Experienced Team
Gary Shields, CFA
Founder & Managing Partner
Gary Shields is a seasoned investment banker, venture capitalist, board member, and C-level executive with more than 30 years of experience advising and investing in growth companies across the technology and healthcare sectors. Throughout his career, he has played a leadership role in hundreds of mergers and acquisitions, capital raises, strategic partnerships, and liquidity events for regional, national, and multinational businesses.
Gary is the Founder of Avtech Ventures, which he established in 2001 and grew into one of San Diego’s largest venture capital firms. Under his leadership, Avtech invested in more than 50 companies, and Gary personally served on the boards of over 20 portfolio companies. He played an active role in guiding these businesses through all stages of growth, helping secure financings, execute strategic partnerships, and achieve successful exits through acquisitions, public offerings, and sales. Today, he serves as Chairman and Managing Partner of Nassau Street Partners, where he advises clients on M&A and capital formation transactions.
Prior to founding Avtech Ventures, Gary co-founded Flemming Lessard & Shields (FLS), a leading Southern California investment banking firm with offices in San Diego and San Francisco. Earlier, he served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance and Development and was an early investor in Integrated Medical Systems (IMS), a pioneering healthcare information company. At IMS, he negotiated a strategic alliance with McKesson Corporation and later led the company’s IPO process before successfully negotiating its all-cash acquisition by Eli Lilly.
Gary previously held senior investment banking and research positions with LF Rothschild and Robertson Stephens in New York and San Francisco. He was also a partner at Technological Investors, a New York-based investment firm focused on emerging technology and healthcare companies. Earlier in his career, he managed one of the largest U.S. teams for Crédit Lyonnais, where he completed dozens of transactions totaling billions of dollars for Fortune 500 clients.
Gary is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder and holds a BA with honors from the University of Cincinnati and an MSFS from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. He also holds two patents in advanced optics technology and is a multi-engine instrument-rated pilot.