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 of Total Technology Ventures, LLC (TTV), a venture capital firm based in Atlanta, Georgia with $120 million under management. Mr. Garrard earned a B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a M.B.A. from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. His community involvement includes board roles at the Georgia Department for Economic Development, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and The Emory Eye Center. Mr. Garrard is a member of Leadership Georgia’s class of 2005 and a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (YEO). He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Connecture, Inc., Perimeter Internetworking Corp., ControlScan, Inc., FTRANS Corp., Bluepoint Solutions, Interactive Advisory Software, Inc., iKobo, Inc., and Chain Reaction Ecommerce company.


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 where he had a revenue responsibility of approximately $12 billion. 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, generating $7 billion in revenues with 6,000 employees. 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 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 Green Dot Corporation, E-Duction, PRBC, PayCycle, Serious, Silverpop Systems, Inc., Austin Logistics, Inc., and IP Commerce company.


Mark A. Johnson

Mark A. Johnson is the former Vice Chairman of CheckFree Corporation. His responsibilities included evaluating strategic growth opportunities for the company, developing strategic corporate relationships and supporting long term business strategies. His primary strategic focus was to expand CheckFree’s electronic services to a broader base of corporate and consumer customers. 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 in the early ‘80s, Johnson worked for the Federal Reserve Bank and Bank One. He currently serves on a number of private companies Board of Directors and on the Business Advisory Board of Miami University and 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.