Robert F Smith Wiki, Age, Bio, Height, Wife, Career, and Net Worth 

Robert F Smith is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and investor. He is one of the wealthiest African-Americans, surpassing Oprah Winfrey.

Wiki, Bio, Family, Siblings, Childhood & Education

Smith, a fourth-generation Coloradoan, was born on December 1, 1962, to Dr. William Robert Smith and Dr. Sylvia Myma Smith. His parents were both PhD-educated school teachers. Smith is of African-American descent and American nationality. He grew up in a middle-class Denver area.

Smith’s mother accompanied him to the March on Washington as a child, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famed speech, “I Have a Dream.” In Denver, he attended Carson Elementary School and East High School. He got an internship at Bell Labs while still in high school but was told that the training was only for college students. He never gave up hope and called every day. When a student from M.I.T. failed to show up one day, he was given admittance. He created a semiconductor reliability test there.

Smith then attended Cornell University. There, he became an Alpha Phi Alpha brother. Later, he attended Columbia Business School, earning an MBA with honors in finance and marketing.

Robert F Smith’s Age, Height, Weight, and Body Dimensions

Robert F Smith, born on December 1, 1962, is 59 years old today, July 26th, 2022. His height is 1.75 meters, and his weight is 75 kg.

Robert F Smith’s Profession & Career

Smith began his career as a chemical engineer at Air Products and Chemicals, then moved to Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company. He received two European patents and two US patents. Smith worked in technology investment banking at Goldman Sachs from 1994 to 2000, initially in New York and then in Silicon Valley.

He also assisted corporations such as Apple, Texas Instruments, eBay, Microsoft, and Yahoo on approximately $50 billion in merger and acquisition activity. Smith was the first Goldman Sachs San Francisco employee to focus on acquisition and technology mergers.

In the year 2000, Smith established “Vista Equity Partners.” He is the company’s CEO, founder, and chairman. Vista has $46 billion in capital commitments as of 2019. Vista employs around 60,000 people worldwide and owns over 50 software companies, making it the fourth largest company behind Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP.

In 2014, Vista closed Fund V at $5.8 billion. In 2015, Vista Equity Partners was voted the top performing private equity firm. The organization manages $30 billion in assets. Smith was named a 2016 game changer by Private Equity International.

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Smith is the first African-American to serve on Carnegie Hall’s board of directors. He is also the chairman of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and a member of Columbia Business School’s board of overseers. He is also the Fund II Foundation’s founding director and President.

He also serves as a trustee for the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco. Smith is one of the most generous individual donors at the City Hope Of Gala, which raises cash for prostate cancer treatment for black men and breast cancer care for black women. He also gave $1 million to the Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park and the Cultural Performance Center.

Smith was designated one of the “Philanthropy 50” in 2017 by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. He also serves on the board of the Louise Armstrong House Museum.

In other ways, Cornell University honored Smith by designating the “Robert Fredrick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering” after him. Morehouse College bestowed upon him an honorary doctorate.

In May 2019, he declared that he would wipe off the whole loan debt of all 296 Morehouse College students. He had already donated $1.5 million to the school.

Achievements and Awards

Robert Smith, founder, chairman, and CEO of “Vista Equity Partners,” is one of America’s wealthiest African-Americans. He outperformed Oprah Winfrey. Forbes listed Smith as the 163rd richest person in America and the 480th richest person in the world. His net worth is currently believed to be $5 billion. In 2017, Forbes called Smith one of the 100 best living business thinkers.

Robert F Smith’s Wife, Marriage & Relationship

In 1988, Robert married another Cornell alumna, Suzanne McFayden. They had been together for 22 years. But things didn’t work out, and they split up in 2010. In 2014, their divorce was finalized. The couple’s three children are Zoe Smith, Max Smith, and Eliana Smith. In 2015, Robert married Hope Dworaczyk, a former Playboy playmate, model, fashion editor, and champion for healthy living. Robert and Hope have two boys, Hendrix Robert Smith, born in 2014, and Legend Robert Smith, born in 2016. Smith is presently a resident of Austin, Texas.

Robert F Smith’s Salary and Net Worth

Smith launched “Vista Equity Partners” in 2000, a private equity and venture capital firm. In 2015, Vista Equity Partners boosted its 30 percent yearly returns. He entered “ Forbes 400” for the first time with an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion, which positioned him at 269 on the list of wealthiest Americans and most affluent African-Americans.

In 2018, his estimated net worth was $4.4 billion, and he became the nation’s wealthiest African-American. He owns a residence in Austin, Texas; a mansion in Malibu, California, which he bought for $19.5 million; and a home in New York City, which he purchased for $59 million. As of July 2022, Smith’s projected net worth is $6 billion.

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