On Friday, 2/22 teams from our Summer Launchpad, Ignite, Sprint and Prototyping Fund programs met with Kyra Durko (NYU Stern '19) for Office Hours. Kyra is an Investor at Two Sigma Ventures where she spends her time sourcing, evaluating, and supporting companies across a variety of verticles. Prior to joining Two Sigma, Kyra sat on the other side of the table as an NYU Entrepreneur. Kyra founded a mobile payment platform integrated with the leading POS systems that allows users to open, split, and pay a restaurant bar or tab from their phone. As an NYU student, she participated in the Summer Launchpad accelerator, Ignite, and 300K Entrepreneurs Challenge. Kyra holds a BS in Finance and Data Science from NYU Stern.

Given Kyra's unique vantage point as an NYU founder turned VC, I asked her the following:

What is one piece of advice for NYU startups?

• "Focus on optimizing for the long run. Usually that means being patient while growth is slow today, and setting yourself up for faster growth in the near future. Dig in on these initiatives, smart investors and customers will recognize them."

Is there anything you wish you knew as a student entrepreneur?

• "Don't underestimate people's willingness to support you. Build relationships with people you don't think you need right now, because you probably will need them later and they WILL be there to support you."

Such a treat to have Kyra return to the Leslie eLab. Thanks, Kyra!

About Office Hours:

Office hours are by invitation-only and a chance for startup teams to receive expert coaching on specific issues and challenges they face. Priority access to office hour signups is given to teams participating in programs including  Ignite Fellowships, $300K Entrepreneurs Challenge, Healthcare Makerthon, Prototyping Fund, J-Term Startup Sprint, Summer Launchpad, and those recommended by Blackstone Launchpad coaches.

Interested in participating but not involved in one of the programs listed above? Sign up for a coaching session with a Blackstone LaunchPad coach and learn how to access entrepreneurial resources at NYU.