Gary White is an award-winning innovation executive and the Founder & Principal of Mapportunity, LLC,a government-focused advisory firm that helps organizations break into the federal market with smart funding strategies, resilient partnerships, and practical acquisition pathways. He works with startups, Fortune 500s, VCs, accelerators, and federal agencies to navigate SBIRs, OTAs, sole-source opportunities, and hybrid acquisition models that deliver real results. Mr. White’s career includes leadership as an executive at the General Services Administration (GSA),senior innovation roles in the U.S. Air Force, and extensive experience in global research strategy and startup development. He has launched federal innovation programs, co-developed commercialization frameworks, and advised everyone from stealth-mode founders to major industry players on how to move faster, secure funding, and stay mission-aligned. 

A retired military officer, he has served in Operations IRAQI FREEDOM, ENDURING FREEDOM, NOBLEEAGLE, and counter-narcoterrorism missions, and held strategic roles in the Offices of the Secretaries of Defense and Air Force as well as consulting for the intelligence community. He also co-managed his family’s small business, The Van Stand, fabricating surveillance and tactical vehicles for the FBI, CIA, Army and SWAT teams, to name a few. Mr. White comes from a family legacy of military and intelligence service dating back to the Revolutionary War. Mr. White holds a master’s degree in international relations from Harvard University and is a graduate of the Senior Executive Fellows program at Harvard Kennedy School. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and their three daughters, all dual citizens of the United States and Italy.