Remembering Ryan
Ryan Popple was a bright light, and a person who I admired immensely. He was an incredible executive and advocate for sustainability, and also devoted husband, proud dad and engaged citizen. It was a joy and privilege to have known him and to have been his friend.
We worked together while at Kleiner Perkins from 2010 on, then indirectly while he led Proterra, and more recently when he re-joined us at G2 Venture Partners. Ryan had high ideals, aiming to transform the transportation industry and to make a real impact on the energy transition. He was the consummate ‘Man in the Arena’, whether through his military service, as a CEO, an investor, or member of civic organizations like the Silicon Valley Leadership Group or League of Conservation Voters. He cared deeply about sustainability and was amazingly effective at lifting up those around him. Also worth noting that he proudly held the office record for longest commute on a bike and the high score at Pac-Man. He recently encouraged us to make sure we were donating blood consistently. And he was someone who always had a great book recommendation, often pointing people to The Big Burn, Cadillac Dessert or, more recently, Speed & Scale (which features a segment on his leadership at Proterra).
Ryan had so many gifts, and was extremely generous with them. He prioritized mentorship and teaching. I reached out to him to ask the favor of speaking at a college class several years ago while he was likely working 100 hour weeks, and got back the reply, “I’d be honored to help. It is very important to me to help inspire and educate the next generation of business leaders.” That was his way. And he had so much more to do.
Ryan lived a life that certainly inspired many — and while it is impossible to make sense of his loss, it is worth celebrating the impact he made across a broad community.
We are collecting stories, memories, pictures or tributes that will be put together for his family, and welcome you to send those along to rememberingryan@g2vp.com
This community whose lives he lightened will continue the work that he was so dedicated to. And we will miss him tremendously.
