Billionaire tech investor and equity titan Robert Smith has wedged himself between Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan on the latest Forbes magazine’s newly released 400 List of richest people.
Robert Smith, 52 boasts a financial empire of $2.5 billion fortune and a lofty perch at No. 268 spot on the list of the richest Americans.
Smith is now the second richest African-American after only Oprah Winfrey, No. 211, elbowing aside Michael Jordan, No. 1741 on the global Billionaires list. Smith is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Vista Equity Partners, an Austin, Texas, private equity firm with $15.9 billion in client assets.
Vista gets a 30% annual returns in enterprise software, a field where competitive field where a little tough tenacity goes a long way. Smith owns more than 50% of Vista, recently valued at $4.3 billion after it sold a minority stake to Neuberger Berman’s PE unit, Dyal Partners, in July.
Robert Smith recently married Hope Dworaczyk, Playboy’s 2010 Playmate of the Year, in a lavish ceremony on Italy’s Amalfi Coast this past summer.
About Post Author
