GRA, LLC 

Family Office
Portfolio:
Circuit is a free, electric, micro-transit solution. Circuit uses fleets of nimble cars that fulfill the first-mile last mile gap that’s experienced by municipalities around the world.
 - https://www.ridecircuit.com/about-us

SunWink- Health & Wellness (https://drinksunwink.com/)
- We believe in the power of Herbs / Plant Based 

Your Daily Source for Podcast Discovery (acquired by Acast)
https://www.podchaser.com

StakeHolder Labs
Roundtable is a platform enabling public companies to engage & acquire customers by offering utility, rewards, & exclusivity to Stockholders
https://roundtable.xyz/

Sunbird Messaging - iMessage on Android with nothing needed to set it up but your phone. Sunbird marks an end to the green and blue bubble saga.  Sunbird also integrates seamlessly w/ a variety of other platforms such as WhatsApp, FB Messenger, SMS, 
https://www.sunbirdapp.com

Cornbread Hemp 
https://www.cornbreadhemp.com

Hello Divorce 
- online divorce platform made to help you get through your divorce on your terms — quickly and affordably.
https://hellodivorce.com

Unsettled is an award-winning experience & travel company for independent + remote professionals who live, work, & travel differently.
https://beunsettled.co

Ping is a patented, cross platform voice technology that allows users to hear all their messages and email read aloud, when touching their device is dangerous, illegal (driving) or inconvenient. 
https://www.pingloud.com/about

PeakMetrics uses ML to spot trends & predict message resonance across news, social, & TV/radio.
https://www.peakmetrics.com/

AdCritter - The Small Business Ad Platform
https://adcritter.com/

Plant Baby- Kiki Milk is a delicious and nutritious plant-based, dairy-free milk. Our milk blend is formulated for ages one & up. 
https://www.kikimilk.com/

Density - https://www.density.io/
Powering the future of how we measure & manage physical space. Anonymous people counting tech. 
Kleiner Perkins led Series C

Managing Director

Circuit

About Circuit: Circuit is transforming short-range, shared mobility by making it more efficient, sustainable and accessible. We’re building tech-enabled, last-mile shuttle services in cities and at developments around the US. Using our on-demand app, fleets of electric vehicles, and teams of W2 drivers, we’ve provided over 7M rides without burning an ounce of gas. Operate in 40+ U.S. markets. 

Circuit supplements mass transit and offers an alternative to ride-hailing apps, and it does so at no cost to riders or the environment. Its fleet of electric vehicles provides city residents with free shuttle rides, reducing traffic congestion and emissions in urban areas. The service partners with advertisers and local governments, and unlike ride-hailing services, all drivers are hourly-wage Circuit employees — not independent contractors — which ensures a higher level of service and a commitment to rider safety.

“Our secret sauce is offering a turnkey solution to our transit partners,” said Esposito, Co-Founder of Circuit. “There are a lot of companies that either have ride-sharing apps or can manage fleets, vehicles, and teams of drivers. We can do both.”

Advisor / Investor 

Stakeholder Labs

At Stakeholder Labs, we’re building software so Investor Relations teams can more easily apply human-centered design to their day to day jobs. By giving companies the ability to verify, measure and reward their retail investors, we aim to provide an important foundation for IR professionals to personalize their retail shareholder outreach and ultimately foster a cohort of their most dedicated stakeholders.

Roundtable is a software platform enabling public companies to engage and acquire customers by offering utility, rewards, & exclusivity to owners - ie stockholders.
Brand Loyalty Powered by Ownership
- https://roundtable.xyz/

Investor (seed round) 

Bunches

CHAT .... SPORTS ALL DAY ON BUNCHES
Analyze plays and share your opinion. Rant and rave on the latest trades. Comment on moments as they happen. Connect with those who care… almost as much as you.

https://www.onbunches.com/

Seed Investor

Unsettled

Unsettled is an award-winning travel and experience company for independent professionals navigating the future of work. Since 2016, Unsettled has run hundreds of coliving/coworking experiences for over 3,000 community members across 86 countries. More recently, through Unsettled's Remote Labs we help leading organizations and their employees adapt to hybrid and remote work.

Angel Investor / Advisor 

PeakMetrics

PeakMetrics analyzes billions of news and social media data points to spot narratives early and forecast trends in online culture. 
https://www.peakmetrics.com/

Investor

Density

Density builds the technical infrastructure for cities, buildings, and spaces to measure how they're used. https://www.density.io/

Investor 

PlantBaby

PlantBaby is the mission-driven company behind Kiki Milk. PlantBaby designs clean and healthy plant-based foods, beverages, formulas and supplements to fuel the next generation. Our family-friendly, nutrient-dense portfolio is inspired by our home in Kauai, loved by kids and enjoyed by all. https://www.kikimilk.com/

Sunbird Messaging App

iMessage for Android is coming soon via Sunbird app. Experience a unified inbox for all message apps iMessage, Text, WhatsApp and Facebook This is a next-level, secure, private messaging app. Message all your contacts for from one place. Reserve your spot on the waitlist. 
https://sunbirdapp.com/

Cornbread Hemp™

Our mission is to improve your quality of life.
 
Building on 250 years of Kentucky hemp tradition, Cornbread Hemp continues the Bluegrass State's legacy of delivering the highest quality cannabis products available.

Unrivaled Tradition
After realizing that there were no CBD companies making high quality full spectrum CBD products, cousins Eric & Jim began their journey to launch the first-ever USDA organic CBD oils made from Kentucky-grown hemp.

Innovation & Integrity
Fast forward a few years and thousands of happy customers later, and the mission of Cornbread Hemp remains the same: to improve your quality of life with the highest quality CBD. Which led us to our next innovation...

- https://www.cornbreadhemp.com/pages/the-cornbread-story

Managing Director of a Family Office - GRA,LLC / Invest in + Advise a wide range of startups) / Exit to Verizon in 2016 (LQD WiFi Co-Founder) / Future of Mobility & Cities

I invest in & advise capital-efficient, high-growth consumer businesses (hardware + software) out of GRA, LLC (family office). Many of these companies have a hardware component to them (ex: Density, LQD WiFi, DogSpot, Circuit, & Hurdl). The CPG space has captivated me as well (PlantBaby, Cornbread Hemp, & SunWink ). 

Focused on joining a platform like WeFunder or a boutique VC fund/family office. 

Examples of my previous roles: Director of Biz Dev / Partnerships / Strategy. I have a decade of experience raising capital for personal startups as well as portfolio companies. Managing Partner in family office. 

Sectors of Interest: CPG, PropTech (real estate), Smart Cities / Mobility (transportation), SaaS Climate Tech, AI & Media. 

Big win (acquisition): Verizon acquired LQD WiFi in Nov 2016 - LQD was a startup in the IoT / Smart City space that I was involved in from the beginning (Co-Founder). My role centered around fundraising, strategic partnerships & developing relationships with city leaders across the U.S. I have firsthand knowledge regarding the difficulty of raising early stage capital from VC funds/angels/family offices & the challenges associated when navigating an acquisition & integrating into a larger organization. 

Link to learn more: 
- https://www.frogdesign.com/work/lqd-palo

My entry into the Startup World: My sister & I co-built a production company that centered around a well documenting a web-series that detailed our personal journey + the inspiring work of Gen Y social entrepreneurs, innovators, & activists. We filmed / highlighted this entrepreneurial activity post financial crisis (2009/2010) in North & South America (our route took us from Alaska to Argentina). Timberland sponsored our documentary series & Participant Media / Huffington Post became distribution partners of our content. We raised funding from Indiegogo for the Latin America portion of the journey. 

I have been a featured speaker at various TechStar's StartUp weeks (ex: Las Vegas) + Universities: Columbia Univ., The New School, USC, Vanderbilt, Xavier, Belmont Univ...etc In addition, I have been featured in variety of publications including: Fast Company, Mashable, TakePart, Huffington Post, & Oprah Radio alongside my sister in relation to our Alaska to Argentina web-series. 

Current Portfolio includes the following companies : 
PodChaser, Circuit, Density, PeakMetrics, Plant Baby (Kiki Milk), SunBird Messaging, Cornbread Hemp, Stakeholder Labs, UnSettled, Bunches, Hello Divorce & AdCritter. 

Feel free to Reach out - RyanBrown411@gmail.com

Via Cornbread Hemp® ‘s co-founder Jim Higdon 
“  Right now, members of #Congress are trying to destroy the #hemp industry as a condition of ending the government shutdown. But with your support, we can stop them. Post a video of your hemp story with the hashtag #hemphelps to show your support! #cpg #health #wellness #farmbill #governmentshutdown #cannabis #thc #cbd #healthylifestyle

Ryan Brown

I relocated back to Nashville (Summer 2020) after spending the last 10+ years living between Nyc, La, & Miami. 

Current Focus: I continue to support & stay actively engaged in the startups that I’ve invested in over the last seven years (10 out of the 20 remain healthy & I advise a handful (Circuit, UnSettled, SunBird Messaging, AdCritter, PodChaser). Please refer to GRA LLC to learn more about the various companies that I have backed.  
 
Big win: Verizon acquired LQD WiFi in Nov 2016 - LQD was a startup in the IoT / Smart City space that I was involved in from the beginning (Co-Founder). My role centered around fundraising, strategic partnerships & developing relationships with city leaders across the U.S. I have firsthand knowledge regarding the difficulty of raising early stage capital from VC funds/angels/family offices & the challenges associated when navigating an acquisition & integrating into a larger corporation. 

- https://www.frogdesign.com/work/lqd-palo

Passion: I’m an investor that champions founders that I get behind & do my best to create value (intros that lead to partnerships & capital, strategy sessions, & even talent ).

Portfolio includes the following companies : 
PodChaser, Circuit - formerly The Free Ride, SunWink, Density, UnSettled, PING, AdCritter, PeakMetrics, Plant Baby (Kiki Milk), SunBird Messaging App, Cornbread Hemp, Stakeholder Labs, Bunches & Hurdl.

My professional path shifted gears from real estate/education in 2010 to media/startups as a co-creator of an internationally recognized web-series profiling Gen Y social entrepreneurs, innovators, educators & activists in North & South America. Timberland sponsored the journey and Participant Media (TakePart) & Huffington Post became distribution partners of our content. Along the way, I have been increasingly compelled by a desire to connect forward-thinkers making measurable impact (those that consider all stakeholders). In fact, I have the great fortune of playing a role in the formation of some of the most recognized entrepreneurial communities like Kalu Yala (Selina property now), Global Citizen Festival, & The Millennial Trains Project. 

I have been a featured speaker at various Universities: Columbia, The New School, USC, Vanderbilt, Xavier, Belmont Univ...etc In addition, I have been featured in various publications including: Fast Company, Mashable, TakePart, Huffington Post, & Oprah Radio alongside my sister in relation to our Alaska to Argentina doc series. 

Feel free to Reach out - RyanBrown411@gmail.com

Co-founder at Cornbread Hemp Co

Right now, members of Congress are trying to destroy the hemp industry as a condition of ending the government shutdown. But with your support, we can stop them. Post a video of your hemp story with the hashtag #hemphelps to show your support!

Venture Partner at Render Capital / Connector / Investing across a variety of sectors (pre-seed to series A) / Exit to Verizon in 2016 (LQD WiFi Co-Founder)

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