Ryan McHenry
Entrepreneurship
Venture Capital & Project Financing
Economic Development
Cross-Border Growth & Financing
Hello!
I’m Ryan McHenry, a global executive and entrepreneur working at the intersection of finance, business development, and innovation. With diverse experience spanning six countries and a fluency in (almost) four languages, I specialize in connecting impact-minded investors, startups, and corporates with international growth opportunities.
Interested in learning more? Check out my LinkedIn or keep reading.
Highlights
I launched a foundation that supports founders from Ukraine and other emerging markets, powered by a community of GPs and LPs with over $300B AUM (and growing).
I'm currently consulting a European Commission-backed effort to launch a multibillion-euro climate-focused investment fund.
I've been helping a French circular economy engineering firm and venture builder to deepen its relationships with governments, development banks, and multinationals as it pursues international growth.
I supported a financial software behemoth with its post-acquisition integration of Longview, a finance and tax planning company with 700 enterprise customers and over 100,000 users.
I’ve built advisory boards for startup founders that include billionaires and executives (who actually collaborate!).
Where I've Called Home
Madrid
Miami
New York
Lviv
London
Washington, D.C.
Kyiv
Rio de Janeiro
Villarrica
Perspectives
Startups & Entrepreneurship
From launching my own app in 2017 to working in-house as a product manager at a proptech startup and consulting dozens more on their product and marketing strategies, I've picked up a fair deal of experience about what works (and doesn't!) for early-stage startups.
Venture Capital
I underwent the entire VC fund formation process and was about to launch a fund right when Russia invaded Ukraine. As a result, I paused the VC fund and re-launched as a foundation with a primary goal of bringing more GPs and LPs to Ukraine. I've since helped source deals and conduct DD on investment opportunities for the foundation's community.
Sustainable Economic Development
Economic development is an area that I care deeply about, and I see it not only under the lens of growth, but improved resiliency and better livelihoods for people around the world. Throughout my career I've championed causes and clients related to new urbanism and the built environment, FDI for emerging markets, workforce development and capacity building, and the promotion of generic pharmaceuticals.
Innovation & Cross Border Financing
My unique skillset and network allow me to tap into diplomatic networks and foreign funding channels to help innovative companies expand to new markets. The work is far from easy, but it's rewarding to create win-win-win situations for CEOs, home countries, and host countries that all stand to benefit from the arrangements.
Inspiration
During and after Grand Founders' Annual Summit 2023, I had the pleasure to interview our attendees to gather their opinions on the work we've been carrying out, as well as their overall impressions on the community of impact-minded investors, business leaders, and philanthropists we've been hard at work creating. Their words keep me going.
Candid Kudos
"Very pleased to have you on the call - wish I'd recorded your description of how tax policy integrates with transfer pricing...that was great!"
- VP at insightsoftware ($300M ARR)
"Still reading the book you recommended--it's good. Practical--now need to implement it more."
- US-Based Single Family Office >$1B AUM
"The pitch deck you helped us put together last year makes magic."
- Founder of a Ukrainian IT Agency ($15M ARR)
Research
How Country Brands Influence International Finance
My postgraduate research was among the first to explore the influence of country brands on international finance. It attempted to solve the following question: "can investors' perceptions of a country shape how they price its bonds?"
The answer is a clear yes. Using residual analysis, I quantified country brands as the gap between public perception and on-the-ground realities. I then tested these brands to assess their impact on sovereign credit ratings and bond prices.
The findings were striking: a one-level improvement in a country’s brand corresponded to a 1–3 point boost in credit ratings and a 283–365 basis point reduction in bond spreads against the U.S. 10-year benchmark.
So how does this help you? In short, my seemingly intuitive approach to areas related to international finance and business development are rooted in deep and innovative research.
For global investors and businesses: societal perceptions of foreign markets don't always reflect reality. Opportunities abound.
And here we can see it mapped out. Countries plotted above the trend line were overly-hyped in the year 2000. Countries falling below the trend line were being criticized too harshly.
Compare this to your own perceptions of these countries in the year 2000. How have your perceptions changed since then?
Do you agree or disagree? Feel free to reach out and share your thoughts.
Philanthropy /
Mentorship
I strongly believe that everyone has the ability to help others in ways large and small.
After Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, I took a year and a half off from my career--without pay--to build a foundation that promotes Ukraine's long term reconstruction by mobilizing outside capital and support for its entrepreneurs. This foundation has so far donated over $100k to NGOs in Ukraine, provided about $250k worth of in-kind services to emerging entrepreneurs, and has attracted at least $100k in term sheets from our community.
I also happily give guest lectures at universities and trade schools, and I mentor underrepresented and disadvantaged startup founders one-on-one and at pitch events.
Education
Saint Louis University, Madrid Campus
Spain & Brazil
Double Major in International Studies & Spanish
Certificate in Ibero-American Studies
graduated magna cum laude
study abroad in Rio de Janeiro
nearly full-paid scholarship recipient
University College London
United Kingdom
International Master in Economics and Business
graduated with distinction
full-paid scholarship recipient
Higher School of Economics
Russia
Master in Finance
full-paid scholarship recipient
this was part of a double-postgraduate program carried out in partnership with University College London
