Philanthropist and dealmaker Robert F. Smith is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners (Vista). Vista is a leading global investment firm that exclusively invests in enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses worldwide.

Smith serves as the Chairman of Carnegie Hall, as well as on the Board of Directors of the Business Roundtable, on the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School and as a Member of the Cornell Engineering College Council. He is also the Chairman of Student Freedom Initiative (SFI), which aims to relieve the crushing burden of student debt for STEM students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).

Smith is the founding director and President of Fund II Foundation and a leading advocate for companies to take diverse internship candidates in STEM fields. He is also the thought leader behind The 2% Solution, calling on corporations to commit 2% of their annual net income for the next decade to empower underserved communities. Additionally, he co-leads Southern Communities Initiative (SCI), a catalytic program for advancing racial equity across six Southern communities home to more than half of the Black population in the U.S.

In 2019, Smith made history by paying off the student loan debt of the graduating class of Morehouse College.

Smith was named one of TIME100’s Most Influential People in 2020, was recognized by Forbes as one of the 100 Greatest Living Business Minds, and is a recipient of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, among other honors.