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Robert F. Smith was born on December 1, 1962, in Denver, Colorado. His parents were both educators, and Smith's father also served as the principal of a high school. Smith attended Carson Elementary School and East High School, where he was a member of the school's marching band and played in the jazz band.After graduating from high school in 1981, Smith attended Cornell University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering. He went on to earn an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1994.After completing his MBA, Smith began his career in finance at Goldman Sachs, where he worked in the mergers and acquisitions department. He later joined the tech investment banking group at Goldman Sachs, where he advised on deals for companies such as Apple, Microsoft, and Texas Instruments.In 2000, Smith left Goldman Sachs to start his own private equity firm, Vista Equity Partners. The firm focuses on investing in software and technology-enabled businesses, with a particular focus on enterprise software. Since its founding, Vista Equity Partners has grown to become one of the world's largest and most successful private equity firms, with over $73 billion in assets under management as of 2021.Smith has received numerous accolades for his work in finance and philanthropy. In 2017, he was named by Forbes as one of the 100 greatest living business minds, and in 2019, he was awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy for his charitable work. In addition to his philanthropic work, Smith is also an advocate for diversity in the tech industry and has been a vocal supporter of initiatives to increase the representation of women and people of color in tech.