For Ahmet Bidav ’12, it’s all about perspective and optionality. Whether he’s acquiring a new business or giving back to the community, he believes that life is short, and the more you create your own reality while preparing for life’s curveballs, the more successful you’ll be — no matter what the future holds. An entrepreneur at just 27 years old, Ahmet isn’t waiting on others to make a difference. He’s jumping in feet-first and the world is a better place for his passion and care.
Founder and CEO of Lux-STR, a new boutique insurance enterprise, Ahmet is building a business and brand that is both grounded and nimble. After a 5-year stint at Pure Insurance, a mid-sized insurance carrier, he was ready for new challenges so he used funds from a successful vending machine business to seed and launch Lux in February of this year.
“I think it’s really important to spend time ‘apprenticing,’ to learn everything about a job or trade from those who excel in it. When I started at Pure, they had around 300 employees and it was a great place to acquire key skill sets and industry knowledge. The company grew quickly to nearly 1,000 employees and while that is exciting, larger companies have their own inherent challenges. I like to get things done and felt in my heart that there were more opportunities to be addressed, so I took the leap and started my own business,” Ahmet shares.
For Lux clients, Ahmet offers traditional insurance services, while also adding new membership benefits such as data scrubs and other risk management tools. He identifies his field as “fintech,” and will continue to evolve his offerings and consolidate services based on customer needs.
In the meantime, Ahmet feels called to give back and offer others the same “apprenticing” opportunities that he was fortunate to receive. He recently reached out to the Trinity-Pawling alumni office to inquire about mentoring and other volunteer roles.
“I was inspired to connect back in with the School after a very rewarding experience volunteering for a literacy organization in New Jersey. I was able to really make a difference for one of the students there. She and I worked together consistently over many months and she then passed her literacy exam. It was so fulfilling! While it’s fun to learn new skills, it’s even more fun to give them away,” Ahmet exclaims.
‘To Whom Much is Given, Much is Expected.” Ahmet remembers this important quote above the fireplace in Scully Hall and has taken those words to heart. Thank you for your service, Ahmet. We look forward to watching your business grow, and to your future partnership with students and young alumni as you share your gifts with our community and the world!
by Kate Vengrove