Gavin Christensen is the founding visionary at Kickstart Fund. In 2008, he recognized the need for both leadership and seed-stage capital in the region, so he launched Kickstart to fill this gap. Starting a seed-stage firm away from the coasts amidst the Great Recession was not easy, to say the least. But this experience means Gavin understands what it’s like to see a vision for the future that few others do, and he knows what it takes to make that vision a reality. His guidance to founders is born of first-hand experience and a desire to build not just a fund but an entire ecosystem. Kickstart is now the most active investor in Utah and has expanded to Colorado, New Mexico, and the rest of the Mountain West. Gavin loves being part of the startup journey for entrepreneurs. Before helping to pave the way for seed funding in Utah, Colorado, and the Mountain West, Gavin was an analyst, associate, and principal at vSpring Capital (now Signal Peak). Outside of Kickstart, Gavin can be found spending time with his family, multitasking while riding his Onewheel, fine-tuning his VR gaming skills, and playing tennis.