CEO Profile: Kyle York, York IE
K
yle is the co-founder, CEO and managing partner at York IE, a strategic
growth and investment firm for technology companies. As CRO of Dyn, he led the company to $100 million ARR and a $600 million acquisition by Oracle, where he was a general manager and vice president of product strategy for the cloud infrastructure business inside the $200 billion Big Red empire.
Today, he works closely with entrepreneurs, operators and investors to help them realize their shared ambition to build good companies, create new jobs, grow generational wealth and impact the world.
What makes your company or work environment unique?
The traditional industries that are supposed to add value to startups have all grown too large and become cost prohibitive. They’ve lost sight of what it’s like to build and scale an early-stage startup.
At York IE, we disrupt sectors with our end-to-end vertically integrated approach. We’re operators helping operators, and we’re creating the resources, platform and investment approach to change the game.
We want to help tech companies grow in a way that works for them. By leveraging our proprietary data and automation technology and deep operational expertise, we are able to provide advisory as a service and to selectively invest in early-stage B2B SaaS led by ambitious entrepreneurs.
While our investment thesis is strictly B2B SaaS, our advisory team works with companies (including a few based in NH) of all sizes and industries across four functional areas:
– Corporate Strategy and FP&A
– Product Strategy and Development
– Brand Strategy and Marketing Communications
– Go-to-Market Strategy and Revenue Operations
We want to help companies with growth and how to think like a tech business, innovate, and scale – always with a keen eye on being sustainable. And we would love to work with more New Hampshire companies!
What accomplishments within your company are you most proud of?
In February of 2023, York IE announced its seventh investment cohort, including companies across the globe from Boston to London to Montreal. With this new cohort, York IE has made 53 investments in 42 companies, including 17 investments in 2022, and has seen tremendous growth in companies within its first six cohorts. Of the 42 companies York IE has invested in, three have been acquired and half have raised additional capital at an increased valuation. York IE has shown significant momentum in recent months.
We’ve also recognized that the tech industry, startups, and venture capital needed to do a better job of authentically fostering a broader and more diverse culture. York IE launched TechWomen Invest, a new group that will help increase the number of female technology investors and facilitate more opportunities for them to share their expertise with founders. Additionally, York IE recently established a partnership with TechWomen|TechGirls, a New Hampshire Tech Alliance initiative that brings female investors together. These initiatives aim to facilitate meaningful connections between female entrepreneurs, executives, and investors, as well as bring on more female investment partners to the York IE group.
As of late, I’m also incredibly proud of the team we’re building. We’ve announced some key leadership hires this year and are approaching 100 full-time employees globally supporting our advisory clients and investment portfolio. That strength in numbers is a critical component of the impact we can make on our industry.
What advice would you give to up-and-coming leaders in the greater Manchester community?
My advice to up-and-coming entrepreneurs and leaders in the Greater Manchester community is this: go for it… entrepreneurship is not always fun or easy and success is relative.
Regardless if you’re running a growing B2B company or a mom-and-pop store on Main Street (Elm Street here in Manchester!) somewhere, it is really difficult to build a business of any size or scale. You’ve got to keep that perspective, realize it’s a rollercoaster and play the long game. There’s no straight line to success on any level. You have to define what you’re trying to build and what success is to you — and not care what anyone else thinks about that.
What attributes do you think makes our business community and greater Manchester region special?
We understand that we don’t live in the Silicon Valley echo chamber. Our desire and drive when it comes to business are reflected in the state motto of New Hampshire: Live Free or Die. Manchester enables us to be in control of our destiny as a business. We have options. We have unique independence. We have the ability to take risks.
This is true of all New Hampshire companies but especially applicable to tech companies. Covid-19 accelerated the adoption of remote work, which means talented people are choosing where they want to live. New Hampshire is a great place to live and so I believe the business community will only get stronger in the years ahead.
At York IE one of our core values is rising tides raise all ships. We are invested in New Hampshire and would love to work with more companies. So if you think you’d benefit from some growth help, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
