Garrett Camp

Garrett Camp
Name	Garrett Camp
Birth place	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Alma mater	University of Calgary
Occupation	Entrepreneur, investor
Known for	Co-founding Uber, founding Expa

Garrett Camp is a Canadian entrepreneur and investor best known as a co-founder of the global ride-hailing giant Uber and the founder of the startup studio Expa. His career has been defined by identifying transformative market opportunities in technology and mobility, leading to the creation of several influential companies. Camp's work has significantly impacted urban transportation and the broader startup ecosystem, earning him recognition as a leading figure in Silicon Valley.

Early life and education

Camp was raised in Calgary, within the province of Alberta, where he developed an early interest in technology and business. He pursued his higher education at the University of Calgary, earning a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and later a master's degree in software engineering. His academic work focused on computer science and collaborative filtering, laying a technical foundation for his future ventures. During his studies, he demonstrated entrepreneurial ambition, which he would soon apply on a global scale.

Career

Camp's entrepreneurial journey began shortly after his graduation, when he co-founded the web discovery engine StumbleUpon in 2001. The company, which allowed users to discover new websites through a rating system, was acquired by eBay in 2007 for approximately $75 million. After several years, he led a buyback of the company before its eventual sale to Mixi. This early success provided him with the capital and experience to explore larger, more disruptive ideas in the technology sector, particularly focusing on inefficiencies in urban infrastructure.

Uber

The concept for Uber originated in 2008 during a conversation between Camp and his friend Travis Kalanick in Paris, where they discussed the difficulties of hailing a cab. Camp purchased the domain name UberCab.com and developed the initial prototype, envisioning a service that would allow users to summon a luxury car via a mobile app. He provided the seed funding and crucial early vision for the company, which officially launched in San Francisco in 2010. As a co-founder and board member, his focus on elegant design and seamless user experience helped shape the core product, which grew from a black-car service into a worldwide phenomenon revolutionizing personal transportation, logistics, and the gig economy.

Other ventures and investments

Following the rise of Uber, Camp founded Expa in 2013, a startup studio based in San Francisco that helps entrepreneurs build and launch new companies. Through Expa, he has co-founded and incubated several notable ventures, including the restaurant reservation platform Reserve and the home ownership company Haus. His investment portfolio is extensive, focusing on early-stage technology companies across various sectors such as artificial intelligence, healthtech, and fintech. He is also a significant investor in and served as chairman of the digital media company Medium, founded by Evan Williams.

Personal life

Camp maintains a relatively private personal life but is known to reside in San Francisco. He is a naturalized citizen of the United States. His philanthropic interests are channeled through the Camp Foundation, which supports causes related to education, scientific research, and environmental sustainability. An avid traveler and thinker, he often explores ideas related to the future of cities, technology, and human productivity.

Awards and recognition

Camp's innovations have earned him significant accolades within the technology industry. He has been named to the Forbes Midas List of top tech investors and featured on the Forbes list of the World's Billionaires. In 2017, he received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in the technology category. His work with Uber and Expa has also been recognized by institutions like the Economist and the Wall Street Journal, which have cited his influence on modern entrepreneurship and urban mobility.

Category:Canadian entrepreneurs Category:Canadian billionaires Category:Technology company founders