Mariano Kostelec
About Mariano Kostelec
Mariano Kostelec is Co-founder & CEO and Chief AI Officer of Mydra. Crunchbase lists his location as London. His LinkedIn and X profiles show Cyprus. He studied computer science at King's College London (BSc, 2007 to 2011) and later attended the Oxford Fintech Programme at Saïd Business School.
He started as an analyst at Goldman Sachs in London (2009 to 2010). He then worked on Groupon's international expansion in Japan and China, and was Managing Director of Wimdu China in 2011. In November 2011 he co-founded Uniplaces, a student housing platform. He left his co-founder role in January 2019 and is listed as a board member. One profile says Uniplaces raised $24 million in 2015.
In 2019 he co-founded StudentFinance, which provides income-share-style financing for education. Press reported a £3.7 million seed round in 2021 co-led by Giant Ventures and Armilar Venture Partners. His X bio now reads "Building with AI @Mydra". He has been a Founders Pledge member since July 2019, and he lists the Entrepreneurs' Organization and the Sandbox Network among his memberships.
Crunchbase records one personal investment, an angel round in EatTasty. It shows one portfolio company, no lead investments and no exits. The date and amount are not public. Beyond that single entry, no further angel deals, syndicates or fund vehicles were found in public sources.
No public AI investments by Kostelec were found. His AI activity is as an operator. At Mydra he is Chief AI Officer. Mydra describes itself as an AI fluency platform that helps teams in functions such as marketing, finance and operations use AI agents and workflows. He also posts about AI on LinkedIn, and he recently shared that he joined the jury of the President AI Award in Uzbekistan, which reviewed more than 230 startups.
Kostelec has not published a thesis, preferred stage, check size or target geography. The sectors where he has built companies are education technology, fintech and, now, AI tools for work. Founders in those areas may find him relevant as an operator, but his investing preferences are not public. Check size is not disclosed.
- EatTasty: angel round recorded on Crunchbase; date and amount not public.
- Mydra: company he co-founded and leads as CEO and Chief AI Officer (founder role, not an angel investment).
- StudentFinance: education financing company he co-founded in 2019 (founder role).
- Uniplaces: student housing platform he co-founded in 2011 (founder role).
- crunchbase.com/person/mariano-kostelec
- linkedin.com/in/marianokostelec
- x.com/marianokostelec
- uktechnews.info/2021/05/19/studentfinance-secures-3-7-million-seed-inv
- eu-startups.com/2021/05/madrid-based-studentfinance-nabs-e4-5-million-
- najafi.capital/individual-investor/individual-angel-mariano-kostelec
- compasslist.com/founders/mariano-kostelec
- rocketreach.co/mydra-profile_b646dac5c8121a57
Investing activity
Mariano Kostelec has made 1 investment according to Crunchbase across 1 portfolio company, and has founded 2 companies.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Mariano Kostelec
Is Mariano Kostelec an angel investor?
Crunchbase lists one personal investment, an angel round in EatTasty. He is mainly a founder and operator, and no wider angel track record is public.
What does Mariano Kostelec do?
He is Co-founder & CEO and Chief AI Officer of Mydra. He also co-founded StudentFinance and Uniplaces.
What is Mariano Kostelec's check size?
He has not published a check size, and none could be found in public sources.
What stage and sectors does Mariano Kostelec invest in?
No stage or sector focus is stated publicly. His founder experience is in edtech, fintech, student housing and AI tools for teams.
Where is Mariano Kostelec based?
Crunchbase lists London, England. His LinkedIn and X profiles show Cyprus.
Has Mariano Kostelec invested in AI startups?
No AI investments by him were found publicly. His AI involvement is through running Mydra and speaking and judging at AI events.
How can founders reach Mariano Kostelec?
Founders on Lounge can see Mariano Kostelec's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Mariano Kostelec to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.