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Ryan Whittemore
Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Florida Funders
Ryan Whittemore is a prominent figure in the venture capital and investment industry, primarily based in Tampa, Florida. Here are the key details about his professional background:
Current Position
Ryan Whittemore recently moved on from his role as Chief Investment Officer at Florida Funders, a position he held for over 5 years.4 Florida Funders is a hybrid Venture Capital Fund and accredited investor network focused on early-stage tech investments.1
Professional Experience
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Florida Funders: As CIO, Whittemore oversaw a team reviewing over 2,000 deals annually across three managed funds. He led the due diligence process resulting in approximately 20 investments per year.1
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Investment Committee: He served as Co-Chairman of Florida Funders' Investment Committee and led investments in 46 companies.1
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Board Positions: Whittemore sits on the board or acts as a board observer for five of Florida Funders' portfolio companies.1
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Previous Roles:
- Corporate counsel to a private equity group
- Experience in investment banking at Raymond James
- Led an equity hedge fund
- Worked as a portfolio manager and analyst for a large trust company1
Education and Qualifications
- Graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in Finance and an MBA
- Juris Doctor from Stetson College of Law
- Licensed attorney in Florida1
Skills and Expertise
Whittemore's top skills include venture investing, legal counsel, negotiation, deal sourcing, financial modeling/analysis/underwriting, structuring, working with clients, and operational management.2
Personal
Ryan is married to Ashley and has two children, Finley and Kohl. He enjoys fishing, spearfishing, paddleboarding, and golf in his free time.1
Philosophy
Whittemore is known for his candid approach to providing feedback to founders, drawing from his own experiences as an entrepreneur. He emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with knowledgeable people who understand the challenges of running a business.3
Highlights
Congrats to Simplebet and Joey Levy and Chris Bevilacqua. I will never forget Pablo Casilimas introducing me to Joey (cofounded Simplebet before launching Betr) and I was immediately all in on Joey and Simplebet !
Today is a bittersweet day officially moving on from Florida Funders after 5+ years overseeing the 2nd half of Fund 1, the launch of Fund 2 and Fund 3 as well as the launch of the USF Seed Fund and management of the Florida Institute. We closed investments in 78 new companies during my time as Chief Investment Officer and have several portfolio companies I believe will hit unicorn status in the next 2 years! I had the chance to work with people who became great friends and are up and coming talent Chelsea Oppenheim, Yasmine Morrison, Zach Brodsky, Maria Derchi Russo, Sam Oleshansky, Kristen Akel and Cheyenne Stopford, as well as Rafael Lohner Sheryl Hunter, Esquire David Kronenfeld. Special thanks to Tom Wallace, Kevin Adamek, Marc Blumenthal, Marc Sokol, Michael Kadow, Saxon Baum and Steve MacDonald for the opportunity to lead the investments these last 5 years with you guys.
I also want to thank all the founders I had the chance to meet and especially those I got a chance to work with! Some days you made me lose some of the remaining hairs on my head haha, but most days you were the energy to show up each day to wrangle this wild bucking bronco that is early stage venture investing. Seriously love yall! Joey Levy Samson Magid Jim Schimpf Mohannad Arbaji Ed Thomas Cary Gahm Lucy Guo Jacob Shoihet Tomer G. Matthew Vega-Sanz Michael Vega-Sanz Bam Azizi Donny White Rob Flessner Margo Jordan Amy Wu Robert Crump Anthony Gadient Aharon Chernin Anthony Begando Zaid Rahman Steven McKean Jonathan G. Miraj Patel John Foshee Charu Thomas Ralph Musgrove Joshua Jones Brandon Wright Trevor Clark Jake George Schuster Clint Graumann Mark Halberstein Don McDougal Jonathan Lieberman Fred Blumer Melissa Bridgeford and more that Linkedin is limiting. I have had some really nice comments from a lot of you, one I will humbly share as so many meant so much "I am not sure if any single person has had as much impact on our story as you". I can't wait to see what all of you do, I believe in yall! And i am always here for any help you need!
Finally I am in progress of acquiring a business and planning the launch of a new venture fund later this year and evaluating a few venture fund management / family office CEO opportunities. Stay tuned and I will be excited to announce more details once everything is ready to be disclosed!
