Gold Medal Sourcing: 5x Olympic Gold Medalist Ryan Murphy's Journey into Deal Sourcing

Ryan Murphy has spent his career performing at the highest level. A nine-time Olympic medalist, five-time gold medalist, former U.S. team captain, and world-record holder, Ryan is now taking on a very different challenge: learning the craft of deal sourcing at Norwest Venture Partners.

In this episode, Ryan joins Matt and Dan to discuss his path from elite swimming into investing, what it feels like to become a beginner again after reaching the top of another field, and how he is approaching the learning curve in venture. He shares how Olympic preparation was structured, the role data and repetition played in his training, and the parallels he is beginning to see between high-performance sports and sourcing.

The conversation also covers the patterns Ryan is seeing in the market, how owning and operating a swim-school franchise has shaped his perspective as an investor, and what he has learned about evaluating founders and businesses from the operator’s seat. Ryan also discusses balancing work, training, and family, the possibility of competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and his advice for anyone considering a major career transition.

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