Curated Capital Conversations at the Edge of Innovation

Focus on Risk is an exclusive global event series produced by Baird Augustine, designed to bring together visionary founders, family offices, institutional investors, and fund managers in intimate settings optimized for meaningful connection, strategic insight, and high-leverage fundraising.

Since its inception in 2009, Focus on Risk has hosted hundreds of invitation-only gatherings across 24 cities and 19 countries, with a flagship presence in Silicon Valley—the beating heart of global innovation. With each event, Focus on Risk aims to foster trust, spark partnerships, and accelerate capital into the companies and ideas reshaping the world.

Whether it’s a roundtable in Singapore, a panel in London, or a marquee summit in San Francisco, Focus on Risk consistently attracts a curated group of high-caliber attendees and delivers real results: multimillion-dollar investments, global syndicates, and long-lasting alliances between investors and entrepreneurs.

APPLY TO BE A GUEST ON THE FOCUS ON RISK PODCAST HERE

What Sets It Apart

• Founder-Focused, Investor-Centric: Every gathering is engineered to prioritize deep engagement, candid dialogue, and direct fundraising outcomes.

• Track Record of Trust: Backed by Ryan Baird’s two decades of experience hosting top-tier events and his leadership at boutique investment bank Baird Augustine.

• Global in Scope, Local in Impact: While rooted in Silicon Valley, Focus on Risk has global reach, creating bridges between markets, capital, and talent.

• Not Just Events—Ecosystems: More than just networking, these gatherings are incubators for shared vision, aligned incentives, and collective action.

How to Connect

• Follow us. Join the FOR community on X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Substack. These channels share event updates, episode clips, and market commentary.

• Subscribe to the podcast. Our Focus On Risk Podcast explores how institutional investors manage risk and how founders identify opportunities for market disruption. Episodes run 60‑90 minutes and are recorded on a consistent schedule with audio and video formats, using Riverside FM.

• Attend an event. We host regular curated meet‑ups, investor dinners, sailing trips, poker games, hikes, and summits. View the calendar and purchase tickets via our Lu.ma page.

• Get the newsletter. Subscribe via Substack for non‑advisory insights on market trends, risk management, and emerging technologies.

• Ask a question. Our inbox is open for feedback, sponsors or speaker suggestions. Email info@bairdaugustine.com.

Recent Past Guests

The FOR podcast and events feature leaders in policy, technology, entrepreneurship and institutional investment. Highlights include:

• Fiona Ma - California State Treasurer, Board Member CALPERs

• Ben Narasin - GP Tenacity Ventures

• Daniel Springer - CEO, DocuSign

• Asher Siddiqui LP, FoFs GP

• Matt Mahan - Mayor of San Jose

• Lisa Gillmor - Mayor of Santa Clara

• Austin & Zach Hurst - Co-founders, Hurst Family Office

Be a Guest on the Podcast

The Focus On Risk Podcast features funded founders, fund managers, family offices and allocators who can share thoughtful perspectives on risk in their respective verticals. Prospective guests can apply by completing a short intake form. This allows the team to assess fit and prepare tailored questions. Quality is prioritized over quantity; we schedule fewer, deeper conversations with high‑calibre guests.

APPLY TO BE A GUEST ON THE FOCUS ON RISK PODCAST HERE

Guest process. After receiving your form, we will reach out if there is a fit. A Calendly link simplifies scheduling and respects your time. Once confirmed, you will receive a prep sheet with sample questions, tech tips, and recording details. Episodes are recorded via RiverSideFM, with about 15 minutes of rapport‑building followed by 60–90 minutes of conversation and a brief wrap-up. After the interview, we send a follow up note, a preview clip, and final links when the episode goes live, encouraging guests to share the episode with their networks.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Brands and funds can partner with Focus On Risk to reach a curated community of Family Offices, General Partners, Limited Partners and funded founders. Sponsorship packages include branded segments on the podcast, co‑hosted events, newsletter placement, and social‑media promotion. If interested, email info@bairdaugustine.com or fill out an intake form to request our sponsorship deck.

Interviewing Ryan

Ryan Baird receives many interview requests. Because he focuses on clients first, his media appearances are limited. If you would like Ryan to appear on your podcast, blog, or social channel, please submit a request form to info@BairdAugustine.com and provide context and audience size. We appreciate your interest and will respond if there is a strategic fit.