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Ryan Downie, Finance Expert in Flagstaff, AZ, United States
Ryan Downie

Finance Expert in Flagstaff, AZ, United States

Member since December 12, 2016
Ryan left the hedge fund equity research world to found Montane Consulting, a practice specializing in startups, growth, and exiting planning. Since then, Ryan has helped clients raise more than $150 million in early-stage capital. Ryan's duties are generally fractional strategic financial director/CFO and fundraising advisor.
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Career Highlights

Education

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Industry Expertise

  • Advertising & Marketing
  • Venture Capital & Private Equity
  • eCommerce
  • Financial Modeling
  • Startups
  • P&L Forecasting

Other Expertise

Employment

  • Financial Consultant

    2014 - PRESENT
    Montane Consulting
    • Provided early-stage counseling on FP&A, modeling, business plan creation, investor identification, pitches, and terms.
    • Served over 100 clients, including Neura Health, MyHouseBy, Populus Media, Allio Fintech, Women at the Helm, Larabee, VoxSnap, Daily Haloha, FireBrand Group, 82 Stories, and Gift Me Chic.
    • Helped clients to receive more than $150 million in funding offers from VC, PE, angel, and private investors.
    • Facilitated growth for multiple clients from $1 million in revenue to more than $10 million.
    • Developed a proprietary intrinsic equity valuation tool that was deployed by hedge fund clients.
    • Published over 600 times by Investopedia, Benzinga, ExpressWriter, Fool, and Toptal.
    • Developed employee compensation plans to attract and retain the high-level talent required to scale rapidly.
    • Acquired securities licenses and partnered with the exceptional financial planning firm Northeast Financial Network to serve advisory needs of HNW, family office, and business owner clients post-exit.
    Focus areas: Pitch Preparation, Business Planning, Investor Presentations, DCF Valuation, DCF Modeling, Venture Capital, Venture Debt, Capital Raising, Growth Capital Raising, Budgeting, Price Analysis, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)

  • Director of Research

    2015 - 2016
    Prudena
    • Designed a suite of automated equity analysis and valuation tools with a focus on value investing strategies.
    • Created financial models for internal capital management and forecasting.
    • Created a business plan for the purpose of securing a $1.5-million equity capital raise.
    • Pitched venture capital investors to discuss the sale of equity in Prudena; investors were interested in pending demonstrable subscriber growth.
    • Produced equity research reports on a platform for marketing purposes/proof of concept.
    Focus areas: Capital Raising, CFO, Financial Reporting, Valuation, Business Planning, Equity Research

  • Equity Research Analyst

    2013 - 2014
    Sidoti & Co
    • Identified promising equity research subjects.
    • Conducted fundamental research and created financial models with forecasts.
    • Interviewed executive management teams.
    • Conducted channel checks.
    • Reviewed SEC filings, company news, market, and industry conditions.
    • Composed and published research reports, presented research to sales team, discussed research with institutional clients.
    • Developed and maintained relationships with institutional clients.
    Focus areas: Equity Research

  • Founder

    2010 - 2014
    Garden State Mobile Vending
    • Founded and successfully exited a profitable seasonal business in the food services industry.
    • Oversaw rapid expansion of physical capital and revenue to more than $100,000 in a 12-week season.
    • Raised over $45,000 in financing from banks and private investors.
    Focus areas: CFO, Capital Allocation, Marketing, Business Development, Contract Negotiation, Management, Investor Presentations, Capital Raising

  • Research Analyst

    2011 - 2013
    Noble Equity Fund
    • Conducted fundamental equity research for a hedge fund.
    • Created models and forecasts, reviewed third-party research, analyzed the market and industry data, aggregated qualitative information, and interviewed executive management teams.
    • Designed and conducted research projects, performed research and analysis of various markets, industries, indexes, and macroeconomic indicators.
    • Presented investment recommendations based both on research and the evolving strategy of the fund manager.
    • Worked closely with the fund manager, presented all research and conclusions directly several times each week.
    Focus areas: Equity Research

  • Profiles Data Analyst

    2009 - 2010
    Bloomberg LP
    • Analyzed public company filings and private company data to ensure depth and accuracy of financial and corporate profile information on Bloomberg database.
    • Made edits to Bloomberg data when appropriate.
    • Reported daily progress to the management team.
    • Fulfilled project goals successfully (contract position).
    Focus areas: Equity Research

Other Experience

  • LTV and CAC: What Are They and Why Do They Matter? (Publication)
    https://www.toptal.com/finance/startup-funding-consultants/ltv-cac-lifetime-value
    LTV:CAC analysis is one of the most important exercises startup founders must go through to evaluate their business’ prospects and raise external funding. It is, however, frequently misunderstood and misinterpreted. In this article, Toptal Finance Expert Ryan Downie runs through a practical tutorial of how to perform LTV:CAC analysis correctly, and how it should be adapted and interpreted depending on the business model or sector in question.
  • Getting the Most from Equity Research - Lessons from a Former Research Analyst (Publication)
    https://www.toptal.com/finance/equity-research-analysts/getting-the-most-from-equity-research
    Equity research provides a very useful function in our current financial markets. Nevertheless, the profession has come under fire in recent years. In this post, Toptal Finance Expert Ryan Downie details how to utilize research reports more effectively. Additionally, he outlines the equity research's main value for both sophisticated and retail investors and highlights the pitfalls of this profession, its causes, and how you should evaluate research in order to avoid these issues.

Education

  • Bachelor's Degree in Economics
    2005 - 2009
    University of Notre Dame - Notre Dame, IN, USA

Certifications

  • Health, Accident, Disability, and Life Insurance Licenses
    APRIL 2016 - PRESENT
    NAIC | Numerous State Insurance Commissions
  • Series 7, 63, 65, 85, 86
    SEPTEMBER 2013 - PRESENT
    FINRA

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