Our origins
Exa Capital was born from recognizing a significant gap in the software acquisition landscape: established incumbents were leaving enormous value untapped.
We observed industry giants relying on price hikes rather than operational excellence, showing minimal interest in organic growth, and failing to apply best practices. Meanwhile, founders and owners faced impossible choices – maximize sales price at the cost of their legacy or protect their life’s work only to see their business recycle multiple times over.
The traditional acquisition options were deeply flawed: private equity firms focused on short-term 3-5 year exits, strategic buyers absorbed companies into their corporate culture, and few paths existed for founders who cared deeply about their life’s work after acquisition.
We created Exa to seize this opportunity and offer a different path: a permanent home for successful enterprise software companies that preserves what makes them special while providing the resources and expertise to reach their full potential.
Our team combined decades of software industry experience with a long-term investment philosophy, creating an acquisition model built around sustained success and unlocking the value that others overlooked.
Our core values
Founder and owner respect
We honor the vision, work, and legacy of founders and owners who join us at Exa. Each business represents years of passion and dedication, and we treat that legacy with the respect it deserves. Our acquisition process is built around transparency, flexibility, and genuine human connection.
Our team
Exa Capital is led by a team of experienced operators and investors who understand both the technical and human elements of software businesses. Each leader brings hands-on experience in growing and scaling enterprise software companies.
Omer Sajid
Founder and CEO
Omer is the Founder and CEO of Exa Capital, where he leads with a clear purpose: deploy capital wisely, drive operational excellence, and create long-term, enduring value. His focus is ensuring that every company within Exa’s portfolio has exactly what it needs—support, clarity, and autonomy—to scale and thrive.
With a career built at the intersection of strategy, M&A, and hands-on operations, Omer founded Exa on a simple but powerful belief: great companies are built by great teams—and those teams deserve the freedom and support to keep doing what they do best.
Deeply committed to building high-performance cultures, Omer brings a rare combination of strategic sharpness and roll-up-your-sleeves pragmatism – Investing heavily in leadership development and embedding best practices across the portfolio. His leadership style is equal parts coach and player, empowering portfolio company leaders to succeed on their own terms while providing the tools and support to accelerate their journeys.
Outside the office, Omer is a lifelong learner and a curious tinkerer. He’s just as likely to quote Peter Drucker in a boardroom conversation as he is to recommend a novel worth reading over a coffee chat. An avid reader and traveler, amateur barista, and proud father, Omer often finds himself serving as the assistant to Chief Lego Engineer at home—where some of his most complex “projects” happen on the living room floor.
What gets him up in the morning? Helping extraordinary teams build businesses that stand the test of time—and probably a very strong cup of coffee.
Michelle Pannett
HR
Michelle serves as the Director of Human Resources for Exa Capital and all portfolio companies. Immediately before joining EXA, she was the Human Resources Manager for Forward Advantage Holdings, Inc., an EXA portfolio company.
Michelle brings over a decade of experience in Human Resource leadership across all disciplines of HR including but not limited to Recruitment, Development, Performance Management, Employee Relations, Compliance, Benefits, and Payroll.
Michelle brings value to each organization with her unique passion to strike a balance between the needs of the organization and the desires of its employees. Michelle resides in the foothills of Coarsegold, California, a mere hour from Yosemite National Park. She enjoys spending time with family, taking the Polaris RZR off-roading with her newest edition, a red Queensland Heeler, Banshee, or traveling to the Pacific Coastline for a long weekend.
Scott Wickham
Scott joined Exa in January 2021, just shy of our first anniversary, as our very first full-time employee. From the start, he’s been instrumental in driving our growth, shaping and executing our M&A strategy, and playing a critical role in successfully completing multiple acquisitions that have expanded our company.
Scott’s impact, however, goes beyond acquisitions. Whether it was trademark and patent filings, monthly reporting, strategic implementations for our portfolio companies, or supporting the selection of EXA’s financial ERP, Scott’s fingerprints are all over our journey.
His relentless commitment to our mission, a strong desire for continuous learning, and ‘get it done’ mindset have been at the heart of his success – and ours.
Today, Scott continues to lead EXA’s M&A efforts and guides the post-acquisition integration process. Based in Toronto, Scott loves getting outside and exploring all that the city has to offer alongside his Australian Bernedoodle, Rupert.
Jamie Cheung
Accounting & Finance
Jamie keeps the numbers sharp and the systems smarter. As Director of Finance, he leads financial reporting, FP&A, ERP implementation, and compliance, helping teams make data-driven decisions. Prior to Exa, Jamie held finance roles specializing in risk advisory and performance analytics.
Outside of work, catch him defending his mini-putt championship, or working on becoming the next Jamie Oliver — kitchen disasters and all.
Brittany Pannett
Marketing
Brittany leads marketing at Exa Capital, where she focuses on building thoughtful brand strategy and driving organic growth across Exa’s portfolio companies. With a background in B2B marketing and a passion for creative storytelling, she brings a balance of strategic thinking and hands-on execution to everything she does.
Prior to joining Exa, she helped grow the Nomos One brand (one of Exa’s portfolio companies) and held several roles in brand marketing, most notably at Dyson.
Based in her hometown of Wānaka, Brittany loves getting outdoors and making the most of the mountains — whether it’s hiking trails, skiing, or walking her springer spaniel, Poppy. She’s also an avid baker and unapologetically committed to the occasional overuse of a to-do list.
Looking forward
Our vision is to create a thriving ecosystem of enterprise software companies that maintain their unique identities while benefiting from shared expertise and resources.
We’re building more than a portfolio – we’re creating a legacy of sustainable software businesses that deliver exceptional value to their customers and fulfilling careers for their teams for generations to come.
We measure success not by exits or returns, but by the continued growth and evolution of our portfolio companies and the preservation of the legacies their founders entrusted to us.
What our founders say
Want to learn more about working with Exa?
We’re always interested in connecting with successful enterprise software company founders and owners who share our values and vision for the future.