Garrett Gilbertson

Managing Partner

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Garrett is a Managing Partner of SUM Ventures and Chairman of the Band of Angels Los Angeles. He is an entrepreneur, investor, decorated Afghan War veteran, and former USAF Captain with cross-functional leadership experience leading teams from Kabul to Caltech. Before SUM Ventures he led investments for family offices, angel groups, and corporate venture funds. His investments and experience include aerospace and defense, gaming, consumer products, life science, proptech, and fintech.

Garrett earned his B.Sc. in Management from the United States Air Force Academy and M.Sc. from Pepperdine University and is a graduate of Harvard’s Executive Program in Venture Capital and Private Equity. He received the George Award as the Outstanding Student in Entrepreneurship from the Graziadio School of Business and Management. Garrett was later named a partner of Caltech’s Computer and Mathematical Science Department and led seed-stage investment and incubation for a family office. From 2017-2018, Garrett served as Managing Director of BLD Capital, where he crafted the fund’s vision, managed investor relations, sourced opportunities, led deals, and supported portfolio companies. He was a speaker on FinTech and investing topics at Finovate and the Global Accelerator Conference in Seoul, South Korea.

Before launching SUM, VC Garrett was an active angel investor through the Band of Angels, Tech Coast Angels, and Pasadena Angels. He hosts monthly Pitch events in LA, where he vets early-stage opportunities. Garrett advises many portfolio companies and has served on the Board of Directors for UNest, DressX (observer), and ClearClub. He has served as an investor and advisor for Brius, DressX, UNest, Irrigreen, Automotus, Wave On, Purlin, Clear Club, and Champions Round. Garrett is passionate about helping startups succeed through SUM Ventures.