Vista Equity Partners

Vista Equity Partners was founded in 2000 by American businessman and investor Robert F. Smith, who serves as Chairman and CEO. Brian N. Sheth is the co-founder of the company and serves as its president.[8] The company opened its first office in San Francisco that year.[9] In November 2008, Vista closed a funding round for its first institutional fund with a total of $1.3 billion raised.[10] In 2011, the company opened an office in Austin, Texas.[9]

Over the years, Vista has added several flagship equity funds and credit funds to its portfolio,[11][12][13] including its first fund, the Vista Credit Opportunities Fund, which raised $196 million.[13][14] During that time, Vista opened several funds that specifically target middle-market companies[15] and emerging technology companies.[16] The company also has a permanent capital investment fund, Vista Equity Partners Perennial, which focuses on growing vertical market software companies.[17][18]

In 2018, Vista was named the top software investor of the past decade by Pitchbook.[19][20] Also in 2018, Vista's sale of Marketo to Adobe was named Deal of the Year by Buyouts magazine.[21] In 2019, Vista was named Dealmaker of the Year at the PitchBook Private Equity Awards.[22]

As of May 2020, Vista had more than $57 billion in capital commitments.[23] In 2020, Vista joined Diligent Corporation's Modern Leadership Initiative and pledged to create five new board roles among its portfolio companies for racially diverse candidates.[24][25]

In August 2000, Vista invested in SourceNet Solutions, a provider of finance and accounting business process outsourcing services.[26][27] Between 2001 and 2005, Vista invested in several software companies, including BigMachines, a provider of product configuration software,[28][29] and Aspect Communications, a contact center technology company,[30] among others.[9] In 2005, Vista invested in MDSI Mobile Data Solutions.[31]

In 2006, Vista invested in Reynolds & Reynolds, an auto technology company.[32] The following year, Vista acquired Indus International, which it later merged with MDSI Mobile Data Solutions to form Ventyx, Inc.[31] That year, the company also invested in SirsiDynix, a library software company.[33][34] In 2008, Vista acquired P2 Energy Solutions Inc, a software company that helps oil and gas producers keep track of drilling leases.[35] The following year, the company acquired SumTotal Systems from Accel Partners and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts,[36][37] as well as MicroEdge from Advent Software.[38] In 2011, the firm acquired multiple companies, including Sage Healthcare, an electronic health records company,[39] which it renamed Vitera Healthcare Solutions.[40]

Between 2012 and 2013, Vista acquired several companies, including Bullhorn, Inc. a CRM software provider;[41][42] Misys, a British software company;[43] Websense;[44][45][46] and Active Network, Inc, an online event registration service.[47][48] Between 2014 and 2015, Vista acquired Automated Insights, a software company specializing in natural-language generation;[41] Main Street Hub, a social-media company;,[49] PowerSchool, a provider of educational technology, and TIBCO Software,[50] a company that specializes in big data and software integrations, among others.[51]

In 2016, Vista announced agreements to acquire Marketo, a marketing automation software company,[52] and Ping Identity, a single sign-on digital security company.[53] The company invested in Granicus[54] and Vivid Seats that same year.[55] In 2017, Vista acquired several software companies, including NAVEX Global.[56] That year, the company also invested in Upserve, a restaurant software provider, (WSJ, 2017) and Market Track.[57]

In 2018, Vista acquired Apptio, a cloud-based business management software,[58] and entered into an agreement to acquire Mindbody.[59] That year, Vista invested in several other companies, including Wrike, a provider of project management software.[60] In 2019, Vista bought a majority stake in Acquia,[61] and completed its first IPO when it took Ping Identity public.[62] Also in 2019, Vista purchased Sonatype, a cybersecurity, open-source automation company[63] and Accelya, a technology provider for the airline industry.[17] In 2020, Vista acquired Tripleseat, a web-based sales and event management company,[64] and purchased a 2.32% stake in Jio Platforms.[65]

November 2020 Vista acquired CRM-Software provider Pipedrive for a 1.5 billion dollars.[66]

In September 2017, Vista and their companies pledged $1 million to assist the Akshaya Patra Foundation in delivering meals to Indian school children.[76] In 2019, Robert F. Smith committed to eliminate the student loan debt of the Morehouse College Class of 2019.[77] He paid $34 million to cover the students' loans and the loans of their parents for their studies.[77][78]

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