Robert Smith. Vista Equity Partners

Many people greatly limit their potential by focusing on the past, and especially on their current profession.
Of course, it is very difficult for an ordinary worker to give up everything and start learning a new profession, new skills and move to a completely new step in his life.

However, no matter how great the prejudices of the majority may be, completely different people, of different professions, who had practically nothing to do with the stock exchange, achieved success on the stock exchange.

One of the brightest representatives of managers who changed their lives and achieved a billion-dollar fortune is Robert Smith, founder and head of Vista Equity Partners.

early years

Robert Smith was born on December 1, 1962, into an ordinary African-American family of learned teachers. From childhood, he was surrounded by science and enjoyed a comfortable life. It's worth noting that his biography contains a very interesting fact about his parents: when Smith was still a toddler, his mother attended Martin Luke King's sermons, and he himself was present during the famous speech now known as "I Have a Dream.".

The future financier attended Carson Elementary School and then high school in Denver. It's worth noting that even in school, he demonstrated phenomenal skills in physics, mathematics, and chemistry, so as a senior, he was eager to join the Bell Labs internship program.

However, since the program was only for college graduates, he was rejected. Nevertheless, Robert showed tremendous persistence and called almost every day asking to be accepted.

Bell Labs saw his enormous commitment and hired him at the first opportunity. And for good reason, as during his internship, he developed a simple test to determine the reliability of semiconductors.

After high school, he chose Cornell University, one of the most prestigious engineering schools. It's worth noting that he was an active student and even belonged to the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering.

First job

Robert Smith's career in his specialty allowed him to work as a light industry engineer in such companies as Air Products & Chemicals, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and Kraft General Foods.

It's worth noting that he was responsible for the complete development of both the product and the equipment that would support production. During his tenure, he acquired two American and two European patents, confirming his intellectual property.

A true turning point in his life was his studies at Columbia University, where he successfully completed the program and earned an MBA with honors. Having such an education opened many doors in investment firms, which he naturally took advantage of.

His first job was at the investment bank Goldman Sachs, where he held various positions from 1994 to 2000. Goldman Sachs became interested in Robert Smith due to his knowledge of technology industries and the nuances of production, so he was entrusted with leading projects related to Silicon Valley.

In this position, he earned hundreds of millions of dollars for the company, as he was actively involved in acquisitions for companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo, Texas Instruments, and eBay.

Opening of an investment company.

In 2000, having accumulated substantial capital, influence and experience, Robert Smt left Goldman Sachs and founded his own company called Vista Equity Partners.


It's worth noting that the company managed approximately $24 billion in a very short period of time, and when forming its stock portfolio, attention was paid only to high-tech companies.

For example, the company's portfolio includes shares of such companies as EagleView, Lithium, Kibo, Vista - Finastra, TIBCO, Solera, Infloblox.

Vista Equity Partners managed approximately $30 billion in 2017, with Robert Smith's personal wealth estimated at $4 billion.