Board of Directors

John Backus, Founder and Managing Partner, Draper Atlantic

John Backus is a founder and managing partner of Draper Atlantic.  John is a seasoned technology investor and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience investing in and managing rapidly growing, high-technology companies.  Prior to founding Draper Atlantic, John was a founding investor and the President and Chief Executive Officer of InteliData Technologies, leading InteliData's predecessor, US Order, through a successful $65 million IPO in 1995.  John has negotiated dozens of merger, acquisition, divestiture, venture investment and corporate finance transactions and currently manages a $142MM venture portfolio at Draper Atlantic.  John presently serves on the Board of Directors of Artifact Network, FTRANS,  Mobile 365 and RemitPro. He is also the past Chairman of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, and was appointed by former Virginia Governor Mark Warner to co-chair the Virginia Research and Technology Advisory Commission (VRTAC).  

John earned a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University as well as an M.B.A from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Gardiner W. Garrard III, CFA, Founder and Managing Partner, Total Technology Ventures, LLC

Gardiner Garrard is a founder and Managing Partner of Total Technology Ventures, LLC. Gardiner has been an active investor in public and private technology companies for over ten years. Prior to founding Total Technology Ventures, Gardiner 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. He is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder. His community involvement includes board or advisory board roles at the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Values-Based Leadership Institute at Goizueta Business School, and The Emory Eye Center. Gardiner is a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (YEO), and was recognized in 2004 with the Goizueta Business School's Outstanding Recent Alumni Award. Gardiner currently serves on the Board of Directors of Connecture, Inc., Perimeter Internetworking, Inc., FTRANS, and iKobo, Inc.

Gardiner 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, where he was awarded the Art Dietz faculty award for excellence in finance.

John B. Hayes, Chief Executive Officer, FTRANS Corp.

As founder and CEO of FTRANS, John Hayes brings over 30 years of experience in developing technology-based companies. In 1976, John was co-founder and president of the company that built Peachtree Software products, the first microcomputer accounting software. In 1981, IBM selected Peachtree Accounting as one of the primary applications introduced with the new IBM-PC.  In 1981, Peachtree Software was sold to Management Sciences America (MSA), which at the time was the largest software company in the world. John also co-founded Comsell, an early producer of interactive technology, which was sold to News Corporation.  John founded Interactive Health Network / GeoMedica, a producer of health-related interactive online products, which was sold to Reuters.  In 1997, John founded OneCoast Network which was sold to Internet Capital Group in 2000. John was an attorney with Alston, Miller & Gaines (now Alston & Bird) where he practiced securities, banking, and corporate law.  John began his career as a staff member for U.S. Senator Herman Talmadge where he worked on banking and credit issues related to rural economic development.  John was a founder of the Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech and has served on the boards of the Georgia Tech Research Institute, Georgia Tech Alumni Association, SciTrek Technology Museum, Leadership Georgia, and other civic organizations.

John earned a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology as well as a J.D. from the Emory University School of Law. 

Brian Hirsch, Managing Director, Greenhill SAVP

Brian is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Greenhill SAVP where he oversees management of the venture fund and serves as Co-Chairman of the Fund's Investment Committee.  Brian was previously a Managing Partner with SAVP, where he co-managed all of the fund's activities.  Prior to SAVP, Brian was a Principal at Sterling Venture Partners and a Vice President with ABN AMRO Private Equity, the U.S. venture arm of ABN AMRO bank.  Brian is currently also a board member of BDMetrics, BestContractors, FTRANS, iKobo, Pontiflex and Serious.  Brian previously sat on the boards of YellowJacket (acquired by the Intercontinental Exchange, NYSE: ICE) and KnowledgeStorm (acquired by TechTarget, NASDAQ: TTGT). 

Brian holds a BA in Economics and American Studies from Brandeis University.