Joanna Patsalis (MBA '19) shares how she launched her entrepreneurial journey while at Stern, the secret to building a successful startup, and how her MBA paid off big time.

Joanna Patsalis (MBA '19) began her entrepreneurial journey in an unexpected place—an email about an entrepreneurship opportunity. As the co-founder of Direct Kinetic Solutions, which designs and manufactures radioisotopic power sources that can last for decades, she’s built a startup that could revolutionize how devices are powered, but her story is rooted in her time at NYU Stern. Born in New York City but raised in Cyprus, Joanna’s path to entrepreneurship wasn’t linear, yet each experience–from her early career in operations and supply chain for the cosmetics and garment industries to her time at Stern–helped her bring her vision to life.

Joanna was no stranger to ambition. At 24, she was the youngest in her class when she began the Langone Part-Time MBA program. “Looking back, I might have waited until I had more experience, but I was very determined,” she says. One of her early goals was to make Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, a lofty aspiration she kept in the back of her mind, even though the path to get there was unclear.

Gaining real world experience at Stern 
Her time at Stern was transformative. She credits the program not only for its rigorous academic offerings but also for its emphasis on real-world learning. “Almost all the professors were industry professionals,” Joanna explains. “I wanted to learn from people walking the walk, and Stern offered that.” 

A pivotal moment came during the IBM consulting course she took at Stern, which focused on the Internet of Things (IoT) and sensors. It was during this course that Joanna identified a critical issue: all these connected devices would need a consistent, long-lasting power source. "I realized there was a huge problem with powering the trillions of devices that would be connected in the future," she says. This realization stayed with her and would later prove instrumental in her entrepreneurial journey.

When she joined the FedTech program–which she learned about through that fateful email–everything came full circle. “FedTech gave us a list of 40 different technologies to choose from that could be commercialized, and I chose one from the Army Research Lab that became the basis of my company,” she says. FedTech acted as a matchmaker, introducing her to her co-founder and the technology that would become Direct Kinetic Solutions. “When I saw this technology, I knew it could solve the power problem I’d identified during the IBM course,” she explains. The technology addresses the need for a durable power source, especially in harsh environments like undersea and space, where traditional batteries fall short.

Finding the right mentors through Stern’s Endless Frontier Labs program
Joanna founded the company at the end of her time at Stern, and then returned a few years later when she was accepted into Stern’s Endless Frontier Labs (EFL) to be part of their fall 2023 cohort, which opened up doors into an entrepreneurial network and provided a pivotal push for her company. Having already gone through two accelerators with limited success, Joanna found EFL to be a game-changer. “They hold you accountable,” she explains. “You set goals, and then you have to report back on your progress. That structure was exactly what we needed.” 

Through EFL, Joanna found not only valuable mentorship but also the lead investor for her seed round—something that had eluded them for months. “We couldn’t find a lead investor who understood our deep-tech product until EFL connected us to the right people,” she says. EFL also paired them with an MBA student to help with business development and execution assistance over eight months, and who is now working at the company. 

A strong team is the secret to success
Her experience as an entrepreneur has been marked by highs and lows. “The best part is the challenges,” Joanna shares. “I love solving problems that seem impossible; it keeps me excited.” But the most difficult part? Fundraising. “It takes longer than you expect, and it’s anxiety-inducing,” she admits. “If the money runs out, your company can’t grow. Balancing fundraising with building the company is the hardest part.”

Joanna has learned to embrace both the struggles and the successes, crediting her resilience to the support of a strong team. “You need an A-team,” she emphasizes. “We have a fantastic team in place, where we challenge each other and promote new ideas and innovation. Everyone is so passionate and every error is viewed as a learning opportunity. And that makes all the difference.”

As Direct Kinetic Solutions grows, Joanna remains driven by her vision: “We bring nuclear to the palm of your hand,” she says. With a very specific go-to-market strategy, targeting the markets with the biggest pain point first, this technology will one day be commercially available powering devices in markets that did not even exist before. This sort of power will not just enable but create markets.” 

When asked what she does with her free time, Joanna says she is always on the go. “When I started my company, I also had a full-time job. So now that I only have one job, I need another challenge … so I’m getting a Yoga Teacher Training certificate.”  

Looking back, Joanna sees her Stern MBA as invaluable. “It was a huge return on investment,” she reflects. As she continues her entrepreneurial journey, she’s grateful for the opportunities, the lessons, and perhaps a little bit of luck that have led her to where she is today.