Blackstone and firm led by America’s richest Black billionaire join forces to acquire Energy Exemplar

Vista Equity Partners, the global technology investment firm founded by Robert F. Smith, America’s richest Black billionaire, has joined forces with Blackstone Inc., the world’s largest alternative asset manager, to acquire Energy Exemplar, a leading global provider of energy market simulation software.

This deal, sealed between Energy Exemplar and private equity funds affiliated with Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners, paves the way for the firm to access new resources aimed at accelerating its growth and driving platform innovation. With the rapidly changing energy landscape in mind, the partnership seeks to provide accurate simulation and decision support to customers worldwide.

David Wilson, CEO of Energy Exemplar, expressed his excitement about the collaboration, stating: “We are tremendously excited about this partnership and how it will accelerate our investment in our leading SaaS platform, providing accurate simulation and decision support for our customers in today’s rapidly changing energy landscape.”

The latest partnership combines the expertise of Blackstone and Vista Equity in both the energy and software industries, positioning Energy Exemplar as the go-to solution for clients worldwide who are at the forefront of the energy transition.

Energy Exemplar, known for its technology of optimization-based energy market simulation, empowers organizations to optimize decision-making across new asset development and existing operations. The software is pivotal for forecasting market operations, driving long-term investments, and optimizing ongoing operations across assets and systems.

Vista Equity’s impressive monetization activities under Robert F. Smith

Vista Equity Partners, under the leadership of Smith, has rapidly become a dominant force in the technology sector since its establishment in 2000.

With assets totaling more than $100 billion and an impressive annual return rate of 22 percent, Vista Equity Partners has recently been highly active in the technology sector. It includes 18 monetization events completed since Nov. 30, 2021, generating a total value of $18 billion.

Under the leadership of Smith, Vista Equity has realized $14.3 billion through monetization, including co-investment, with $3.7 billion in unrealized value yet to be captured.

Smith, a technology investor, became the richest Black American in 2018 after surpassing Oprah Winfrey. This partnership further solidifies Vista Equity Partners’ position as a major player in the technology sector.