How to define the 'value-add investor'

Ryan Caldbeck is the Founder and CEO of CircleUp (www.circleup.com), an equity-based investment platform focused on high-growth consumer and retail companies.

Ryan started CircleUp after a career of investing experience in consumer product and retail-focused private equity at TSG Consumer Partners and Encore Consumer Capital. As a Director at Encore, Ryan led a number of private investments and served on the Board of Zuke’s, The Isopure Company and Philly Swirl. His experience in private equity exposed him to many great consumer and retail businesses that were too small to obtain funding through the customary private equity channels. As a result, he decided to make funding available to these small and promising companies through CircleUp.

Ryan received his MBA from Stanford and a dual BA from Duke, where he was a member of the 2001 NCAA basketball National Championship team. He holds Series 24, 63, and 82 licenses. Ryan is also a frequent contributor to Forbes and The Huffington Post.