Ryan Neal is the founder and CEO of Blueprint Technologies, the data and AI consulting firm in Bellevue, Washington, and a serial entrepreneur who came to technology from music, law, and real estate (PR Newswire; 425 Business).
From a Seattle record label to law school
Neal studied history and philosophy at the University of Washington and wanted a career in music; his first job was at a local record label, where he worked for five years (425 Business). He then earned an MBA and a law degree at Seattle University, worked in land development, started his own law firm, and bought his first business (425 Business). He credits his mother: “She was the original serial entrepreneur, and I followed in her footsteps” (425 Business).
Leading Blueprint in Bellevue
He has said that not being a technologist shapes how he runs the company: “I definitely don’t know tech, and I don’t know a lot of those specialty areas, so it forces me to go out and hire really good people and put them in a position to be successful” (425 Business). In 2025 Blueprint and Black Tech Jobs set a goal of placing 1,000 professionals from underrepresented groups in technology jobs, and Neal said that diversity of thought is essential for innovation (PR Newswire). On data governance, his view is blunt: “It’s not a nice-to-have; it’s mandatory if you want to scale effectively” (PR Newswire). Outside work he sings and plays guitar in a band called Iris Drive (425 Business).