The Partners
Tessera Group is led by its founders — hands-on principals who structure the frameworks, sit at the table, and stay through execution.
Ryan is the financial architect of Tessera Group — a natural at deal structuring and the mechanics of how capital actually works. He builds the financial models, equity waterfalls, and return structures that underpin every venture, with a rare instinct for extracting maximum value from the sources available: which capital to use, how to layer it, and what structure performs best for the situation at hand. He brings years of experience translating financial strategy into real-world outcomes — sizing the raise, pressure-testing the assumptions, and matching the right capital to the right venture — and pairs that quantitative depth with the practical judgment to know what will actually clear diligence. Where others see a number, he sees the architecture that produced it.
He treats the capital stack as a design problem — engineering preferred returns, the debt-versus-equity mix, tax-aware structuring, and incentive alignment so every dollar is deployed where it earns the most. From unit economics to exit waterfalls, Ryan makes the numbers work and keeps them diligence-ready, holding the financial strategy steady while moving complex, capital-intensive deals from first model to close.
Derrick is the strategic architect of Tessera Group — deeply versed in governance, deal structure, and the operational strategy that turns a concept into a durable enterprise. He builds the frameworks every venture operates within: entity design, governance and rights architecture, contract development, and regulated-industry navigation across cannabis, hemp, film finance, and real estate. He has spent years on the capital side of founder-led and consumer-facing businesses — backing and scaling brands through the structure and capital that let them grow — and pairs that investor's perspective with the structuring discipline most ventures lack. Where others see a transaction, he sees the structure underneath it.
He works structure-first by instinct — establishing governance and control before commercial terms are negotiated, protecting optionality, and embedding firm, enforceable substance beneath collaborative framing. Every engagement is positioned as a chapter in a longer play, and Derrick keeps the long-horizon strategy intact while moving complex, regulated deals from first diagnostic to close.
How We Engage
At Tessera, the people who design the structure are the people who do the work. We keep engagements lean, senior, and accountable — and we work alongside qualified outside counsel and co-advisors as each venture requires.