Ryan Johnston

Alright, check this out about Ryan Johnston – this guy’s the real deal in city tech. So, Ryan’s a co-founder of Waypoint Transit, a YC W25 startup that’s all about automating urban planning with AI. Basically, he’s trying to make city planning faster, cheaper, and way smarter. No bullshit.

He’s got a solid background – an MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford, which is no joke. Before jumping into startups, he cut his teeth at Apple, so he’s got that big tech pedigree. But what really makes him stand out is his hustle in the transit world. Ryan’s worked hands-on with transit agencies, including Duluth and MNDOT, bringing some seriously original tech to local transit projects. He’s scored major grants, which shows he’s got the chops and the vision to be productive.

This guy’s a city nerd – lives in Duluth, MN – and he’s obsessed with making urban life better. He’s not just talking; he’s out here actually building stuff that changes how cities plan their infrastructure. Found Waypoint in 2024, and their mission is bold: cut down planning time and costs by automating all the boring, repetitive tasks. It’s a big change, especially for smaller cities that can’t afford the huge consulting bills.

What’s crazy is, Ryan’s process shows he’s all about problem-solving and pushing boundaries. He’s not content with the status quo. His experience at Apple gave him the tech skills, but his work with transit agencies gave him the ground-level understanding of what cities actually need. Now, he’s blending those worlds – tech and real city problems – to build something that could totally reshape urban planning.

So yeah, Ryan Johnston is not just another startup founder. He’s a smart, driven guy who saw a bullshit problem – slow, expensive city planning – and decided to fix it with AI. The dude’s got the vision, the experience, and the passion. No Cap, he’s someone to watch because he’s actually out here making a difference.