David J. Roux, Co-Founder and Chairman of BayPine, formerly of Silver Lake

In this episode of declarations., Todd S. Rich welcomes Dave Roux, co-Founder and Executive Chairman of BayPine. Dave is a pioneering technology investor, serial entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Dave is best known as the Co-Founder of Silver Lake, the first large-scale private equity firm focused exclusively on technology, which today manages over $100 billion. More recently, he co-founded BayPine, a private equity firm dedicated to transforming traditional economy companies through digital innovation. Dave’s career has been defined by a spirit of adventure, execution, and grit. Dave explains why digital transformation in legacy industries is the next frontier. The discussion also touches on Dave’s family office investing and his philanthropic leadership.

They discuss:
• Why starting and building teams is central to Dave’s identity
• The “Execution Edge”: Great ideas are common; the rare commodity is execution
• Silver Lake Origins: How a first-time fund raised $2.2B by winning support from Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Gordon Moore
• Seminal Deal: The Seagate buyout that put Silver Lake on the map
• Private Equity Evolution: Why today’s market requires hands-on value creation, not just leverage
• BayPine’s Vision: Helping analog businesses become digital leaders
• Family Office Investing: Using a more balanced, income-oriented approach compared to high-octane PE
• Philanthropy in Maine: Advancing biomedical research at Jackson Labs and launching the • Roux Institute to drive digital and life sciences education
• Personal Passions: Celtics basketball, horses, modern art, music, and the outdoors

Topics:
(00:00:00) – Introduction & Dave’s “declaration”
(00:05:00) – Childhood, family values, and a relentlessly positive mindset
(00:09:00) – Discovering tech through econometrics and programming
(00:12:00) – Early startups and lessons from Lotus & Oracle
(00:16:00) – Founding Silver Lake and the opportunity in large-scale tech PE
(00:30:00) – How private equity has evolved in 25 years
(00:33:00) – BayPine’s mission: digital transformation for traditional companies
(00:39:00) – Why Dave keeps building instead of retiring
(00:40:00) – Celtics ownership and banner #18
(00:43:00) – Family office investing strategy
(00:49:00) – The Roux Institute: building an innovation hub in Maine
(00:51:00) – Favorite book, best advice, and pursuit of happiness