Localstake Team

The founding team developed the concept for Localstake so that they could support local businesses in a new way—by investing in them. With backgrounds in investment banking and investment management, the Localstake team understands the risks and complexities in making local businesses a viable investment opportunity for investors.

Localstake was founded around the following five core principles:

  1. All individuals should be able to invest in private businesses
  2. Investors should invest in what they know best—their community
  3. Collaborative research and decision making results in better informed investors
  4. The process for raising capital should be efficient and inexpensive
  5. Local investors can offer many valuable advantages to small businesses

Team

Rf biopic copy bw

Ryan Flynn

Founder

Prior to founding Localstake, Ryan worked in investment banking at Periculum Capital Company, LLC. At Periculum, Ryan worked with management teams of small to middle market companies to assist them in raising growth capital and selling their business.

Ryan received his Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and Psychology from Washington and Lee University. He holds the Series 7, 24, 79, and 63 securities licenses.

Check the background of this investment professional on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.

Bs biopic copy bw

Brandon Smith

Founder

Prior to founding Localstake, Brandon was an investment analyst at J.P. Morgan in Private Banking. While there, he was responsible for investment analysis and risk monitoring for high net worth families, foundations, and business owners.

Brandon attended Indiana University where he graduated from the Kelley School of Business, majoring in Finance and Entrepreneurship. He holds the Series 7, 24, 79, and 63 securities licenses and is a candidate for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, having passed all required exams.

Check the background of this investment professional on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.

Steve hodges

Steve Hodges

Director of Technology

Steve has worked as a software developer at startups since 2011. Prior to that, his work in the Office of Communications & Marketing at IUPUI earned the campus over a dozen national and regional awards for excellence in higher-education communications. That work included application development, building a student media production program, rollout of campus-wide digital signage, and nacient higher-ed social media integration efforts. In addition to production, he has also served leadership roles since 2005, building and managing media and software projects and teams.

His degree is from the Indiana University School of Informatics at IUPUI, with a certificate in applied computer science from Purdue University. He serves the university as a member of the IUPUI Alumni Council.

Get the tools and hands-on advice you need to raise funds successfully

Localstake Marketplace will help you connect with investors, close funding and get back on the road to growing your business.

Start Fundraising

Connect with and invest in ambitious local businesses

Localstake Marketplace will connect you with unique investment opportunities in growing businesses.

Access Investments