Kourtney Bitterly is Lead for The New York Times’ R&D group. Her role is to understand how emerging technology and consumer behavior will impact the way media is consumed and created, and articulate future-focused strategies in response. Kourtney comes to The Times from Matter, a venture capital firm and startup accelerator focused on investing in media startups. At Matter, Kourtney was Director of Partnerships and led the partner accelerator program. Prior to that, she directed Kickstarter’s effort to reshape the way it partners with creators, headed up strategic partnerships at theSkimm, and led business development at IDEO New York. She began her career working as a researcher for Charlie Rose. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish Literature from the University of Notre Dame.