Brian Sheth

When Brian Sheth co-founded Vista Equity Partners in 2000 – with Robert Smith, the best man at his wedding – it became one of the very first private equity firms to focus exclusively on software. Not only has the foresight helped make Sheth a billionaire, but it’s also given Vista a leg-up when competing with larger investment firms that are relatively new to the software game. In fact, the San Francisco-based firm claims to have never lost money on a buyout. “In software there are a lot of great technologies, but not as many great business people,” Sheth explains. “We’ve really learned how to put systems in place that improve the companies that grow up around the software.”