth is being driven by increasing complexity in enterprise IT environments, accelerating cloud adoption, and heightened cybersecurity compliance requirements in regulated industries.
LightBay Capital, founded in 2017 and based in Los Angeles, typically deploys $100–$300 million of equity per investment and closed its second fund in May 2023 at $1.0 billion in capital, surpassing its initial $800 million target. A.B. Rampuria and David Burcham, managing director and partner at LightBay respectively, cited Centre's client-centric service delivery, security-embedded offerings, and proven M&A playbook as core investment drivers. Guggenheim Securities and Houlihan Lokey served as financial advisors to Centre and LightBay, respectively, on the transaction.
Prior to partnering with LightBay, Centre grew exclusively through organic expansion and disciplined acquisition activity, completing nine acquisitions and integrating them into its operations. Recent acquisitions include Hummingbird Technology in 2025, Atlas Technology Group in 2024, and Applied Resource Technologies in 2024—demonstrating the company's ability to identify, acquire, and integrate complementary IT service providers. This acquisition track record was explicitly cited by LightBay as a key investment thesis.
The timing of LightBay's entry into Centre aligns with substantial market tailwinds in the managed services sector. According to Grand View Research, the global managed services market is forecast to expand from $437 billion in 2026 to $847 billion by 2033, representing a 9.6% compound annual growth rate. This growth is being driven by increasing complexity in enterprise IT environments, accelerating cloud adoption, and heightened cybersecurity compliance requirements in regulated industries.
LightBay Capital, founded in 2017 and based in Los Angeles, typically deploys $100–$300 million of equity per investment and closed its second fund in May 2023 at $1.0 billion in capital, surpassing its initial $800 million target. A.B. Rampuria and David Burcham, managing director and partner at LightBay respectively, cited Centre's client-centric service delivery, security-embedded offerings, and proven M&A playbook as core investment drivers. Guggenheim Securities and Houlihan Lokey served as financial advisors to Centre and LightBay, respectively, on the transaction.
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