Ryan Piela - Estée Lauder Companies - New Incubation Ventures
Full Name
Ryan Piela
Email Address
Ryan.piela@gmail.com
Would you be open to having students contact you to connect and learn more? (Yes / No)
Yes
What’s your title and what do you do?
Venture Capital - New Incubation Ventures
What company do you work for and what does it do?
Estée Lauder Companies I work for their New Incubation Ventures team that looks to acquire & invest in luxury beauty startups and the associated technologies that enable new sales channels and products
What area of Fintech is the company or your role in?
Venture Capital
How many years of experience do you have within the Fintech space?
2 years
How did you get into Fintech and/or this role?
Transitioning from consulting to VC, I heavily leaned on my brand -- ex-founder & operator, consultant, client relationship experience, and retail SME. This helped me find a role on the VC "island". Once on the island, it becomes much easier to network, learn, and start doing. The key was to develop that brand.
How has your experience, education or network helped you in Fintech?
I was new to NYC for the MBA. Leveraging NYU's network was crucial to my career transition from consulting. I can tie one of my crucial connections to Prof. Hegde and his (now revamped) Creative Destruction Lab.
What advice would you give someone looking to build a career within the Fintech space?
If you're looking to build a career in VC, I always suggest just doing. Lay out the tasks of your dream role -- start doing them. Then leverage that execution to add value to others, prove your skills as an investor, and ultimately land the same job.
