Recently I joined the York IE team as the new head of market strategy. In this role, I’ll be working with the York IE investments team to analyze potential investment opportunities while also leading the Advisory Services module for Market and Product.
As an investment firm that’s focused on reshaping the way startups are built, scaled and monetized, York IE is unlike any company I’ve worked with in the past. The decision to join the team was an easy one, however, as the company and role offer several benefits that I’ve come to view as critical to a successful and fulfilling career.
This role gives me the opportunity to:
- work with really smart and amazing people;
- learn, learn, learn;
- help customers grow their businesses; and
- geek out.
Working with Really Smart and Amazing People
I’ve had the opportunity to work with several members of the York IE team in the past, so I already know that I’ll be working with true superstars across the marketing, product, go to market (GTM) and finance teams. In fact, this is the fourth company in which I’ve worked with Kyle York!
When you’re planning to spend 40-plus hours a week with anybody, I’ve learned that it’s even more important to work with people that you truly respect, appreciate and trust. The York IE team and culture are exactly that. The team here cares about helping build and scale startups, but also deeply cares about creating a healthy and fun workplace that prioritizes the needs of employees and their families.
Learn, Learn, Learn
Throughout my career, I’ve found the most rewarding times have been when I’ve been growing my skills and knowledge. The great thing about focusing on startups and market strategies is that it forces you to always be learning. Nobody can know everything about any technology market, and as soon as you think you’re close to knowing everything, you can be confident some new trend, vendor or external factor will show up and cause a ripple effect across all of it. The end result: I’ll always be learning about our customers, their markets and competitors, and therefore I’ll constantly be growing
Helping Customers Grow their Businesses
This role gives me the opportunity to work with innovative founders who are passionate about introducing new ideas, disrupting markets and discovering new solutions to their customers’ problems. As markets continue to evolve and new clients engage with our Advisory Services, it ensures no two days will be the same. I’ll be using my continuous learning (see above) to help these companies identify market opportunities, exploit competitive advantages and align their products and GTM strategies to capitalize on those opportunities.
Geek Out
I began my career as a software developer before gradually shifting into more business-focused roles in recent years. While I now spend large portions of my day looking at spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations, those initial years provided the foundation for how I understand, appreciate and learn about technologies, products and services. Ultimately, I’m still the same geek I was early in my career (albeit with a few more pounds and much less hair). Analyzing and discussing technology with really smart people is just plain fun for me.
So, now that I’m officially on board with the York IE team, I’ll be jumping into our customers’ markets with both feet. I’m looking forward to working with as many startups as I can to identify the best market opportunities to capitalize on and help grow their businesses.
