CAIS Live Conversations, Building With Alts

Recorded live at CAIS Live, this episode features David Breach, President of Vista Equity Partners, in conversation with CAIS Co-President Brad Walker. David reflects on a nontraditional path, from food salesman at 19 to Michigan Law to his current role as part of a $100 billion private equity firm, and what he believes each chapter taught him. He shares Vista's founding operating thesis, some of the hardest lessons learned across 90 portfolio companies, and his perspective on where enterprise software stands today. From factory floors to DoorDash drivers, he uses vivid analogies throughout to cut through the noise around generative AI and what it actually means for the industry.

Chapters
Chapter 1: From Food Salesman to Firm President (00:02:18) 
Chapter 2: What Sales Taught Him About Investing (00:04:08) 
Chapter 3: Vista's Founding Thesis, 26 Years Later (00:05:38) 
Chapter 4: The Hardest Lesson: Management Matters Most (00:09:56) 
Chapter 5: Reading the SaaS Selloff (00:12:35) 
Chapter 6: The Factory Floor and the Agentic Shift (00:17:52) 
Chapter 7: AI Is Going to Eat Services, Not Software (00:21:15) 
Chapter 8: The Rule of 60 (00:27:41) 
Chapter 9: The Inference Cost Problem (00:35:23)

Creators and Guests

Host
Alex Cavalieri
Head of Marketing, CAIS
Guest
David Breach
President of Vista Equity Partners

What is CAIS Live Conversations, Building With Alts ?

CAIS Live Conversations: Building With Alts, tackles the often untapped potential of alternative investments by sitting down with the various players in the alts ecosystem. Listen in as we dive into alternative investments from the perspective of industry experts, RIA executives, IBD executives, alts manager leaders, and alts experts. Hear what other advisors are doing, learn about new technology, and join us as we turn investment complexities into real-life concepts that could potentially help diversify and drive growth in the independent space.