Our Mission

We launched Shur to help solve one of our country’s toughest issues: the effect of carrying large amounts of student loan debt on the lives of people trying to move up.

Our conclusion: The millions of people who are currently delinquent or in default on their student loans — with 1 million more being added every year — are effectively being written out of the economy.

We can do better.

Our Approach

In an era when colleges and companies must show students, new employees, and consumers how they encourage economic security, Shur is building market-based Insurtech/Fintech products to promote economic freedom for America’s next generation – 18 to 30 years old. Partnering with corporations and universities we successfully guide student loan borrowers from college through their early professional lives – the financial period that is crucial to get right. Our products promote generational wealth by helping users eliminate early mistakes, build financial plans, and adopt deep understanding of prime credit-building tools. Shur uses an ecosystem approach, building solutions for borrowers in collaboration with cities, corporations, colleges, college access organizations, data & insights providers, and impact investors.

Founder

Kahlil Byrd (KB)

Founder & CEO

Kahlil Byrd (KB) is founder and CEO of Shur. KB has successfully launched and scaled technology and data-enabled platforms across fintech and national politics as a founder, CEO, and board director.

He is also the founder of Invest America, a technology and advisory firm focused on solving major societal problems using data, research, strategy, organizational design, and product development. Previously, he was CEO of Americans Elect, a $45 million national initiative to re-imagine the presidential nominating process by leveraging data and technology for hundreds of thousands of users. AE won the 2012 People’s Choice Award at South by Southwest and two Clio Awards.

KB is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a graduate of Morehouse College and Harvard Kennedy School. He and his wife Sarah, Executive Director of the national non-profit Women Moving Millions, live in Brooklyn.

Technology & Data

• Siva Kakuturi, Chief Technology Officer
• Dave Beattie, Chief of Data & Analytics
• Bart Holzer, Chief Security Officer & CIO
• Joshua S. Levine, Board Director, Technology Advisor

Sales and Partnerships

• Aurelia Crews, Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships and Business Development

Insurance

• Nathan Kurtz, COO at BCP Tech
• Sarah Mims, Shur Advisory Board; General Counsel US Insurance at AXA XL

Operations & Finance

• Tiffani Hutton, Director of Operations and Administration
• Justin McAnaney, General Counsel, Partner OutsideGC
• Trey Fulmer, Financial Operations, Founder & CEO LUCA
• Kathleen Curran, Finance and Operations
• Ken Salomon, Government Relations, Partner, Thompson Coburn
• Ileana Wachtel, Senior Advisor, Communications

Advisors

• Dr. Mark A. Brown (Maj. Gen., USAF, Ret.), Executive Director, Student Freedom Initiative (“SFI”); Former Chief Operating Officer, Federal Student Aid, US Department of Education

• William Derrough, Managing Director & Co-Head of Recapitalization & Restructuring Group, Moelis & Company

• Fernando Fabre, Managing Partner, Matterscale Ventures

• Cynthia Hamburger, Former CIO and SVP of Dun & Bradstreet

• Donald (Don) Kanak, Former Chairman, Prudential Insurance Growth Markets; Former Chairman, Prudence Foundation (Prudential’s Impact Arm); Former Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer for AIG

• David Stiffler, Director of Community Relations, Edward Jones