Oct 8 • 👥 Discussione Generale
Startup's Culture
Ciao ragazzi,
ho appena iniziato a collaborare con una startup che ha appena raccolto oltre 4,3 milioni di euro per scalare nel mercato dell’economia circolare.
Leggendo il loro manifesto dei valori, mi sono reso conto di quanto spesso sia difficile per noi imprenditori riuscire a trasmettere davvero la nostra visione.
Per questo ho deciso di condividere con voi questo documento che mi ha ispirato molto.
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We believe “culture eats strategy for breakfast”; culture is what makes a great company succeed and survive, everything else is downstream of culture, everything else is just a tool and optimisation function; culture is what matters the most.
Read, embrace and, most importantly, put into actions this document.
Fulfill the mission - Trust each other - Go Fast
1) The Mission and us
1.1 Massive vision over comfort
We exist to accelerate the shift to a circular economy. Every decision must serve that mission — even when it’s hard, inconvenient, or unpopular. Think about your bank statement, probably 1% of the transactions are circular, bringing this to 50% will take us years of work.
This is a multi-year journey, let this sink in. This means you may not be able split your life from your work.
Having a massive vision, almost ridiculous, we will be able to focus on sufficiently general classes of problems and keep our teams seeking new adventures, being energised, grow.
1.2 Builders that embrace chaos.
No plan or roadmap survives reality. Build. Ship. Repeat.
- Take risks - and be able to articulate why you took them.
- Scalable process comes after validating a small outcome.
- Ask for forgiveness, not for permission. Run experiments freely - but keep them short, controlled, and measured.
- You should build the right thing, not build the right way.
- Action creates momentum; critique without contribution is noise. ****We reward people who build and take risks - not those who only talk.
1. 3 Radical Ownership of Outcomes (Not Titles/Roles/Plans)
Own the results by obsessing over real user problems - not just your task list.
- Understand user problems. Spend time with end users. Visit them. You own the results.
- Product =! Outcome - Outcomes are the user impact we create.
- Freedom and responsibility. The CEO/founders are not daily decision-makers. Consult them only if you feel unready to decide - and always present your position clearly.
- Success is measured by impact, not by role, seniority, or process followed.
1.4 Radical Transparency
We believe truth is the foundation of trust. Information is shared openly, decisions are explained honestly, and problems are surfaced early — even when it’s uncomfortable. Transparency prevents politics, accelerates alignment, and keeps us accountable to each other and our mission. We will make our best to democratize data, make business metrics accessible.
Ditch your Slack private channels, build the hive mind, make sure your share your craft with other, edge on public discussion, don’t make assumptions and ask questions.
2) Engineering Principles
2.1 Identify the bottlenecks, keep a hard focus
We operate Bottleneck-first with Pareto focus: there is always a constraint, so we 80/20 the few causes inside it that unlock most throughput. We don’t chase low-hanging fruit or local optimisations - if it doesn’t move the constraint, it waits. We exploit the constraint, subordinate everything around it, then elevate it, running short, measured experiments and judging only by system outcomes (throughput, flow, first-time-right). Then the constraint moves; we follow.
2.2 The best idea wins
"There are no prima donnas in engineering." Freeman Dyson
The best idea wins, regardless of title. Arguments are tested on logic, data, and outcomes.
2.3 Nothing is permanent
"Successful software always gets changed." Frederick P. Brooks.
We seek challenges that stretch us. If you’re too comfortable, you’re not learning fast enough. Embrace internal tensions. Duplicated efforts are not necessarily bad.
2.4 Understand root-causes
We learn from successes, but we must learn even more from failures. At XXX, we believe that professional failures are the best training grounds for personal and professional growth. Having the courage and honesty to admit when something didn’t go as expected is a strength that can help the company grow as a team.
Acknowledging mistakes though, is not enough: to really grow, we need to analyze the mistakes and identify the root causes.
2.5 Live AI-first, but decide with your brain
Default to AI and data to optimise how you work in a world that’s changing fast. Each week, ask yourself: (1) what can I remove from my day (cut anything that doesn’t meaningfully move the company; avoid repetitive tasks—raise your hand to kill them), (2) what can I automate with AI, agents, or new tools (compare options, talk with teammates, track market updates), and (3) what can I delegate as the org grows and people gain seniority, but most importantly, add your opinion, add your edits, practice decision making.
3) Team and Growth
3.1 Trust your team, stay skeptical
We resist blind faith — in processes, plans, or authority. Skepticism keeps us rational, transparent, and adaptable, because no plan survives first contact and every system must evolve. Yet through that tension we’ve learned this: trust must be earned, and when it is, we place it in the vision we share and, above all, in each other. We fight over ideas, not egos. Strong disagreements make us sharper, but once a decision is made, we commit as one.
3.2 No Job Is “Not My Job”
Waste doesn’t care about job descriptions, and neither do we. If something is broken, you step in and fix it. Everyone owns outcomes, not just tasks. If something is broken, you fix it. If you see waste, you solve it. No excuses, no silos. Help each other.
3.3 There is no career, there is only self-discovery
We are not here to climb ladders or collect titles. We are here to uncover what we’re capable of when confronted with meaningful problems. Every project, every setback, every breakthrough is part of a process of discovering strengths, values, and purpose — not polishing résumés. Your growth may not be linear, you may be exposed to different challenges.
3.4 Constant Feedback: soft on People, hard of facts.
We challenge ideas with rigor but treat people with respect. Feedback is frequent, direct, and aimed at growth, never at ego. We separate the person from the work: compassion for individuals, ruthless honesty with data. That balance keeps us sharp without eroding trust.
We are going to make sure you are constantly improving your impact and focus on your Superpowers. Most exceptional people are uneven, do not focus on covering skills gaps, accelerate where you feel at ease. Be vocal when you are being exposed to your kryptonite.
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