Introducing KYX - Weekly Digest

Greeting Pioneers-

This week in the chat

College vs College

A debate surfaced in The KYX slack this week after Otavio launched a Molotov cocktail debate around a tweet from Palantir.

The gritty, self-starter KYX crowd lobbed 💣 after 💣 at the college industrial complex.

Waste of time. ⏳
Insanely priced. 💸
YouTube is better. 🎥
Just start a company instead. 🚀

The take: If you’re sharp, self-motivated, and know how to learn, college is a four-year detour that teaches you about doing things instead of actually doing them. You’ll drown in outdated theory, rack up debt, and graduate with a résumé that looks exactly like everyone else’s.

They’re not wrong.
But here’s a view from another lens. 🔍

College, for many students, isn’t about the degree—it’s about the reps. It’s the first time most have to stand on their own. Mommy and Daddy are subtracted from the equation, and suddenly, no one’s waking you up, solving your problems, or cushioning your mistakes. It’s a crash course in real-world responsibility—but with just enough guardrails to keep you from total collapse. You gotta show up. Deadlines don’t move. And if you screw up, you feel it—but the stakes aren’t fatal.

That’s where discipline gets built.
Where accountability starts to stick.

And in the middle of all that, you’re surrounded by a dense, high-potential network—peers who will become your co-founders, investors, lifelong friends. The classroom might fade, but the structure, relationships, and self-discovery often last. 🎓

So—does the cost of that experience pay off over a lifetime?
For some, sure.
For many, it doesn’t.

And that’s the real problem, one both sides can agree on:
👉 The cost is out of control.

Woah. Hot take. IKIK
But it matters.

At $100K+, college is asking teenagers—most with zero financial literacy—to make one of the biggest bets of their lives. No guaranteed payoff. No clear path. Just a six-figure gamble on a maybe. 🎲

That’s not a moral failure.
It’s a market failure.

And that’s why the college debate isn’t really about whether the experience matters—
It’s about whether the price makes sense in a world full of alternatives.

KYC → KYX

Probably should have led with this.

After a month of intense debate, we’ve landed the plane—following a little dust up with our pals over at Y Combinator

For those not up to speed: Y Com let us know that “KYCombinator”—along with our image and likeness—seemed to infringe on their brand.

Not totally sure how they got there... 🤷‍♂️

Anyway, they asked us to stop ripping off change our name or else ☠ and we obliged.

Enter: KYX ⚡️

A sleeker, sharper, less-virus-sounding iteration of KY.exe

Execution. ⚙️
It fits.
It’s the baseline here.
Folks who build, not wait. 🛠️
Who move, not talk. 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️💨
Who execute.

Bonus Tracks

Confetti 2025: Not Your Boss’s Conference

Confetti is the anti-conference for people who make things happen.

📅 April 29–May 1
📍 Smack in the middle of Derby Week. Louisville, KY.

We’re flipping the traditional event model on its head—no fluff, no snooze panels, just real talk, real connection, and real momentum. ⚡️

Think: 🔥 keynotes, breakout tracks that don’t suck, pitch comps, happy hours, offsite adventures, and a whole lot of magic ✨

If you’re building, scaling, creating—or just ready to shake sh*t up—you belong here

🐎 KYX crowds gets $50 off with code STALLION

Register here - https://lu.ma/confetti

Tickets are flying. Don’t wait. Come through.

-Natalia Bishop

Natalia’s a BALLER and a huge supporter of KYX.
Confetti is the fresh, community-driven magnet that brings the HAVEs to our stomping grounds—and puts our ecosystem on the map. 📍✨

Engineering Design & Innovation Showcase (EDIS)

Come one, come all! 📣
This Thursday from 11:00 AM to 2:30 PM (ET), senior undergrads from the UofL Speed School of Engineering will be showcasing their semester-long Capstone projects. 🎓

Each student team is paired with an external sponsor and tasked with solving a real-world problem.

Theory → Practice 🔁

They have to synthesize everything they’ve learned, pick up entirely new skills, and build something that actually works.
Frankly? It’s awesome. 💥

60+ Capstone teams will be exhibiting their work science-fair style at the Engineering Design and Innovation Showcase (EDIS). 🛠️✨

📍 Location: UofL Football Stadium
🚗Parking: Bronze Lot E
🚪 Enter at Gate 6 and take the elevator to the 3rd floor.
🎟️RSVP here

Bonus: Our very own Dan “just send it” Ross-Li sponsored a Computer Science Capstone project—go check out his team’s work and show them some love. 👨‍💻👏

Take a long lunch on Thursday. Swing by.
Check out Dan’s team.
And get inspired by what a bunch of hungry, hard-working students who can actually build. 🔥

-Jeff Squyres

Jeff is a career engineer with 19 years of experience leading teams at Cisco, tackling Cloud Development, AI, ML, and HPC. His side gig, Teaching UofL’s Computer Science Senior Capstone at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering 🟥

Tap into the college debate with a real-world example of what an institution is actually doing for its students. 🎓💡

KYX Events

Velocity Pitch Competition - Tuesday, Apr 29th @ Story (Derby Week)
HackKentucky - Fall 2025 - Oct 4th @ Story
Rally Road Trip - Sept 24th, INDY

That’s a wrap. 🎬
Keep showing up. 💪
Keep shipping. 🚢

Peace, Pioneers. ✌️