Kyle Downey

Initiator
DISC Type : Di

Vice President, Engineering at Upstart

Orange County, California, United States

Overview

A technical executive with over 25 years of experience, Kyle leads global engineering and product organizations at firms including Upstart, Amazon, and Microsoft. His background in Liberal Arts and Engineering, supplemented by MIT certifications, gives him a unique perspective. Colleagues describe him as knowledgeable, approachable, and a rare talent.

Kyle is a mission-driven leader focused on building products that make a genuine difference in peoples lives. This is reflected in his professional goals and his support for community initiatives, such as promoting educational opportunities like local school open houses for youth in grades 6-12.

He led the cross-functional public launch of Lumberyard, Amazons multi-platform AAA game development engine.

Personality Overview

Conviction Driven

Friendly Challenger

Confident

They respond well to objective pitches but also attach some value to relationships.  They measure a product on its merit but can be influenced by strong testimonials. They don’t mind taking a stand if they believe in something.

Topics They Care About

Generative AI Platforms
Is currently hiring talent to help build out Upstart's LLM and Core GenAI Platform, indicating a key area of focus.
AI in Lending
As VP of Engineering at Upstart, he is central to the company's mission of using AI to improve access to affordable credit.
Global Cloud Scaling
Led teams at AWS responsible for scaling the global network and deploying core connectivity for new regions in North America, the EU, and Asia.

Media Appearances

Kyle has no verified media appearances

Work History

9-2022
Vice President, Engineering at Upstart
2-2021 - 9-2022
Partner, Microsoft M365 at Microsoft
4-2018 - 1-2021
Senior Leader, AWS Networking, Private Cloud at Amazon Web Services (AWS)
9-2015 - 9-2016
Principal, Amazon Games at Amazon.com
6-2015 - 1-2021
Senior Leader, AWS Global Network and Cloud Deployment at Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Education

6-2025 - 6-2026
CTO from MIT Professional Education
2000 - 2004
Masters from City University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 25 Location : Orange County, California, United States Job Level : Senior Designation : Vice President, Engineering at Upstart
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Insights For Selling To Kyle

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Keep your pitch focused on the impact but insert some anecdotes into it
  • Clearly address the competitive aspects
  • Focus on the big picture and the strategic value of your product

DONT's

  • Don’t keep repeating the same information, it could make them impatient
  • Avoid focusing only on the product or its ROI, keep building trust subtly
  • Don’t be very informal even if they are being so themselves

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Kyle is

  • Product value plays a big role, followed by relationship and a sense of achievement.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Kyle

  • If they do not firmly believe in you, they will refuse without hesitation.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Kyle move?

  • They can take fast decisions if they develop conviction in the product and find you trustworthy.
  • Can Kyle take some risk or not?

  • They have the capability of taking risky decisions if necessary.

You And Kyle

Personality Compatibility


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