George B. Shott

George B. Shott Innovative Money Manager George Shott founded Shott Capital Management in the early 1990's which enabled many leading endowments, institutions and individuals to capture the full benefit of investing in venture capital. Mr. Shott passed away at his home in San Francisco on August 27. The cause was Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). Having spent his entire professional career in or researching technology companies, Mr. Shott believed early on that the technology industry would become a substantial part of the U.S. economy. He was the first investment manager to recognize the need for sponsors of venture capital to have their distributions actively managed, thereby ensuring continued participation in the best companies. Mr. Shott was a recognized figure in Silicon Valley for his long association with the venture capital community and his support of their relationships with his clients. After beginning his career in the electronics industry at the predecessor of GTE and Apex, Mr. Shott moved to securities research in San Francisco. From 1962 to 1973 he focused on technology with Sutro & Co. and then with White Weld & Co. Mr. Shott was one of the first securities analysts to identify the potential of companies like Hewlett Packard, Applied Materials and Spectra Physics. He joined the international firm G.T. Management PLC where he established and managed a number of successful science and technology funds. In the 1980s at GT, Mr. Shott was known as one of the most astute purchasers of venture backed technology companies and became an important investor in the many IPOs of the decade. He was born in Hay Springs, Nebraska March 20, 1930 and moved to Birmingham, Iowa shortly thereafter. He attended Parsons College, Fairfield, Iowa and then transferred to Stanford University in his junior year where he received a BA and MBA. During the Korean War Mr. Shott was accepted for Officer Candidate School in the U.S. Navy. He served aboard the U.S.S. Iowa and at the Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois. Mr. Shott had a lifelong passion for baseball. He was a player/manager during the Navy and was invited to play for the Baltimore Orioles' organization, instead opting to continue his education. He was a devoted Cubs fan and spent many happy hours at Wrigley Field. Mr. Shott was a founder and owner of The Golden Baseball League. He was a Trustee and Vice-Chairman of the Investment Committee of Grinnell College and an Advisory Board Member, GSI Asia Ltd. He is survived by his wife Mary Lou and his children: Bill (Nancy) Shott and Quin (Doug) Whitman from his previous marriage to Mollie Campbell. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Corey and Katherine Whitman and Wills, Blake and Anna Shott: his brother Ralph (Marjean) Shott and sister Marti Puff. A private, family burial will be held at Skylawn. There will be a memorial at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the George B. Shott Fund, California Pacific Medical Center Foundation, P.O. Box 45902, San Francisco, CA 94145, benefiting ALS research and patient services in the Forbes Norris ALS Research Center at CPMC.