MENTOR SPOTLIGHT: ARI KRZYZEK
Tell us about your venture/work.
Chykalophia (read: see-ka-lo-fia) is a woman minority-owned web agency helping women-led brands in B2B tech transform their websites into platforms that drive business growth.
We are dedicated to providing business clarity to our clients, helping them craft a brand that delights their customers beyond just aesthetics and designing an intuitive user experience. We create foundational strategies for businesses, and build high-performance marketing websites, e-commerce, or web platforms and applications that enable them to sell at scale.
What do you enjoy most about being an impact entrepreneur? What are the main challenges?
I love my ability to drive meaningful change through our innovations at Chykalophia, particularly in how we make technology more accessible and impactful for founders and transform the web as their platform for growth. It’s incredibly rewarding to see our work genuinely improve our clients’ lives and businesses.
However, the hardest part is achieving a work-life balance. The deeper I go into entrepreneurship, the more elusive this balance seems. I constantly remind myself of the need to maintain discipline and set firm boundaries in both my personal life and business.
How do you navigate the space of being a founder and also being a POC/woman/non-binary person?
As a POC and woman founder, my approach focuses on leveraging my unique perspective to foster inclusivity within our company and our approach when we provide services for our clients. I actively seek out diverse viewpoints and ensure they are represented in our decision-making processes. By doing so, we not only create a more inclusive company culture but also tailor our core services based on each company’s needs, vision, aspirations, and their business goals. Additionally, I prioritize building resilience and a supportive network to advocate for underrepresented voices in tech.
What advice do you have for early-stage impact entrepreneurs about using their time and relationships to prepare for this kind of career?
Fully embrace and utilize the resources at The New School. On top of that, engage deeply within your peers and community—they are invaluable sources of support and knowledge. Take advantage of the school’s diverse programs to learn not just about entrepreneurship, but also about the social, environmental, and economic contexts in which you wish to make an impact.
Finally, actively seek out opportunities for real-world application of your ideas through internships, volunteer work, and prototype testing. These experiences are crucial in understanding the complexities of transforming an idea into a viable business.
Click here to connect with Ari on LinkedIn.