What does truly impactful philanthropy look like – for the planet, and for future generations?
Perhaps something like this:
- 83 species saved from extinction.
- 50,000 miles of forests saved and conserved for future generations.
- 350,000 acres of key habitat protected in the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
- 120,000 children helped globally, with new programs and opportunities for learning and advancement.
- 430 projects, built with 90 partnerships, in over 80 countries, backed by over $60 million in donations – and counting.
- Building a brand new, multimillion-dollar campus for under-privileged kids at the Boys & Girls Club of Austin.
Brian Sheth is a man on a mission of conservation and compassion.
And he’s just getting started.
Who Is Brian Sheth?
Brian Sheth personifies investing with impact.
In his business life, he rose from humble beginnings to become a multi-billionaire as the Co-Founder and President of Vista Equity Partners.
Sheth was listed in the Forbes 2018 World Billionaires list with an estimated net worth of $2 billion. He was also a member of Fortune’s 2015 “40 under 40” list and Forbes’ 40 under 40 in 2015.
“We were very lucky… we focused on one thing early, which was software… our view… was that even though software was a much smaller component of the technology industry than semiconductors or hardware, data networking or storage, we felt it drove the value underlying the value of all those other industries. We believed software would continue to be more and more important.” — Brian Sheth, speaking onstage to Michael Milken at the 2018 Montgomery Summit
It’s safe to say those software investments had impact.
Today, Vista has $31 Billion in Assets Under management (AUM), owns over 50 software companies and has 65,000 employees worldwide. Vista is the fourth largest enterprise software company on the planet, behind only Microsoft, Oracle and SAP.
Additionally, Sheth sits on a number of boards, including: The Active Network, Advicent, Aptean, Autotask, Bullhorn, DealerSocket, Global Wildlife Conservation, Greenway, MarVista Entertainment, MRI Software, STATS, Taxware, and Forcepoint.
And now, Sheth is putting that his investment acumen to work – in philanthropic works.
Sheth and his wife, Adria Sheth, established the Sheth Sangreal Foundation, which is dedicated to education and wildlife conservation.
Sheth also chairs Global Wildlife Conservation, an international organization working in over 50 countries around the world to protect wildlife and ecosystems.
The Sheth Sangreal Foundation
The Sheth Sangreal Foundation’s mission is “For our children, our planet and our well-being, to ensure no one stands alone while protecting life in a changing world.” Austin, TX – Sheth’s hometown – had a big problem.
The child poverty rate in the city has risen markedly in recent years – leaving many children in crisis, with almost no chance to reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. So… the Sheth Sangreal Foundation stepped in – and stepped up – and made a multi-million-dollar donation that largely funded a new Boys & Girls Club campus.
The 32,000 square foot Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area (BGCAA) Home Club on the Sheth Family Campus (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpev1lzc4dA) opened on April 26, 2019.
The world-class facility has a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning center where kids can learn to code, a library, a computer lab, an art studio, a recording studio, a dance studio, a teen center, an indoor athletics facility, soccer and baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts.
Brian and Adria Sheth at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the BGCAA Home Club on the Sheth Family Campus
“The best way to enable growth for future generations is to invest in the kids that might not otherwise have access to all opportunities being afforded today. By investing in these children, by building this great campus, they will have a concrete example of the community’s commitment to them that they see every day,” said Sheth.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Austin say the new campus will allow them to serve up to 1,000 more kids and teens each year, especially residents from Austin’s economically prosperous east side.
Global Wildlife Conservation
“In all my time as a conservationist, I have never met a more supremely successful businessman who devotes more time and is as passionate as Brian about saving the planet.” – Jane Goodall
As Chairman of Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC), Sheth leads an organization whose mission is to “Conserve the diversity of life on Earth, where all of life has value and can flourish- plant, animal, and human. We can retain, restore and revitalize our planet.”
What’s the ROI on investing in environmental conservation?
“In a real dollar term, every billion dollars that we invest in environmental preservation has about a 110 “X” return,” says Sheth. “Not just clean water, clean air and clean food, which are all important things, but also direct benefits to folks like arable farmland, soil preservation and more.”
GWC conserves the diversity of life on Earth by safeguarding wildlands, protecting wildlife and supporting guardians. Since GWC was incorporated in 2008, the organization has protected more than 350,000 acres of key habitat in the world’s biodiversity hotspots, protected habitat for more than 150 threatened species and for more than 17,000 other species to prevent them from becoming threatened in the future.
GWC partnered with the Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d’Orbigny in Bolivia to successfully rediscover the Sehunecas water frog in the wild, including a Juliet for Romeo, no longer the world’s loneliest frog. The campaign has garnered a record amount of global attention (including
a mention on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and has renewed hope that conservationists can save the imperiled species from extinction.
Earlier this year, GWC celebrated the rediscovery in Indonesia of the world’s largest bee, Wallace’s giant bee, one of the Search for Lost Species’ 25 most wanted lost species. With partners, GWC established the first private nature reserve in Haiti.
In 2018, GWC captured incredible photos of a Javan rhino, one of the world’s rarest animals, in Ujung Kulon National Park, where GWC is working with partners to conserve the species.
Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity and Hollywood actor Edward Norton joined GWC and Austin business and community leaders on Thursday, April 11, for GWC’s fifth-annual “Wild Night for Wildlife” event.
In a “fireside chat,” Sheth and Norton discussed the importance of conservation and saving endangered species to every individual, all communities and the planet. Emmy and Tony award winner Tate Donovan served as the event’s emcee.
About 550 guests attended the private event, which then opened to the public for a concert by Tameca Jones, queen of Austin soul. Each year the event raises significant support for GWC’s mission to conserve the diversity of life on Earth. The event raised more than $4 million. Wild Night for Wildlife also honored GWC’s Chief Conservation Officer Russ Mittermeier, who last year was awarded the Indianapolis Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in conservation.
Saving the World
A lot of people claim they are “saving the world” – but with massive philanthropic works in child education and environmental conservation, Brian Sheth actually is doing it.
As he says on the Sheth Sangreal website:
We Can and We Will:
- Save the biodiversity of the planet
- Enable and empower our children
Based on his history – it would be foolish to bet against him.
To learn more about the work of the Sheth Sangreal Foundation, visit their website: https://app.sangrealfoundation.org/
To get involved with Global Wildlife Conservation, visit their website: https://www.globalwildlife.org/about-us/#
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