Alumni Profiles
Marcos Brisson
It was absolutely inspiring to speak with Marcos Brisson RL 2018 earlier this term. Marcos, the Co-founder and CEO of Kaizntree, won both the New York University vs Yale Pitch-off and New York University Startup Demo Day.
He gave a three minute pitch followed by a Q&A to an audience of nearly 500 people. “My co-founders and I started Kaizntree with the mission of empowering solo entrepreneurs and it was great to see all the excitement around what we’re doing”.
So, where did the idea come from? After school, Marcos ran a consulting business in Sydney and saw a lot of customers were struggling with inventory management and using spreadsheets and mental notes. He felt there was nothing really built for a small entrepreneurs or small business owners doing up to half a million in revenue.
After commencing studies at NYU Shanghai in 2019, hoping to enhance his Mandarin language skills as well as business acumen, Marcos returned to study at an NYU Satellite program through COVID. In August 2021, he started at NYU Stern in New York City. His business partners are still studying at NYU Shanghai and they have been working together remotely since 2019. With the time zone difference it actually works very well as there is someone working on the business 24/7.
When asked to reflect on his journey at Redlands, Marcos said he is grateful to many teachers. “I talk to a lot of students at NYU and do not think anyone had better teachers than those I had at Redlands”. And it was studying the International Baccalaureate (IB) that was “without a doubt immensely helpful” in preparing him for university and springboarding his success. Learning to write a carefully crafted long essay was an enormous advantage. Having studied Theory Of Knowledge as part of the IB Diploma Programme also gave him a head start in core programs at NYU, such as Global Perspectives and Society. Marcos believes that doing foreign languages played a big part in being accepted into NYU Shanghai.
Interestingly, Marcos sees that sport was vital to building his entrepreneurial character. “Each sport taught me something else – it forced me to get out of my comfort zone and helped me become a more holistic person. Sports, especially tennis, where you are on your own and you have to perform, made me very competitive, which is a necessary if you are to be a successful Founder.
What really helped Marcos the most at Redlands was the exposure to situations that challenged him. He did debating, although he did not like public speaking, but wanted to improve and was provided with the opportunity to do so. It turned out he loved debating, and sees it as very similar to pitching a start up to investors. He was enabled to start student led clubs, such as the Investment Club, which was great fun and perhaps the first sign that he wanted to start his “own stuff”. He also started the Environment Club, which was only natural given his leadership role as Environment Captain.
“Being a founder often means managing adversity and the numerous challenges increase as you grow. Having faith in what you are doing and in the team you are doing it with is critical. Having faith in yourself and doing it with conviction, and being comfortable with risk taking are also vital.”
Marcos now also works as a Founder in Residence at NYU where he mentors other startup founders and helps run the university’s entrepreneurial programs. He would be more than pleased to talk to Redlanders interested in becoming entrepreneurs or studying abroad.
“Redlands pushed me and helped me develop resilience, and go beyond what I thought I could do. I gained strength to believe in myself, to have a go, and not be afraid of getting out of my comfort zone.” We wish Marcos all the very best with his endeavours and thank him for taking the time to speak with us.