Beyond Unicorns: Built to Last #NYTechWeek
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ᵔ▾ᵔBeyond Unicorns: Building Sustainable, Profitable Companies
In a world obsessed with unicorn status and billion-dollar valuations, what does it mean to build a company that’s built to last? Join us for a candid, founder-friendly dinner where we shift the conversation from growth-at-all-costs to sustainable, profitable, and purposeful businesses.
We’re also thrilled to welcome a featured guest speaker - a seasoned founder who has built a profitable, values-driven company without chasing the unicorn dream. They’ll share honest insights, hard-won lessons, and what it really takes to scale without burning out.
[Speaker1 : Rick Szyfer]
For over 15 years Rick Szyfer has helped startups and established companies alike build product and engineer better quality products in the software space. He's also a mentor for Engineering students doing their capstone projects, many of which are very early stage startups.
10 years ago he co-founded Kinamic, to help Seed Stage - Series A startups deliver on their promises to stakeholders by augmenting their teams.
Since starting, 3 of them have been acquired and 2 of those are now publicly listed companies.
[Speaker 2: Endri Tolka]
Endri Tolka is a commercially minded and outcome-driven Entrepreneur, Executive and Board Member with experience in start-ups, scale-ups and M&A. Endri is currently a co-founder and General Partner at Liquid Flow Investments, an algorithmic quant fund.
Prior to Liquid Flow, he was a Co-founder, CFO/COO at YouVisit, where he built a proprietary SaaS technology platform to drive conversions for universities and Fortune 500 companies through highly interactive 360° experiences across mobile, web and VR/AR. Endri built and scaled different Go-to-Market and operational functions while leading a team of 55.
Endri speaks 4 languages and holds an MBA in Finance from NYU Stern School of Business and two B.As in Computer Science and Economics from Brandeis University. Endri is a member of New York Angels where he invests in early-stage software companies.
Endri is a mentor for Endeavor where he has helped over 75 companies from around the world with operational and financial strategy.
Whether you're bootstrapping, cash-flow positive, or just tired of the VC hype machine—this meetup is for builders focused on longevity, not just headlines.
Why Attend?
No Hype, Just Real Talk:
Connect with founders and operators who are prioritizing sustainability, profitability, and mission over vanity metrics.
Founder-Friendly Format:
No pitches, no panels. Just a casual dinner with real conversations, hosted by Cuculi—with all logistics handled so you can focus on connection.
Open & Inclusive:
Free to join with just one food order minimum to support the hosting venue.
Dress Code: Business Casual
Respect the Space: No-shows may be excluded from future Tech Week events.
This event is a part of #NYTechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com
Guest List
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