Our Team
Our experiences cover a wide range of industries, and what brings us together is our desire to find unique ways for people to better navigate financially challenging times.
Matt Gallery
Co-Founder - Business Development and Investor Relations
Matt began his career at a venture-backed startup before transitioning into management consulting. Most recently, Matt was working in the medical device industry in rural Maine. Matt's experiences in Maine helped him identify the need for VivantPay, a product whose goal is to help those on a fixed income gain access to unrealized capital. A former college offensive lineman at the University of Chicago, Matt is passionate about building a team of selfless individuals striving for a common goal. Matt graduated with honors from the University of Chicago while being a four-year letterwinner on the University's Football Team.
Brian Barclay
Co-Founder - Finance and Operations
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Brian has devoted his career to a variety of enterprises which have offered senior citizens a way to convert future insurance assets into current finances available to meet their needs of the present. VivantPay continues that quest by offering to unlock the financial potential of an oft-neglected source. Brian has over 20+ years in and around the insurance and financial services industries with a focus on lesser-known solutions for financial liquidity. Most recently, Brian was President of the second-largest life settlement company in the country. Prior to that role, Brian was the COO of the first life settlement provider, founded a servicing company with over $3 billion under management, and led the acquisition of thousands of life insurance policies.
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After studying mathematics and computer engineering at Boston University, Brian graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Finance degree from Florida Atlantic University.
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Garrett Laird
Co-Founder - Decision Science
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After four years in a consulting role, Garrett joined FinTech lender Avant, where he focused on fraud and verification strategy at account opening for their unsecured loan and credit card products. In January 2020, Avant spun out their technology arm to form an independent company, Amount. Garrett was part of that founding group at Amount, where he has worked on product strategy, built and managed Amount's first data science team, and is currently the Director of Decision Science. Garrett graduated with honors from the University of Chicago while being a four-year letterwinner on the University's Soccer Team.
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Brandon R. Halcott
Advisor
Brandon was the Co-Founder and President of Tru Family Dental, a dental support organization (DSO) that he and his partner built from the ground up in 2014 to over 30 locations throughout the Midwest. In 2020, Tru Family Dental was sold to Heartland Dental – the largest DSO in the country – in a transaction that delivered exceptional returns to all stakeholders. Prior to building Tru Family Dental, Brandon had worked in private equity, investment banking, and had started a mobile car repair company. Brandon received his MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated with honors from the University of Chicago while being a four-year letterwinner in both Football and Track & Field. Currently, Brandon resides in Park City, Utah, with his wife, Jennie, and their four children: Marie, Will, Evie and Theo. His family loves new adventures and traveling. Their most recent excursion included a year of living abroad in Nicaragua.
Additionally, Brandon has served on the board of the Davis Phinney Foundation since 2019, but his work with the organization goes back to 2006 when his father utilized the organization for support with his Parkinson’s disease. Brandon is also on the board of Vitana Pediatric and Orthodontic Partners.
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Paul Garrett
Advisor
Paul Garrett brings 30+ years experience in government relations, technology start-ups, channel sales, and due diligence expertise to the table. He joined the Ashcroft Group as CTO in 2008. While with the Ashcroft Group, Paul co-founded a mobile security company (InAuth) and served as an advisor to Araxid, later re-named Euclidian Trust. He is a scout and advisor for CrossCut Ventures in Los Angeles, and has a few direct seed investments in his personal portfolio.
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Before joining the Ashcroft Group, Paul served as a Special Assistant to the Department of Justice Chief Information Officer. He reported directly to the CIO, coordinating initiatives to transform the Department's multi-billion-dollar information technology infrastructure in support of its national security, law enforcement, cyber, and management improvement missions.
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Prior to government service, Paul was a consultant and project manager for various system integrators and software companies in the D.C. area. Garrett played basketball at Stanford where he participated in two NCAA tournaments and one NIT tournament. After graduating, he pursued a brief professional basketball career in Sweden.