What we do and why we do it. Hybrid1 is a venture studio: we’re investing our time and money to launch and grow several companies in parallel. We’re doing this to be a catalyst for entrepreneurship, cross-cultural understanding, and community development. We focus on:
- atypical visionaries who have been overlooked/undervalued by investors,
- scalable and disruptive ideas across various industries,
- liminal opportunities between traditional Location-Based Entertainment (LBE) and the metaverse/Web3, and
- markets worldwide that “punch above their weight.”
Who we are. As proud children of immigrants, we're committed to showcase Hybrid1 as a living embodiment of the American Dream. Embracing diversity and globalism while remaining proudly American (and Mexican, and Persian), we're bringing together people with wildly different backgrounds, cultures, and viewpoints to achieve mutual understanding, empathy, and respect.
Ryan Sauter, Founder. Ryan has over 15 years experience as an entrepreneur with experience in manufacturing, global logistics, and hospitality. Since 2017, Ryan has served as Founder and Managing Director of Hybrid1.
Ryan founded Hybrid Enterprises -- a provider of component parts for the waste management industry -- in 2012. Revenues doubled in 2017 and again in 2018, and have been growing at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate of over 20% since. Stainless steel axles and catch bars for residential rolling trash carts – contract manufactured using Hybrid-owned molds at two facilities near Qingdao, China – account for a majority of sales. Hybrid has diversified into additional China-sourced steel products, silicon bronze (96% copper) sourced in Peru, and recycled plastic resin sourced in Mexico.
Prior to starting Hybrid Enterprises, Ryan lived in China, playing semi-pro basketball while learning Mandarin. He later led business development efforts in Asia for Visionmaker Worldwide. He also devoted significant time to philanthropic work in India, Laos, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Ryan was a student-athlete at Saint Mary’s College of California, where he graduated with a BA in Kinesiology. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California with his daughter Zaya.
Dan Martinez, Founder. Dan has over 25 years of strategic planning and business operations experience in the entertainment & leisure industry. Since 2017, Dan has served as Founder and Managing Director of Hybrid1.
From 2001 to 2017, Dan served as Founder and President of VisionMaker Worldwide, providing design, development, and operations consulting to clients around the world. In 2006, VisionMaker and MidOcean Partners acquired Palace Entertainment, operator of 31 waterparks and family entertainment centers. As COO of Palace, Dan helped secure $200 million of funding and helped develop and implement the post-acquisition strategy.
Prior to VisionMaker, with Universal Studios Recreation Group’s strategic planning group, Dan helped develop Universal’s global theme park strategy; assisted with strategic planning efforts for business units in Florida, California, and Spain; and helped negotiate and lead integration efforts for the acquisition of the Wet ‘n Wild waterpark chain. Previously, with the Disneyland Resort’s business planning group, Dan was deeply involved in business unit-level strategic, operational and financial planning.
Dan earned an MBA from the University of Southern California and graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a BA in Communications. He lives in Oceanside, California with his wife and three sons.
