Ryan Ward

Ryan is the General Counsel at GV and leads the firm’s legal strategy, including all investing activities, portfolio matters, and compliance.

Prior to joining GV in 2026, Ryan was the chief legal officer of DCVC, a deep tech venture capital firm, for four years. He also served as general counsel at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) during an eight-year period of rapid growth where Ryan supported the firm’s expansion into biotech and cryptocurrency.

“Partnering with startups that are making an outsize impact on our world is incredibly rewarding,” he says. “There is nothing quite like the energy of a new company finding its footing to take on a massive problem, and it is a privilege to work alongside them.”

Before moving in-house in venture capital, Ryan was in-house counsel at two public biotech companies and began his law career at Cooley, advising venture capital firms and companies at every stage of growth.

“My background in technology and experience as in-house counsel gave me a deep appreciation for the hard work, planning, and resilience it takes to clear early hurdles in a company,” he explains.

Ryan received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.