Blackstone Growth has closed its previously announced majority investment in NetBrain Technologies, with the AI NetOps platform provider saying the funding will accelerate global expansion and advance its AI-powered network automation capabilities.
Alongside the transaction close, NetBrain announced a CEO transition and several board changes. Bernadette Nixon has been appointed chief executive officer and will join the company’s board. Founder Lingping Gao will step down as CEO and become chair of the board after leading the company for roughly two decades. NetBrain also named Gus Malezis, an executive strategic advisor and chairman of IRIS Software Group, and Jerry Guo, founder, former CEO and chairman of Casa Systems, to its board of directors.
NetBrain positions its platform as a shift from reactive network visibility to proactive observability, using a digital twin and intent-based automation to help IT teams automate troubleshooting and change management. The company said it is used by more than one-third of the Fortune 500 and is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, with additional locations in Munich, Toronto, Hyderabad, and Beijing.
Nixon most recently served as CEO of Algolia, where she led scaling and global expansion, and previously was CEO of Alfresco, with earlier senior roles at SDL, OpenText, and CA, among others. NetBrain and Blackstone said her enterprise software and infrastructure background will support the company’s next growth phase as AI becomes more central to network operations.
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“NetBrain is redefining how enterprises run their networks using AI and automation to help prevent outages, strengthen resilience, and improve security. Following Lingping as CEO of NetBrain is an honor. His passion and innovation have made NetBrain a category leader in network automation, and I look forward to working with our exceptional team to build on this strong foundation.”
Bernadette Nixon, Chief Executive Officer, NetBrain Technologies
“Building NetBrain from concept to category leader has been the journey of a lifetime. What we have achieved would not have been possible without the dedication of our world-class team and the trust of our customers around the globe. Bernadette’s experience and vision make her the ideal leader to guide NetBrain into its next era as we advance the future of intelligent network automation.”
Lingping Gao, Founder and Chair of the Board, NetBrain Technologies
“Lingping is a visionary founder who has built an exceptional business, and we are excited to continue working with him in his new role as Chair. We believe Bernadette has the experience and strategic leadership skills to support the next phase of NetBrain’s growth journey and that the company is exceptionally well positioned as AI reshapes network operations.”
Vishal Amin, Senior Managing Director, Blackstone
