Alexis Tryon

Bio:

I'm the co-founder of Artsicle. Texan by birth, New Yorker by choice. Quit my Wall Street job for a chance to change the world. Interested in the art space? Have a good bottle of wine to share? I'm your girl.

• Title: Co-Founder / CEO of Artsicle
• Age: 24
• Location: Union Square
• Contact: @AlexisTryon

You noted on Quora that you are a not an artist and your co-founder, Scott Carleton, is an ex-nuclear engineer, turned ruby developer. We're curious then, what were the chain of events that lead to you quitting your job and founding a startup based on art.

I have an Art History background and have always been interested in working with the arts, but didn't know where or how. After working at American Express for a while I was excited to have the funds to start collecting art. I went to a gallery in SoHo who carried work by Jock Sturges', my favorite photographer. On my first visit no one spoke to me. On my second they offered me an appointment.. on a Tuesday afternoon. I never bought the piece and realized there must be others out there struggling to find affordable, original art in the rigid gallery scene. That was the beginning of Artsicle.

You're a featured publisher for foodbuzz, so we believe that obligates us to ask you a food related question. Who is your favorite NYC food blogger and why?

Picking my favorite food blogger is a tough one because I read so many different sites for different reasons - some for recipes, others for restaurant reviews and others for the sheer fun of them. And I love writing about food because it makes me slow down and think about what I'm eating. For now I would say my favorite is Immaculate Infatuation because I can live vicariously through their restaurant adventures, while I try to fancy-up ramen at home.

Your company, Artsicle, went into private beta recently. Two question… How long from idea conception until this point did it take? Second, how did you guys decide on the best way to roll-out a site like Artsicle?

From idea to beta launch was a 6 month process. For the launch, we decided to use a private beta model to help track our marketing efforts and garner feedback from early users. We also like the hint of exclusivity that an invite system provides for early users, which works well with the exclusive collector scene. Its doubly exclusive.

Back to food. There are a lot of food related startups these days. Since you are a food blogger, can you please tell us which one is your favorite and also which one you think has the most potential for long-term success (it can be the same one)?

I would say my favorite new food startup is Dinevore. It fills a real need for my foodie side. I am constantly trying to remember new restaurants I've heard about when I'm ready to eat out. I love that I can make my own to do lists and follow lists made by people I respect - a great balance. For long term success, I think Foodzie will have a huge impact on how we buy artisan foods and food related gifts. I can't imagine ever buying a Harry & David basket when I could have homemade marshmallows and hot chocolate delivered instead.