Workshop: Finance Fundamentals for Innovators
Finance can feel like a different language when you’re building something for the first time.
In this practical workshop, Ryan Dings will give early-stage founders and innovators the foundational financial knowledge they need to better understand their business and participate confidently in conversations about its financial health.
You’ll break down essential concepts like revenue, gross profit, gross margin, operating expenses, and cash flow; explore the purpose of the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement; and learn how these pieces work together to tell the financial story of a business.
Along the way, you’ll learn which numbers matter, what they can tell you about how a venture is performing, and the financial concepts investors and other stakeholders expect founders to understand.
No finance background required. You’ll leave with a stronger grasp of financial fundamentals, a working vocabulary for discussing your venture’s finances, and a foundation you can use to make more informed decisions as you build.
Dinner will be provided.
About the speaker
Ryan Dings is President of ClimateHaven. He served as ClimateHaven’s Founding CEO and has been a member of the organization’s Board of Directors since its inception. He brings a wide array of experience to ClimateHaven, having served as both an executive and investor in clean technology companies.
Ryan also recently served as a venture partner of Connecticut Innovations’ $100M ClimateTech Fund. Prior to his recent roles, he served as the Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel of Greentown Labs, North America's largest climate tech incubator with locations in Somerville, MA and Houston, TX. Earlier in his career, Ryan served as the Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel of Sunwealth, where he helped launch the Solar Impact Fund, which invested in the development and long-term ownership of commercial solar projects throughout the United States. Ryan also served on the executive team of venture-backed prefab home builder Blu Homes and has advised numerous early-stage clean tech and building tech companies over the past 15+ years. Ryan started his career practicing commercial real estate law in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ryan holds graduate degrees in law from Wake Forest University School of Law and in design from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and a Bachelor of Arts from UNC-Chapel Hill.
In addition to his work building, financing, and supporting clean technology companies, Ryan loves to be outdoors and to support the organizations that protect it, including the Boston-based Mystic River Watershed Association, where he currently serves on the Board of Directors.