# Ryan Baird

> Ryan Baird is the Los Gatos-based CEO and co-founder of Baird Augustine, a cross-border investment banking firm. His career spans Morgan Stanley private wealth management, Flotilla Asset Management, Cashplay, G-Startup Worldwide and leadership of LYKA, a social rewards app whose Philippine payment operations were suspended in 2021. He describes his relationship-focused business approach as influenced by his parents’ careers at Hewlett-Packard.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder at Baird Augustine
- **Organizations:** Baird Augustine, Morgan Stanley, Flotilla Asset Management, Upsight, Cashplay, G-Startup Worldwide, LYKA
- **Education:** College of Business Honors Academy graduate, San Jose State University
- **Known for:** Completed SJSU’s College of Business Honors Academy in 2005., Founded Flotilla in 2010., Led international startup competition and investor-network activities through G-Startup Worldwide.

## Career timeline

- **2005** — Completed the SJSU College of Business Honors Academy, including projects for Subaru and the FBI.
- **—** — Worked in Morgan Stanley private wealth management on Sand Hill Road before moving into hedge fund trading.
- **2010** — Founded Flotilla; later described margin compression and competitive infrastructure costs as reasons to move on.
- **2014** — Joined Cashplay as its U.S. business development lead after working at Upsight.
- **2015** — Spoke about skill-based cash tournaments at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco.
- **2016** — Published international competition updates for G-Startup Worldwide.
- **2021** — Led LYKA during its Philippine growth and the central bank’s suspension of unregistered payment-system operations.
- **2023** — Began serving as CEO and co-founder of Baird Augustine with Henry Augustine.

## Achievements

- Completed SJSU’s College of Business Honors Academy in 2005.
- Founded Flotilla in 2010.
- Led international startup competition and investor-network activities through G-Startup Worldwide.
- Baird Augustine’s biography credits him with raising $35 million for LYKA; this is a company-reported figure.
- Co-founded Baird Augustine in 2023.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Research snapshot: the company’s live leadership page identifies Baird as CEO and co-founder; its roadshow page says the next calendar is being finalized. This is an observation date, not an announcement date.

## Links

- Website: https://bairdaugustine.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandbaird/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/FOCUS_ON_RISK
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Focus_On_Risk
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanbaird888/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryandbaird/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ryan-baird
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-10