Ryan Piela (MBA ’18) shares how he broke into the competitive world of venture capital, how Stern helped him along the way, and what motivates him to be a Stern corporate ambassador and member of the Alumni Council.

For Ryan Piela (MBA ’18), becoming the executive director of New Incubation Ventures at Estée Lauder is a dream realized through strategic networking and persistence. “Venture capital is competitive and hard to break into,” shared Ryan. “If you want to work in this area, you need to be hyper-focused. There are thousands of VC firms out there so it’s important to figure out what stage, geography, and industry you’re passionate about, and start doing the work before you have the job.” That’s exactly what Ryan did.

His interest in venture capital took shape during his full-time MBA at NYU Stern. Before Stern, Ryan worked in consulting, including at a startup firm on the West Coast where he grew up. He discovered a passion for venture capital in his second year at Stern while taking an introductory class. “I thought, ‘I’m quite passionate about this area,’” he recalls. “Venture capital allows me to combine my love for consulting and helping with my entrepreneurial spirit.”

Gaining a Foothold in the Venture Space
Ryan leveraged the School’s network, seeking guidance from professors and alumni. “Taking classes from experts and picking their brains on how to enter venture capital was supremely useful,” he says. After his MBA, he spent another year in consulting at IBM, while focusing on building connections and experience in the venture space. “I looked at early-stage ventures with a focus on consumers that were based in New York. After identifying ten firms that matched my criteria, I attended their events, networked, and I started doing venture and making my mark in the industry before I had a job,” explained Ryan. In his spare time, he started advising startups, sitting as an advisor to VC firms, and coaching corporates on innovation – roles he still enjoys doing to this day.

His persistence paid off. Ryan landed a role with an early-stage startup accelerator, then joined Estée Lauder when he learned they were launching a corporate venture arm – New Incubation Ventures. “The chance to build something from scratch with a brilliant manager was too good to pass up,” he says.

The small group of 4 focuses on Estée Lauder’s core areas—cosmetics, skincare, haircare, body care, fragrance—while supporting founders of emerging brands through investment and global grants, like the Beauty&You Awards in India and the Catalyst program, a TikTok partnership in Paris to attract creatives like storytellers, makeup artists, and hair stylists hoping to launch or scale brands. The team invests early, working with brands that are still just ideas and concepts. They also stay on top of industry trends, whether the emerging fragrance category in China or the rise of neuro-fragrance. “We’re invested in Vyrao, an emerging brand that looks to scientifically tie fragrance with neurology, where scents can elicit specific emotions,” Ryan shares.

Ryan Piela (MBA ’18) speaks at a BeautyConnect conference in Los Angeles.

The dynamic nature of venture capital is especially appealing to Ryan. “Every day is different. Working with founders, helping them navigate the entrepreneurial space, and implementing industry changes has been very fulfilling,” he says. Despite frequent travel to Europe, India, and Latin America, Ryan finds time for hobbies like reading Haruki Murakami books, taking Spanish and guitar lessons, and playing soccer on a competitive team.

For Ryan, work and life blend seamlessly. “I'm friends with all of our founders and enjoy spending my free time at venture events, so I’m lucky to love what I do and be surrounded by amazing people,” he says.

Grateful for his time at Stern, Ryan connects with students when he can and remains involved as a Stern Alumni Council member and a corporate ambassador for Estée Lauder. “Estée is a big company, so it’s helpful to connect with people I don’t usually meet. With Stern, I enjoy getting to know and connecting with the emerging leaders in VC,” he says.