Robert F. Smith

Founder, Chairman & CEO at Vista Equity Partners

Robert F. Smith is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. Vista currently manages equity capital commitments of over $46Bn and oversees a portfolio of over 50 software companies that employ over 60,000 people worldwide. In 2017, Smith was named by Forbes as one of the 100 Greatest Living Business Minds.

Previously, Smith worked for Goldman Sachs in Tech M&A and Kraft General Foods, where he earned four patents. Last year, Smith signed on to the Giving Pledge, the only African American to do so. He serves as the Chairman of Carnegie Hall, founding director and President of the Fund II Foundation, and Chairman of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. Smith earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and his MBA with honors from Columbia Business School.