About Vista Equity Partners
Vista Equity Partners (Vista) is a leading global investment firm founded by Robert F. Smith. The firm invests in enterprise software, data and technology-enabled companies across private equity, permanent capital, credit and public equity strategies.
Insights and Business Philosophies
Founded in 2000, Vista’s largest investment strategy is currently private equity (Vista Equity Partners) where it takes a differentiated and disciplined approach to software investing. The firm has a strong network of established relationships that help keep its prospective company pipeline active. Once invested, Vista prioritizes growth and value creation for its companies to create enduring market value. The firm prides itself on forming a close partnership with CEOs and company executives that enables portfolio company operational transformation and delivers consistent results to Vista’s investors and all stakeholders. Smith has noted that by applying this approach, Vista can help its portfolio companies, and their executive management teams, accelerate growth and expand market opportunity.
The Transformative Power of Technology
As the most active investor in the enterprise software market since 2010, Vista remains focused on what’s next, continuing to put capital to work across investment strategies. With this mindset, Vista has kept ahead of the technology timeline. The investment firm has embraced the Fourth Industrial Revolution and has seen the importance of connected communications, increasing computing power and accelerating digital forces, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and blockchain technologies, to advance the business economy.
Vista believes the transformative power of technology is the key to an even better future — a smarter economy, a healthier planet, diverse and inclusive communities, and a broader path to prosperity. The firm continues to invest in the companies and leaders at the forefront of the digital revolution — a strategy Vista sees as the best use of capital anywhere in the financial markets.
ESG Commitment
The very nature of enterprise software means that it has the capacity to have an outsized, positive impact on the world, transforming business efficiency, productivity and connectivity. Through investment and portfolio operations, Vista’s global technology ecosystem can influence, sustain and advance environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. Vista has integrated ESG procedures into the firm’s operations and strategies, leading efforts to drive meaningful results and cultivate a lasting impact. The firm’s ESG policy reflects this commitment.
Vista became a signatory of the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), the world’s largest reporting project on responsible investment in 2020. To continuously improve the portfolio’s environmental efficiency, Vista also became one of the first North American private equity firms to join the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative in 2021, pledging to reduce emissions by 50% across its private equity and permanent capital portfolio by 2030 and emit net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Read more about the firm’s commitment to ESG and its programs in The Transformative Power of Technology – Vista ESG and DE&I Report.
Vista’s DE&I Partnerships, Programs and Community Engagement
Vista’s DE&I vision is to transform the worlds of technology and investing by providing access and opportunity to traditionally underserved communities. Vista engages through a holistic approach which encompasses the firm, its portfolio, the broader investment and technology industries, along with the local communities where Vista employees live and work. Through each of these efforts, Vista seeks to realize its DE&I vision at scale.
Building the Next
Generation of Coders
Within Vista and its portfolio, the team is working to increase education opportunities and build onramps to success. Vista has partnered with Code.org and their Hour of Code program to help expand student access, participation and diversity in computer science. In line with Smith’s commitment to train the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs, Vista also provides financial assistance to the nonprofit Scratch, helping to offer their creative coding platform free of charge to reach children across the globe.
Investing
in Internships
Through internship programs, Vista, like Smith, is expanding opportunities for those who are often underrepresented in finance. Vista was a founding partner in Girls Who Invest to help increase the number of women in portfolio management and executive leadership in the asset management industry. The firm’s Frontier Fellows program focuses on recruiting undergraduate students from backgrounds that have been underrepresented in the private equity industry with full-time, paid internships to prepare them for a career in finance. Vista also offers career opportunities within the firm after the Frontier Fellows program has concluded.
Board Diversity
Stewardship
To help encourage and advance diverse representation from the top down within its portfolio, Vista launched the External Board Program in 2017 with the aim to achieve greater board diversity and ensure unique perspectives are represented across the ecosystem. To further align efforts across the industry, Vista partners with organizations such as Diligent’s Modern Leadership Initiative, The Board Challenge, The Board Diversity Action Alliance and Him for Her. Vista also launched a pipeline program in partnership with the National Association of Corporate Directors to diversify the pool of available talent for audit committees in the broader industry.
Connect With Vista
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