ABOUT US
Who We Are
Two women who met on a networking app, fell into a fast friendship, and eventually couldn’t ignore the problem they saw everywhere they looked.
HOW WE GOT HERE
The deal room kept showing us the same problem.
Alex had spent years as an M&A attorney closing deals — buy-sides, sell-sides, capital raises, transactions up to $300M. She was good at it. But there was a moment that kept repeating itself: she'd sit across from a business owner she genuinely admired, someone who had built something real, and watch them get a bad deal. Not because they weren't smart. Because they came to the table too late.
As the lawyer, it was too late for her to fix it. And the billable hour made it hard to have the conversations that actually mattered. So she started showing up earlier — meeting owners informally, answering questions about strategy, company structure, and how to build a business that could one day run and sell without them.
That's when the questions started that she couldn't answer alone. Questions about operations. About growth. About what it actually looks like to make a business transferable from the inside out.
But the answer was simple. “Let's call my friend Kim."
They did two joint calls with business owners. The fit was immaculate. Kim had spent over a decade building sales, marketing, and operations teams from the ground up — growing revenue, managing employees across states and cultures, rebuilding distressed departments into high-performing ones. She knew exactly what it looked like to build a business that could scale and transfer without the founder at the center of everything.
Together, they had the full picture. Ripples Edge Advisors was born.
“Think of it as what you’d get if LinkedIn and Tinder had a baby.
We swiped right in 2018 — same college connections, same competitive sports background, same pull towards building something that matters. Some partnerships are strategic by design.
Ours started as a genuine friendship. We think that’s why it works.”
CO-FOUNDER
Alexandria Seydel
“The Lawyer”
Alex is an M&A attorney who spent years inside some of Chicago’s most complex transactions before she realized her best work happened before the deal room, not inside it.
She has closed buy-side and sell-side acquisitions up to $300M in enterprise value, documented capital raises up to $30M, served at two prestigious Chicago law firms, and as General Counsel at a fast-growing security technology company. She’s been recognized as a Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers.
Today, she brings that legal acumen to business owners years before they need it — helping them understand what buyers actually look for, where deals break down, and how to build a business that’s ready when the moment comes.
COMMUNITY
Founding Member & Ambassador, LaunchBreak · Chicago Fire Foundation Junior Board (2019-2020) · 18 Coffees Community Partner · The Post Community Member
Four-year starter, University of Iowa Women’s soccer · Happiest on a hiking trail or ski slope · Devoted to her golden retriever, Thumper.
CO-FOUNDER
Kimberly Wasney
“The Operator”
Kim has spent her career doing the hard, unglamorous work of building businesses from the inside — the kind of work that makes them scalable, tranferable, and valuable.
As a former Head of Business Development, she grew company revenue from $160K to $9 million over five years. She’s designed revenue processes, developed company-wide P&L forecasts, and managed employees across states and cultures. When departments were broken, she rebuilt them. She opened her first business — a volleyball club in New Mexico — at age 22.
At Ripples Edge Advisors, Kim translates that operational depth into a practical roadmap for owners who are ready to reimagine their business as a transferable asset. She knows what buyers look for, because she’s built the things buyers look for.
COMMUNITY
Board of Directors, Professional Women’s Club of Chicago (2020-present) · Chicago Council on Global Affairs · 18 Coffees Community Partner · Trusted Advisors Council
Currently on four Chicago volleyball teams · Re-reads Pride and Prejudice every year without apology · Usually has a book in one hand and a coffee in the other.
Let’s Talk
We love connecting with business owners who are starting to ask the question — even if they’re not sure they’re ready for the answer.