Investment Team

The TTV investment team has entrepreneurial, strategic, operational, and general management expertise in our targeted market segment. We leverage the full capacity of the TTV team and our extended network to help build our portfolio companies into market leaders.



Gardiner W. Garrard III, CFA

Mr. Garrard is a founder and Managing Partner of Total Technology Ventures, LLC. He has been an active investor in financial technology companies for over ten years. His responsibilities include fundraising, investor relations, investment decisions, portfolio company oversight, and firm operations. In addition, he has served as the interim CEO of a portfolio company.

Prior to founding Total Technology Ventures, Mr. Garrard was a principal of Shoptaw & Garrard, LLC, an Atlanta-based investment management firm. At Shoptaw & Garrard, he worked on the development and implementation of investment strategies, portfolio management, and fundraising for the firm's real estate private equity funds.

His current community involvement includes board roles at the Goizueta Business School, the Georgia Department for Economic Development and The Emory Eye Center. He previously served on the board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Mr. Garrard is a member of Leadership Georgia’s class of 2005, the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (YEO), and the Atlanta Downtown Rotary. In 2004, Mr. Garrard received the Goizueta Business School’s Outstanding Recent Alumni award. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Connecture, Inc., Perimeter Internetworking Corp., ControlScan, Inc., FTRANS Corp., Bluepoint Solutions, Interactive Advisory Software, Inc., and Chain Reaction Ecommerce company.

He earned a B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A. from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.


W. Thomas Smith, Jr.

Mr. Smith is a founder of Total Technology Ventures. He retired from IBM in 2000 after 30 years of service. From 1996 to his retirement, Mr. Smith served as Vice President, Small and Medium Business, IBM Americas. Prior to that, he was the Southern Area General Manager appointed in 1986, with responsibility for IBM's sales, marketing, and services business for thirteen states. His community affiliations include the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta as Board Chairman for 1998-99, Central Atlanta Progress, the Carter Center, and the Woodruff Arts Center. He received the Armin Maier citizenship award from the Atlanta Downtown Rotary Club in 1998. Mr. Smith earned a B. S. Degree in industrial management from The Georgia Institute of Technology in 1969 and completed the executive program at Dartmouth's Amos Tuck School of Business in 1986. In addition, he received his "Certificate in Data Processing" from the Institute for Certification of Computer Professionals. Mr. Smith is currently on the Board of Directors of Austin Logistics, Inc., E-Duction, e-Wise Systems, Green Dot Corporation, IP Commerce Company, Microbilt, Serious, Inc. Silverpop Systems, Inc. and a Board Observer of PayCycle, Inc.


Mark A. Johnson

Mark A. Johnson joined Total Technology Ventures, LLC in September 2008 as a Partner with the firm. Mark is the former Vice Chairman of CheckFree Corporation. His responsibilities included overseeing mergers and acquisitions, evaluating strategic growth opportunities for the company, developing strategic corporate relationships and supporting long term business strategies. He was also a member of the CheckFree Board of Directors. Johnson first joined CheckFree in 1982 as Vice President of Operations. He held numerous positions within the organization and was responsible for the development and launch of CheckFree’s commercial and consumer electronic funds transfer services and CheckFree’s electronic bill payment and bill presentment businesses as well as the development of key strategic alliances and marketing initiatives. In 2000, Johnson left his position as Vice Chairman of Corporate Development and Marketing to form e-RM Ventures, a private investing consultancy focused on early-stage payments-related companies. He continued to work with CheckFree executive management on strategic issues through his Board of Directors position, and returned to CheckFree as Vice Chairman in February 2003. Prior to joining CheckFree Corporation, Johnson worked for the Federal Reserve Bank and Bank One. He currently serves on a number of private companies Board of Directors, and he is currently the Chairman of Venture Atlanta and on the Board of Directors of the Technology Association of Georgia where in 2007 he was the chairman. Johnson holds an undergraduate degree from Miami University and an MBA degree from the Ohio State University.


Sean Banks

Prior to joining TTV, Mr. Banks served as the Vice President of Finance and General Counsel for an Atlanta based start up company. He earned his MBA in 2003 from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University where he was one of five Woodruff Fellows. Mr. Banks is currently a member of the Georgia Bar Association, having earned his J.D. at the University of San Diego in 2001. He is a 1996 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, where he earned a B.S. in Economics. Thereafter, he served in the United States Navy for five years including a three year tour as the Regional News Desk Director for Navy Region Southwest. He is currently on the Board of Directors for ControlScan, IAS, and Chain Reaction Ecommerce company.


Sharon Hess

Ms. Hess joined TTV when the venture firm was first launched in April 2000. She manages all day-to-day operations of the operating company (human resources, accounting, office management). Prior to joining TTV, Ms. Hess held the position of Director of Administration for a new startup business. For many years, she has been in the technology industry working as an IT Analyst and Project Manager for one of Atlanta's largest employers. For eight years, Ms. Hess was an entrepreneur in computer training and consulting services for several Fortune 500 businesses.