Brian J.

Founding Partner @ Garden Investments | Operations-Centric Investor & Board Member

📍 United States🔄 Updated September 2026💼 6 investments📅 20 years investing🗓 Last invested Oct 2022
VC🌍 United States
6
Total investments
2
Early stage
0
Mid stage
0
Late stage
20y
Years active

Portfolio

2 investments · sorted by recency
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Board Member
Feb 2018
Inspire Brands is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 33,300 Arbys, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin, Jimmy Johns, and SONIC restaurants worldwide.
early stageRestaurants
Board Observer and Investor
Mar 2014
2023 18th Most Loved Workplace by Newsweek. Hu aims to unite simplicity with unbeatable taste and the company’s employees believe in obsessively vetting ingredients so their customers dont have to. Born out of its NYC restaurant, Hu Kitchen, Hus paleo-friendly snacks include award-winning chocolate bars and a grain-free cracker line, which set new standards for high-quality food products made with “no weird ingredients—ever.” The company has grown from catering to a cult following to becoming a go-to staple for A-list celebs and health and wellness influencers. Hu Chocolate is now available in over 3,500 retail locations across the country, with increased international demand.
Experience · 9 entries
All (9)
Investments (6)
Board (6)
2023
2022
Board Observer
Oct 2022
At True Food Kitchen, we believe in the power of whole, real food. We partner with each of our growers, ranchers and producers so that every ingredient meets our TRUE standards. That means better food for our guests and the planet. By crafting "Real Food for Real Life" we embody our purpose: empowering more people to eat real food. #mytruepurpose. To learn more, visit truefoodkitchen.com and follow @livetruefood on @instagram.
2018
Board Member
Feb 2018
Inspire Brands is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 33,300 Arbys, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin, Jimmy Johns, and SONIC restaurants worldwide.
early stageRestaurants
2015
Board Member
Dec 2015
Arby’s, founded in 1964, is the second-largest sandwich restaurant brand in the world with more than 3,400 restaurants in seven countries. Arby’s is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants. For more information, visit Arbys.com and InspireBrands.com With the current growth and momentum of the brand, Arby’s is actively seeking new franchisees. To learn more about available markets and requirements, visit ArbysFranchising.com
2014
Board Observer and Investor
Mar 2014
2023 18th Most Loved Workplace by Newsweek. Hu aims to unite simplicity with unbeatable taste and the company’s employees believe in obsessively vetting ingredients so their customers dont have to. Born out of its NYC restaurant, Hu Kitchen, Hus paleo-friendly snacks include award-winning chocolate bars and a grain-free cracker line, which set new standards for high-quality food products made with “no weird ingredients—ever.” The company has grown from catering to a cult following to becoming a go-to staple for A-list celebs and health and wellness influencers. Hu Chocolate is now available in over 3,500 retail locations across the country, with increased international demand.
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Investment activity
2006–2022 · 6 investments
200612008120141201512018120221
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