Kiya
_
Taylor
Kiya
_
Taylor
My early journey was anything but conventional. I grew up in regional Australia, changed schools a dozen times, left high school early and started working in small businesses at 15. For a long time I didn’t have the credentials I needed for the doors I wanted to open – so I learnt how to work hard, be resourceful and build relationships from a young age.
This rebellion to convention was 100% inherited from my mum. She was an entrepreneur stuck in a small business regional environment. She wouldn’t just ‘get a job’, she had to build a business, and I was often her sidekick on reception desks or making websites. I didn’t see it as sales or accounting, it was just running a business. While these scrappy skills have definitely been polished over the years, these early experiences still shape a generalist nature in me.
Before joining EVP, I was Chief Customer Officer at a clean-tech startup. There are few experiences more transformative than joining an early stage startup. The ability to build something from scratch – to know the ins and outs of every curve of a product or customer journey is a remarkable, albeit at times, exceptionally challenging, experience.
I joined EVP because I wanted to be surrounded by, and support, brilliant operators. I am deeply fascinated by the process of validating ideas, the intricacies of building products and importantly – the process of cultivating customers. I also wanted to learn more about the world of venture capital and the relationship between investors and founders.
My role focuses on growing and supporting the EVP business across three core communities – our founders, our investors and the broader tech ecosystem. The venture capital industry is changing, and while many would argue that it's always been about ‘being more than capital’ – funds are now moving to build integrated platform experiences for founders and investors to consistently deliver that value.
The evolution of community roles will be a game-changer for businesses that can integrate it into their DNA. Community isn’t something you do, it’s something you create through all the other things you do. Effective community is integrated into products, marketing, operations and strategy.
Beyond community, I’m fascinated by the concept of belonging and how people make sense of the world through communication. I was fortunate enough to explore this deeply in my Masters, where I studied globalisation through the lens of development and security.
I’m obsessed with history. This might seem like an ironic interest for someone working in environments so focused on the now and the future – but I love exploring the past. For me, it’s about understanding the complexities of people, power, belonging, persuasion and resilience – especially when told through the stories of women.
My early journey was anything but conventional. I grew up in regional Australia, changed schools a dozen times, left high school early and started working in small businesses at 15. For a long time I didn’t have the credentials I needed for the doors I wanted to open – so I learnt how to work hard, be resourceful and build relationships from a young age.
This rebellion to convention was 100% inherited from my mum. She was an entrepreneur stuck in a small business regional environment. She wouldn’t just ‘get a job’, she had to build a business, and I was often her sidekick on reception desks or making websites. I didn’t see it as sales or accounting, it was just running a business. While these scrappy skills have definitely been polished over the years, these early experiences still shape a generalist nature in me.
Before joining EVP, I was Chief Customer Officer at a clean-tech startup. There are few experiences more transformative than joining an early stage startup. The ability to build something from scratch – to know the ins and outs of every curve of a product or customer journey is a remarkable, albeit at times, exceptionally challenging, experience.
I joined EVP because I wanted to be surrounded by, and support, brilliant operators. I am deeply fascinated by the process of validating ideas, the intricacies of building products and importantly – the process of cultivating customers. I also wanted to learn more about the world of venture capital and the relationship between investors and founders.
My role focuses on growing and supporting the EVP business across three core communities – our founders, our investors and the broader tech ecosystem. The venture capital industry is changing, and while many would argue that it's always been about ‘being more than capital’ – funds are now moving to build integrated platform experiences for founders and investors to consistently deliver that value.
The evolution of community roles will be a game-changer for businesses that can integrate it into their DNA. Community isn’t something you do, it’s something you create through all the other things you do. Effective community is integrated into products, marketing, operations and strategy.
Beyond community, I’m fascinated by the concept of belonging and how people make sense of the world through communication. I was fortunate enough to explore this deeply in my Masters, where I studied globalisation through the lens of development and security.
I’m obsessed with history. This might seem like an ironic interest for someone working in environments so focused on the now and the future – but I love exploring the past. For me, it’s about understanding the complexities of people, power, belonging, persuasion and resilience – especially when told through the stories of women.
