Garrett Camp

Early life and education in Calgary

Garrett Camp was born on October 4, 1978, in Calgary, Alberta, where he was also raised. His father worked as an economist and his mother was an artist, with both parents later transitioning into careers as home builders. This environment provided a blend of analytical and creative influences during his formative years in Western Canada. Camp pursued higher education at the University of Calgary, graduating in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He continued his studies at the same institution to earn a master's degree in software engineering, focusing his research on collaborative systems, evolutionary algorithms and information retrieval, which laid the technical groundwork for his future companies.

Founding StumbleUpon and early success

In 2002, Garrett Camp co founded StumbleUpon, which he helped build into the first personalized search engine and web discovery platform. The company quickly gained popularity for its unique approach to helping users find interesting content online through a simple toolbar. In 2007, the platform's success led to its acquisition by the e commerce giant eBay for a reported sum that valued the growing company highly. However, by 2009, StumbleUpon was spun out from eBay to operate as an independent company once again, with Camp actively working to expand its services and grow the user base before he eventually left in 2012 to pursue new ventures.

Camp maintained a long term vision for the discovery concept he pioneered, leading him to found Expa Labs in 2014 as a venture studio aimed at systematically growing new companies. The following year, in 2015, he reacquired StumbleUpon through his Expa platform, bringing the service back under his direct control. The service operated until 2018, when it was transitioned into a new venture called Mix, which was built in part through the resources of Expa Labs. This evolution demonstrated Camp's enduring commitment to the field of information discovery and curation, seeing his original creation through multiple iterations and business models over a period of more than fifteen years.

Co founding Uber and global expansion

The idea for Uber was conceived by Garrett Camp in 2009, originally launched under the name UberCab as a premium black car service in San Francisco. The service changed personal transportation by connecting riders with drivers through a smartphone application that handled payment and routing. Under the leadership of co founder and CEO Travis Kalanick, the company began a rapid expansion across the United States in 2011 and soon thereafter launched in international markets like Paris and Toronto. Camp's foundational role in creating the company's technology and business model was instrumental to its early growth and eventual status as a global phenomenon, fundamentally altering how people move within cities and creating an entirely new industry.

Camp remained involved with Uber's leadership for over a decade, providing guidance as the company scaled into hundreds of cities worldwide. In 2020, he stepped down from the company's board of directors but retained a position as a board observer, maintaining a connection to its strategic direction without a formal vote. His influence and the story of Uber's rise reached popular culture in 2022 when he was portrayed by actor Jon Bass in the drama series Super Pumped, which was based on the company's tumultuous early years. The series brought wider public recognition to Camp's role as a key architect of the modern gig economy and on demand services that now define urban life in many countries.

Venture studio and investment portfolio

Beyond his flagship companies, Garrett Camp has established himself as a significant investor and company builder through a structured approach. His primary vehicle for this work is Expa Labs, the venture studio he founded in 2014 with the explicit goal of growing new companies from conception to launch. Expa Labs functions as an incubator and launchpad for new technology startups, providing capital, expertise and operational support to founding teams. This model allows Camp to systematically develop multiple new business concepts in parallel, extending his entrepreneurial impact beyond single companies and into a diversified portfolio of ventures across different sectors.

Camp has invested in Prism Skylabs. He has also invested in BlackJet, which is an on-demand private aviation service. These investments are part of his personal portfolio. They reflect his interest in technology ventures.

Recognition and awards

Garrett Camp's innovations have earned him significant recognition within the technology industry from an early stage in his career. His first major honour came in 2007 when he was named to the TR35 list by Technology Review, which highlights the top innovators under the age of 35 at the MIT Emerging Technologies Conference. The following year, in 2008, Bloomberg Businessweek named him one of Tech's Best Young Entrepreneurs, further cementing his status as a rising star in the business world following the success of StumbleUpon. These early awards recognized the potential of his first platform to change how people discovered content on the internet.

In 2013, Camp was honored at the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards. This award was for his accomplishments at both StumbleUpon and Uber. The award recognized his work on these two technology platforms. This honour was one of several he received in his career.

• 2007: Named to Technology Review's TR35 list of top innovators under 35.
• 2008: Selected by Bloomberg Businessweek as one of Tech's Best Young Entrepreneurs.
• 2013: Honoured at the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards for work on StumbleUpon and Uber.

Philanthropy and personal wealth

In 2015, Camp was the 283rd-richest person in the world and the third-richest Canadian, with an estimated wealth of US$5.3 billion, according to Forbes. As of February 2024, Camp's net worth is calculated at US$6.18 billion, making him the fifteenth-richest Canadian, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His wealth comes from his stakes in Uber and other ventures. This financial success has placed him among the world's wealthiest individuals.

In 2017, Camp made a significant philanthropic commitment by joining The Giving Pledge, promising to donate the majority of his wealth to charitable causes over his lifetime alongside figures like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. He channels this philanthropy through the Camp Foundation, which funds nonprofit projects focused on technology and social good. A notable beneficiary is Every.org, a nonprofit that provides technology to other charitable organizations to help them accept donations in various forms including stock, cryptocurrency, donor advised funds and cash. His commitment to philanthropy coincides with the public scrutiny that accompanies great wealth, as seen in June 2019 when Uber drivers protesting for better pay and working conditions picketed his newly purchased US$72.5 million mansion in the Trousdale Estates of Beverly Hills, highlighting the social tensions surrounding the company he helped create.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Garrett Camp from? Garrett Camp was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and he holds Canadian French nationality. He pursued his university education at the University of Calgary before moving to the United States for his entrepreneurial career, initially to San Francisco. He currently lives in Los Angeles, but his foundational roots and early business ideas are firmly connected to his upbringing and education in Canada, which he often references.

What did Garrett Camp invent? Garrett Camp co invented and helped build StumbleUpon, the first personalized search engine and web discovery platform launched in 2002, which used a rating system to recommend web pages. He is also best known as the co founder of Uber, the ride hailing service he founded in 2009 under the original name UberCab to solve the problem of finding a taxi in San Francisco. These two platforms represent his major contributions to internet discovery and urban transportation technology respectively, each creating a new model for its industry.

How did Garrett Camp get rich? Garrett Camp amassed his wealth primarily through his significant ownership stake in Uber, the global transportation company he co founded, which went public in 2019. His earlier venture, StumbleUpon, also contributed to his financial foundation through its acquisition by eBay and subsequent operations as an independent company. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, his net worth was estimated at US$6.18 billion as of February 2024, ranking him among the wealthiest Canadians and placing him in the global billionaire class.

In 2020, Camp left Uber's board of directors. However, he remained a board observer. This role allows him to stay informed on company developments. He is not a formal director but maintains a link to Uber's operations.

What is Expa Labs? Expa Labs is a venture studio founded by Garrett Camp in 2014 with the goal of building and growing new companies from the ground up by providing more than just capital. It operates as an incubator, providing seed funding, operational expertise, office space and strategic support to startup founders and their teams in the early stages. Camp used this platform to reacquire StumbleUpon in 2015 and to develop its successor, the Mix platform, applying his experience to nurture other entrepreneurs.

What philanthropy is Garrett Camp known for? In 2017, Garrett Camp signed The Giving Pledge, committing to give away the majority of his wealth to charitable causes during his lifetime as part of a global initiative. His charitable work is managed through the Camp Foundation, which funds projects like Every.org, a nonprofit providing donation technology to other charities. Every.org helps other nonprofits accept diverse forms of donations such as stock, cryptocurrency and cash, modernizing charitable giving through technology.

Questions about Garrett Camp

Where is Garrett Camp from?

Garrett Camp is from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was born and raised there. His father was an economist and his mother an artist, and both later became home builders. He graduated from the University of Calgary in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He later earned a master's degree in software engineering from the same institution.

What did Garrett Camp invent?

Garrett Camp helped build StumbleUpon, the first personalized search engine platform, which he co-founded in 2002. He is also a co-founder of Uber, which he founded as UberCab in 2009. His career is defined by these two major technology ventures. His work on StumbleUpon involved a focus on collaborative systems and information retrieval. These innovations established him as a significant figure in the tech industry.

How did Garrett Camp get rich?

Garrett Camp's wealth primarily comes from his stakes in Uber and other ventures like StumbleUpon. According to Forbes, in 2015 he was the 283rd richest person in the world with an estimated wealth of US$5.3 billion. As of February 2024, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index calculates his net worth at US$6.18 billion. This makes him the fifteenth richest Canadian. His financial success is directly tied to the growth and valuation of the companies he founded.

Is Garrett Camp still involved with Uber?

Garrett Camp is not directly involved in Uber's daily operations. In 2020, he left Uber's board of directors. However, he remained a board observer after his departure. His founding role in the company in 2009 was a key moment in his career. His story was later portrayed in the 2022 drama series Super Pumped, where actor Jon Bass played him.

What is Expa Labs?

Expa Labs is a venture founded by Garrett Camp in 2014. Its primary goal is to grow new companies. It served as a platform for developing new ventures, including Mix. Mix was built in part through Expa Labs and replaced StumbleUpon when it transitioned in 2018. Through Expa Labs, Camp continued his work as an entrepreneur and investor after his initial success with StumbleUpon and Uber.

What philanthropy is Garrett Camp known for?

Garrett Camp is known for joining The Giving Pledge in 2017, committing to give away half of his wealth to charity. His philanthropic efforts are channeled through the Camp Foundation. This foundation funds nonprofit projects, including Every.org. Every.org provides technology to other nonprofits to help them accept donations in various forms like stock and crypto. This structured approach to philanthropy is a major part of his public legacy.

Sources and further reading

• Garrett Camp (Wikipedia)
• Garrett Camp (garrettcamp.com)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-10-23.