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Play all. Robert F. Smith is an advocate for The 2% Solution. In the following collection of videos, Smith outlines the idea that lasting change for future generations will only be possible...
- Robert F. Smith on the Future of Investments - YouTube
Robert F. Smith shares his investment experience through his...
- Robert F. Smith on Investing and Building Equity ... - YouTube
Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity...
- How Robert F. Smith Found a Mentor in Vic Hauser at Bell Labs511 Views
- Robert F. Smith on his Beloved Hometown of Denver, Colorado301 Views
- Robert F. Smith’s Motivation for Earning an MBA as an Engineer33 Views
- Robert F. Smith on Why Mentorship Is Important1.5K Views
- Robert F. Smith on Introducing Generative AI Curricula at HBCUs1.4K Views
- Robert F. Smith’s Career Pivot From Chemical Engineering to Founding Vista Equity Partners19.1K Views
- Robert F. Smith Discusses His Expectations of the AI Value Chain137 Views
- Amy Kadomatsu on Driving COMPLY's Mission With GenAI and Inclusivity50 Views
- Shannon Bracken on Intentionality and Talent Development55 Views
- Shannon Bracken on Vista Equity Partners' Journey with GenAI398 Views
- Robert F. Smith on the Future of Investments - YouTube
Mar 30, 2021 · Robert F. Smith shares his investment experience through his perspective at Vista Equity Partners and how the company evolves alongside changes and growth wi...
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- 371
- Robert F. Smith
Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, sat down with Steve Harvey at #InvestFest2023 to discuss available #investmentopportunit...
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Mayweather said: “As someone who owns his own brand, I can’t think of better partners than Deon (Deon Taylor), Roxanne (Roxanne Avent Taylor), Robert F. Smith — the wealthiest African American in the world — and Hidden Empire Films, a prolific Black-owned production company.” [108]
- Education and Early Career
- Goldman Sachs
- Vista Equity Partners
- Convincing The Market: Enterprise Software
- Vista Best Practices: The Secret Buyout Formula
- Philanthropy and Thought Leadership
- Headlines on Tax Evasion
- The Bottom Line
Robert F. Smith (born 1962) grew up in a primarily Black, middle-class neighborhood in Denver, Colo. His parents, who were both school principals with doctoral degrees, instilled in Smith deep respect for philanthropy and the value of education. He recalls watching his parents write checks to the United Negro College Fund every month—even when the ...
In 1994, Smith was recruited as Co-Head of Enterprise Systems and Storage at Goldman Sachs, where he spent six years overseeing $50 billion in mergers and acquisitions(M&A) transactions for the investment giant’s portfolio of technology companies, which included Apple, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, eBay, and Yahoo. Initially based in New York City,...
In 2000, Smith and a former Goldman colleague, Brian Sheth, founded Vista Equity Partners, a private equityfirm focused on investments in enterprise software across industries, from healthcare to O&G (oil and gas). Over the next two decades, Smith built Vista into one of the largest and most successful investment firms in the technology sector. In ...
In 2000, Smith’s decision to focus exclusively on investments in enterprise software was met with skepticism. Potential investors were hesitant about debt financing for software businesses, which have few hard assets (unlike hardware companies) as well as high levels of technical debt, i.e., the cost incurred by software companies when they have to...
True to his engineering background, Smith has described Vista’s proprietary (and secret) formula to transform acquired companies into profitable businesses as “a very simple methodology” that involves the highly systematic implementation of over 100 operating procedures, known as Vista Best Practices. The first step happens pre-acquisition. In addi...
Recognition of Smith’s investment acumen has included being named one of Forbes’ 100 Greatest Living Business Minds (2017) and one of Bloomberg’s 50 People Who Defined the Year (2019). In 2019, he was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame. As one of the most active U.S. philanthropists, Smith has been recognized with multiple awards, includ...
As reported in The New York Times, Smith made headlines in 2020, when he entered into a non-prosecution agreement and paid $139 million to the IRS to settle “one of the biggest tax evasion cases in American history.” Smith was never charged with any crimes and Vista Equity Partners was never named in the investigation. As part of the agreement, Smi...
Smith was praised by a former Goldman colleague for "convincing an entire market" that the future revenue streams of subscription-based software businesses were "a reliable annuity that could be financed with debt.” Under Smith’s leadership, Vista has returned high multiples of invested capital and an industry-leading rate of returns across funds s...
- Shoshanna Delventhal
Learn how to become a better leader from philanthropist Smith. Robert F. Smith considers the future of investing and the goals of growing business quickly, at scale and with more profitability. Mr. Smith also emphasizes the need to promote diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels of businesses.
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Jan 13, 2022 · How Vista Equity Partners founder Robert F. Smith became the richest Black man in America. The private equity titan’s rise to the top involved savvy investments in enterprise software, major philanthropy, marrying a former Playboy model and a wee bit of tax evasion. Amy Lamare.
