Our Story
In 2018, Colin and Will each moved to Austin, Texas to join Vista Equity Partners, the first large buyout firm to partner with enterprise software companies. We quickly became great friends and roommates, living on West Fifth Street in Austin. At Vista, we learned how to quickly diligence and acquire great enterprise software businesses, closing over 20 acquisitions combined. We also learned how to accelerate growth in great software companies working hand-in-hand with companies we invested in, as well as best practices collected from Vista's 20+ years of investing in software.
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Years later, we realized that in addition to a long-term friendship and consistent values, we also share entrepreneurial goals. As a result, we decided to cofound West Fifth Partners.
Colin Woolway
Prior to founding West Fifth Partners, Colin attended Stanford's Graduate School of Business​. Before business school, Colin worked on the private equity team at Vista Equity Partners. Colin began his career in technology, media, and telecom investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
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Raised in California, Colin graduated with Honors from Harvard with a B.A. in Economics before getting his MBA from Stanford.
Will Gregory
Prior to founding West Fifth Partners, Will worked on the private equity team at Vista Equity Partners. Will began his career in consumer & retail investment banking at Lazard.
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Raised in Connecticut, Will graduated magna cum laude from Brown with a B.Sc. in Applied Math - Economics