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Ryan Downie

Ryan Downie

Point Pleasant, NJ, United States
Member since August 19, 2016
Ryan left the hedge fund equity research world to become a startup consultant. Since then, he has helped clients raise more than $10 million in early-stage capital. He loves the flexibility provided by consulting and the opportunities to help numerous promising young businesses. Ryan primarily reports to CFOs and startup founders as a consultant, having worked with executive management for large enterprises earlier in his career.
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Career Highlights
Education
Select Certifications
Employment
  • Financial Representative
    2016 - PRESENT
    Northeast Financial Network
    • Developed a financial services practice under the umbrella of a sponsor firm.
    • Worked with business founders and owners to design and implement creative employee compensation packages tailored for enterprise scaling and capital preservation.
    • Implemented employee benefits packages for clients.
    • Provided counsel on financial organization, cash flow optimization, protection, and growth for founders and owners as it pertains to their personal planning.
    • Fostered an ongoing relationship with clients for strategy maintenance or periodic review.
    • Served as the first-call resource when clients face significant economic decisions.
    Focus areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Insurance, Insurance Broking, Business Analysis, employee benefits, executive compensation, Investments, seminar teaching, Coaching
  • Financial Consultant
    2014 - PRESENT
    R Downie Consulting
    • Provided early-stage counsel on FP&A, modeling, business plan creation, investor identification, pitches, and terms.
    • Served over 100 clients, including AnytownUSA, Grace Choi’s Cookable, VoxSnap, VentureMom, Daily Haloha, IQCIO, Libby’s Choice, Supportful, Followapp.care, PLZ.io, CineBee, FireBrand Group, Corrogo, 82 Stories, Women at the Helm, Elisabeth Hennessy’s Gift Me Chic, Gracias Payment.
    • Helped clients to raise more than $20 million from early-stage investors.
    • Facilitated growth for multiple clients from $1 million in revenue to more than $5 million.
    • Developed proprietary intrinsic equity valuation tool that was deployed by hedge fund clients.
    • Published over 600 times by Investopedia, Benzinga, ExpressWriter, Fool, and Toptal.
    Focus areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Pricing Analysis, Budgeting, Growth Capital Raising, Capital Raising, Venture Debt, Venture Capital, DCF Modeling, DCF Valuation, Investor Presentations, Business Planning, Pitch Preparation
  • 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: Equity Research, Business Plan Development, Valuation, Financial Reports, CFO, Capital Raising
  • Article Writer
    2014 - 2016
    Investopedia
    • Published over 400 articles on a wide range of topics requested specifically by Investopedia. Articles ranged from 600-1,200 words, and generally focused on the stock market as a whole, certain sector trends, specific stocks and macroeconomics.
    • Commended by the project manager and VP of content for the articles.
    • Granted exclusive access to certain projects and subjects, whereas most opportunities were open to a large pool of content creators.
    • Awarded several bonuses for the quality and quantity of the written work produced.
    Focus areas: Equity Research, Profitability Analysis, Capital Structure Analysis, Macroeconomics
  • 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: Capital Raising, Investor Presentations, Management, Contract Negotiation, Business Development, Marketing, business exit, Capital Allocation, CFO
  • 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
  • Series 7, 63, 65, 85, 86
    SEPTEMBER 2013 - PRESENT
    FINRA

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