Draft:Garrett Gilbertson

Garrett Gilbertson (born December 16, 1985) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and former military officer. He is the founder and Managing Partner of SUM Ventures (SUM.VC), Owner of Maverick Investment Properties, and Chairman of the Band of Angels Los Angeles Group. Known for his leadership in venture capital, Garrett is a veteran of the Afghan War and a former Captain in the United States Air Force.

Early Life and Education
Garrett earned a Bachelor of Science in Management from the United States Air Force Academy. He later obtained a Master of Science from Pepperdine University and is a graduate of Harvard University's Executive Program in Venture Capital and Private Equity. At Pepperdine's Graziadio School of Business and Management, he received the George Award for Outstanding Student in Entrepreneurship.

Military Career
During his time in the Air Force, Garrett served as a procurement contracting officer, where he was responsible for negotiating, awarding, or administering $2.4 billion in government contracts. His deployment to Afghanistan involved overseeing 439 construction contracts totaling $224 million. For his service, he was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal.

Business Career
Garrett began his investment career as an active angel investor through organizations such as the Band of Angels, Tech Coast Angels, and Pasadena Angels. In 2015, he became the youngest member to join the Band of Angels, Silicon Valley's oldest angel investment group. He launched Band of Angels LA in 2018, the first satellite chapter of the Band of Angels. That same year, he founded StartupMavericks, his personal family office through which he became the first angel investor in notable companies like UNest, DressX, Brius (formerly Mechanodontics), Purlin, Irrigreen, Automotus, and ClearClub.

He served as Managing Director of BLD Capital from 2017 to 2018, where he led the fund’s vision, managed investor relations, sourced opportunities, led deals, and supported portfolio companies, investing in 12 seed-stage companies. In 2022, Garrett launched SUM Ventures, a seed-stage fund that leveraged the extensive sourcing network he had built, involving strategic investors and partners from a variety of angel groups, Douglas Elliman real estate brokerage, Siemens, and many software development companies like Distillery, UPtech Studio, and Quantiva.

Recognition
In 2013, Garrett won the George Award from Pepperdine University and was recognized as the outstanding student in entrepreneurship by the Graziadio School of Business and Management. In 2020, he was recognized as the outstanding angel investor in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Venture Association. In 2021, Garrett presented UNest at Innovate. Garrett was also a featured speaker at the Global Accelerator Conference in Seoul, South Korea, and has since spoken at numerous conferences on the topic of early-stage investing.

Board Memberships and Advisory Roles
Garrett advises many of his portfolio companies and holds board positions at UNest, DressX, Brius, Purlin, and ClearClub.