Why Black-Owned Banks Are More Important Than Ever
Black-owned banks are federally insured financial institutions that are owned by a majority of Black individuals and serve Black communities.
Why Black-Owned Banks Are More Important Than Ever
Black-owned banks are federally insured financial institutions that are owned by a majority of Black individuals and serve Black communities.
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Get Industry leading insights from Robert F. Smith directly in your LinkedIn feed.
Robert F. Smith and Base10 Partners to Expand HBCU Investment Options
On June 14, Base10 Partners, the largest Black-led venture capital fund, announced a new partnership with Student Freedom Initiative to help expand investment options for specific Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with which the nonprofit is already collaborating. This partnership builds on the Base10 Partners’ Advancement Initiative that works
What is Robert F. Smith Best Known For?
Robert F. Smith is best known as the Founder, Chairman and CEO of the global leading investment firm Vista Equity Partners. Smith began his professional career as a chemical engineer out of Cornell University. He later switched career paths after attending Columbia Business School at Columbia University. At Goldman Sachs,
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Study Finds Racial Gap in Wells Fargo’s Mortgage Refinancing Applications
A recent Bloomberg study found that Wells Fargo rejected more than half of its Black applicants applying to refinance mortgages in 2020. The bank approved 72% of white applicants applying to refinance a mortgage, but only approved 47% of Black applicants. The racial gap in approval persisted across income brackets;
Robert F. Smith and the United Justice Coalition: Addressing Social and Criminal Justice
Social and criminal justice reform have been central to American conversations for decades, but they seemed to come to a head over two years ago with the murder of George Floyd. At the time, Robert F. Smith spoke out on the tragic situation in a letter to Vista Equity Partners
Voting Rights Takes Center Stage in the 2022 Midterms
All eyes are on state and local elections as the country inches closer to the 2022 midterm election. Millions of voters are casting ballots in state primary races throughout the summer and will eventually determine which political party controls Congress over the next two years. Although many policy issues are
2021 Board Diversity Study Shows Improvements and Setbacks
Boards of directors at leading U.S. companies are becoming more diverse. A 2021 survey conducted by leadership consulting firm Spencer Stuart, published this past January, found that 19.1% of new board directors at S&P 500 technology companies were African American, compared to just 2.9% in 2020. Gender representation has also
Robert F. Smith and Base10 Partners to Expand HBCU Investment Options
On June 14, Base10 Partners, the largest Black-led venture capital fund, announced a new partnership with Student Freedom Initiative to help expand investment options for specific Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with which the nonprofit is already collaborating. This partnership builds on the Base10 Partners’ Advancement Initiative that works
What is Robert F. Smith Best Known For?
Robert F. Smith is best known as the Founder, Chairman and CEO of the global leading investment firm Vista Equity Partners. Smith began his professional career as a chemical engineer out of Cornell University. He later switched career paths after attending Columbia Business School at Columbia University. At Goldman Sachs,

Study Finds Racial Gap in Wells Fargo’s Mortgage Refinancing Applications
A recent Bloomberg study found that Wells Fargo rejected more than half of its Black applicants applying to refinance mortgages in 2020. The bank approved 72% of white applicants applying to refinance a mortgage, but only approved 47% of Black applicants. The racial gap in approval persisted across income brackets;
Robert F. Smith and the United Justice Coalition: Addressing Social and Criminal Justice
Social and criminal justice reform have been central to American conversations for decades, but they seemed to come to a head over two years ago with the murder of George Floyd. At the time, Robert F. Smith spoke out on the tragic situation in a letter to Vista Equity Partners
Voting Rights Takes Center Stage in the 2022 Midterms
All eyes are on state and local elections as the country inches closer to the 2022 midterm election. Millions of voters are casting ballots in state primary races throughout the summer and will eventually determine which political party controls Congress over the next two years. Although many policy issues are
2021 Board Diversity Study Shows Improvements and Setbacks
Boards of directors at leading U.S. companies are becoming more diverse. A 2021 survey conducted by leadership consulting firm Spencer Stuart, published this past January, found that 19.1% of new board directors at S&P 500 technology companies were African American, compared to just 2.9% in 2020. Gender representation has also