619-851-8800
Team
Gary Shields, CFA
Founder & Managing Partner
Gary has 30+ years of success as an investment banker, venture capitalist, board member, and C-level
executive who has played a lead role in hundreds of transactions that achieved optimal value for regional, national, and multinational companies. He has held senior technology and healthcare-focused investment/investment banking positions with leading firms in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and San Diego. Gary founded Avtech Ventures in 2001 as one of San Diego's largest venture capital firms before expanding the firm to include M&A and capital formation advisory services. At Avtech, he has led direct investments in more than 40 companies and personally held board positions at more than 15. He has played critical roles guiding the portfolio companies toward successful financings and exits including mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships and capital formation at all stages through IPO and sale. Prior to Avtech, he co-founded Flemming Lessard & Shields, a boutique Southern California- headquartered investment bank with offices in San Diego and San Francisco, where he led M&A and capital formation assignments for regional, national and multinational companies. He moved to San Diego in 1991 to be SVP Corporate Finance and Development and an early investor at Integrated Medical Systems, one of the pioneers in the healthcare information industry. While there he negotiated a strategic alliance with McKesson Corp and then, while leading the company's IPO process, negotiated a successful all-cash sale of the company to Eli Lilly. Before moving to San Diego Gary held senior investment banking and research positions at LF Rothschild in New York, and Robertson Stephens in New York and San Francisco. He was also a partner at Technological Investors, a New York City firm investing in public and private technology and medical companies. Earlier in his career, he managed one of the largest US groups for Paris based Credit Lyonnais where he completed dozens of transactions totaling billions of dollars for the firm's Fortune 500 clients. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder and holds Series 79 and 63 securities licenses. He received his BA with honors from the University of
Cincinnati and was a fellow in the MSFS program at Georgetown University. Additionally, he holds two
patents in the field of advanced optics technology and is a multi-engine instrument-rated pilot.
Logan Bingaman
Senior Associate
Logan joined Avtech Ventures as an Intern in 2020 and quickly rose to the position of Associate. His expertise lies in the technological & financial fields where he has been involved with multiple startup ventures as a co-founder. Having spent a good portion of his life as a professional freestyle skier, he continually looks to bring creative and innovative approaches to finding unique solutions within his role at Avtech. Through his athletic sponsorships with multi-billion dollar companies and his professional experiences, he has continuously represented his capability of being a team member and of winning.
Logan assists in writing marketing materials for transactions, developing financial models, identifying prospects through detailed market research, and making initial contact with acquisition / investor targets. He earned his BS in Information Systems as well as his MS in Finance at the University of Utah.