Lynn-Ann Gries

Lynn-Ann Gries has spent her career in the financial arena. At present she runs her own consulting firm that provides a variety of services including financial analysis, market research, advisory services to entrepreneurs seeking capital and also to regional leaders who seek to spur entrepreneurial activity through the use of a unique type of public/private partnership known as a “venture development fund.” From investment banking to venture capital she has experience working with a wide range of companies, from start-ups to those in the Fortune 1000.

She began her career in the mid 1980’s working for two investment banking firms in New York, Smith Barney and Morgan Stanley. When marriage brought her to the Midwest she began working for the regional firm McDonald and Company, now part of KeyBank. At McDonald she was primarily responsible for helping companies access capital through the public equity markets but also assisted companies in the processes of raising growth capital or transitioning ownership through sales or mergers. In 2001 she began working in venture capital, co-founding JumpStart, a nationally recognized, venture development orgaanization created to invest in local, tech-based start-ups. Over the course of 12 years she and her team invested $30M in 80 companies, all of which were located in Northeast Ohio.

She is often asked to participate on panels at local events focused on startups and seed/venture funding, she has written articles about female investors and founders for the Huffington Post and recently contributed to the book “Startup Seed Funding for the Rest of Us” by Cleveland entrepreneur, Mike Belsito. She holds an MBA from New York University (Stern School of Business) and a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College where she majored in Economics. She currently lives in Shaker Heights, OH with her husband and children, seventh generation Clevelanders, when they are home from college. Although not a Cleveland native, her love for the the Cleveland Indians is never-ending.

Sub-specialties: Venture Capital / Seed Stage Investing, Economic Development, Business Incubators (such as Y-Combinator etc.), Women and Venture Capital / Investing, Women Founders, Investment trends in the midwest