Robert F. Smith and his Vista Equity Partners launches Vista Frontier Fellows program to increase diversity in finance

(Business Wire) – Today, Vista Equity Partners (Vista), the leading investment firm focused on software, data, and technology-enabled businesses, announced the launch of the Vista Frontier Fellows program. The initiative is designed to build a pipeline of highly-qualified women and diverse candidates from colleges and universities around the United States. Students selected for the program will gain a meaningful and challenging summer internship experience and have the opportunity to earn an offer of employment at the conclusion of the program.

For each Fellows class, the firm will seek out candidates with backgrounds often underrepresented in the finance and tech sectors, such as women, African Americans and members of the Latinx community. Vista will partner with colleges and universities across the United States, as well as organizations devoted to accelerating the success of female and minority students to ensure a robust applicant pool of qualified students. Vista is also inviting other private equity firms to tap the talent pool applying for the Vista Frontier Fellowship.

“We want young leaders who will come in, take advantage of this opportunity, and demonstrate the value they can bring to our firm during their internship and beyond,” said Robert Smith, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. “We know there are extraordinary candidates out there, including and especially women and minority candidates, who are too often overlooked in our sector. It is our job – and our commitment – to provide pathways to success for those candidates.”

Smith, who often cites his internship at Bell Labs as an experience that helped define his own professional path, has demonstrated his commitment to providing access and opportunity to female and diverse candidates through the culture he has built at Vista and his philanthropic endeavors.

Vista Frontier Fellows will be selected via the same rigorous hiring process that has brought some of the country’s leading minds in business, finance and technology to Vista’s ecosystem. Select Fellows who excel during the program will be offered a full-time position and partial tuition reimbursement.

“A young, dynamic and diverse workforce is essential for the long-term health of our company,” said Brian Sheth, an executive at Vista Equity Partners. “But perhaps more importantly, by building diverse pipelines today, we can create even more opportunities for underrepresented communities in the future. We are excited to welcome our first class of fellows next summer.”

The Vista Equity Partners Frontier Fellows Program will begin accepting applicants after February 1, 2019. For more information, please visit this site.

About Vista Equity Partners: Vista Equity Partners – Founded by Robert F. Smith in 2000 – is a U.S.-based investment firm with offices in Austin, San Francisco, Chicago, and Oakland with more than US$30 billion in cumulative capital commitments, currently invests in software, data and technology-based organizations led by world-class management teams with long-term perspective.

Vista Equity Partners is a value-added investor, contributing professional expertise and multi-level support towards companies realizing their full potential. The firm’s investment approach is anchored by a sizable long-term capital base, experience in structuring technology-oriented transactions, and proven management techniques that yield flexibility and opportunity in private equity investing.. For more information, please visit www.vistaequitypartners.com.

Source: Vista Equity Partners