Strategic Moments and Personal Growth in the Scaleup Phase<\/b><\/p>\n
For the past few months, I\u2019ve been closely following the <\/span>scaleup of a startup<\/b>. So many steps ahead, and so many <\/span>S\u2019s, T\u2019s, and P\u2019s all packed together! <\/b>It all started when I was still living in <\/span>Paris<\/b>, and one of the co-founders sent me a voice note: <\/span>\u201cSilvia! I heard there are riots in Paris\u2014is it dangerous?\u201d <\/span><\/i>I was thinking about this the other day. <\/span>Protesting, in all its possible forms, has always been a top priority for me<\/b>, ever since I attended <\/span>Alvise Cornaro High School<\/b> in Padua\u2014a school that, in my opinion, was quite progressive. There, we were <\/span>taught to make our voices heard<\/b>. <\/span>Fun fact: my father was not allowed to attend this school because his family was too strict. But I? I <\/span>thrived<\/b> in that environment. The best part of my school was the <\/span>lack of prejudice<\/b>\u2014we were genuinely closer as friends than students in the more traditional city schools. <\/span>Recently, I heard that my old high school became the <\/span>first in Italy to officially recognize gender-neutral pronouns<\/b>, and maybe that\u2019s exactly what we need today: places that <\/span>prepare young people for civic life<\/b>. <\/span>While I had participated in a few <\/span>student strikes<\/b> back then, it was in France that I truly understood <\/span>the social significance of protesting<\/b>. When I returned to Italy, I tried to figure out <\/span>why protests here feel full of anxiety but empty of energy<\/b>. I don\u2019t have a clear answer yet\u2014or maybe it just requires too much time to explain. <\/span>But back to those <\/span>co-founders<\/b>. Their voice note included a direct question:<\/span>\u201cWhen are you coming to Milan to work with us?\u201d <\/span><\/i>Once I returned, they were among the <\/span>first people I dedicated my energy to<\/b>. One of them is one of my <\/span>dearest friends<\/b>, and with the other two, it took some <\/span>adjustments<\/b>, but we soon clicked. <\/span>All men?<\/b> Yes, <\/span>all men<\/b>. <\/span>A band of friends?<\/b> Yes, <\/span>a band of friends<\/b>. <\/span>And there you have it\u2014the inspiration for many of my articles. <\/span>Introducing the AMBA: A High School Band or a Scaleup Team?<\/b><\/p>\n Let\u2019s call them <\/span>the AMBA<\/b> (<\/span>All Men, Band of Amigos<\/b>), for the sake of this article. <\/span>The AMBA are their own <\/span>organism<\/b>\u2014and in my world, they\u2019re <\/span>more famous than M\u00e5neskin<\/b>. Especially on Fridays, when we all gather around the table, and I watch them fly down <\/span>parallel tracks<\/b>, each in their <\/span>own expertise lane<\/b>. <\/span>Their <\/span>greatest strength<\/b> is understanding that <\/span>a shared vision requires shared work<\/b>\u2014but <\/span>work nonetheless<\/b>. <\/span>My <\/span>only job<\/b> is to <\/span>align these tracks<\/b>\u2014occasionally <\/span>derailing<\/b> a small train or two to ensure we\u2019re all heading in <\/span>the same direction<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n And that, essentially, is <\/span>scaleup<\/b>. Not much more than that. <\/span>I believe <\/span>this moment of awareness\u2014this need for change\u2014exists in many projects<\/b>, not just in business. It\u2019s <\/span>that moment when you realize something has to change<\/b>. But <\/span>what exactly<\/b>? Identifying <\/span>that<\/b> is crucial. <\/span>Then comes the realization that <\/span>change requires both individual and collective effort<\/b>\u2014two sides of the same coin. <\/span>Change doesn\u2019t happen alone<\/b>, yet it also happens <\/span>within ourselves<\/b>. Strange, isn\u2019t it? <\/span>And when change is <\/span>not yet perceived as urgent<\/b>, you <\/span>protest<\/b>\u2014you <\/span>make its necessity known<\/b>. <\/span>I find myself reflecting: <\/span>I\u2019ve been protesting my entire life, for so many causes<\/b>. Maybe it\u2019s time to <\/span>question<\/b> this part of me? Or is it <\/span>too deeply woven into my identity<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n The Bonfire Revolution: A Childhood Metaphor <\/b>There\u2019s an episode from my childhood that serves as the perfect metaphor. <\/span>I spent a lot of time in the <\/span>Friulian countryside<\/b> (cue <\/span>Pasolini imagery<\/b>), where <\/span>bonfires<\/b> were a <\/span>traditional part of Epiphany celebrations<\/b>. <\/span>This tradition is layered with <\/span>folklore<\/b>. In our town, <\/span>one woman was in charge of crafting the Befana effigy<\/b>\u2014the <\/span>unquestioned leader<\/b> of the ritual. That woman was always <\/span>Vanda<\/b>, with her jovial smile and <\/span>profoundly sacred yet irreverent presence<\/b>. <\/span>The <\/span>women prepared the food<\/b>, while the <\/span>men spent all day building the bonfire<\/b>. At night, they would light it from four different sides in a <\/span>solemn ceremony<\/b>. <\/span>But I, a wild little child who practically <\/span>lived in the woods<\/b>, had a <\/span>revelation<\/b>\u2014one that cost me quite a bit of effort. <\/span>I insisted to my friends: <\/span>\u201cWhy should only the adults get to build a bonfire? We should have our own!\u201d <\/span><\/i>The <\/span>grown men<\/b>, with their <\/span>calloused hands and deep-set eyes<\/b>\u2014men who <\/span>fascinated me endlessly<\/b>, including my uncle\u2014stood by <\/span>watching us struggle<\/b> with our <\/span>mini-bonfire<\/b>, never intervening unless we truly needed help. <\/span>The <\/span>moment that changed my life<\/b> was when we <\/span>lit the fires together<\/b>\u2014their <\/span>huge bonfire<\/b> and our <\/span>tiny one<\/b>, side by side. <\/span>From that year onward, the <\/span>kids\u2019 bonfire<\/b> became a <\/span>serious tradition<\/b>. <\/span>I admit, we <\/span>never managed to scale up<\/b> the kids\u2019 bonfire. But maybe that was <\/span>for the best<\/b>. <\/span>Opening the Shutters: A Shift in Perspective<\/b><\/p>\n Last Friday marked a <\/span>small but symbolic milestone<\/b>. <\/span>For the first time, before heading into the <\/span>startup\u2019s \u201cbasement\u201d<\/b>, where we hold <\/span>strategic meetings<\/b>, I <\/span>opened the shutters<\/b>. <\/span>Usually, I\u2019m <\/span>too rushed<\/b> to even think about it. The shutters stay <\/span>closed<\/b>. <\/span>But that day, I <\/span>called the meeting<\/b>, and as the <\/span>AMBA gathered<\/b>, we <\/span>clashed over ideas<\/b> like five stubborn legal experts. <\/span>For the first time, I opened the shutters. <\/span>For the first time, I <\/span>took half an hour to write my article<\/b> before diving into work. <\/span>Maybe there <\/span>is light at the end of the tunnel<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n Maybe\u2014just maybe\u2014<\/span>there\u2019s a place in the corporate world for disruptors<\/b>. <\/span>For <\/span>those who derail trains<\/b>. <\/span>For <\/span>those who shake things up<\/b>. <\/span>For <\/span>those who push for change<\/b>. <\/span>But how <\/span>crucial are allies<\/b> in keeping <\/span>the fire burning<\/b>? <\/span>And once it\u2019s <\/span>lit<\/b>, how do we <\/span>keep it alive<\/b>? <\/span>Now that <\/span>bonfires are being banned for environmental reasons<\/b>, now that <\/span>traditional gender roles are shifting<\/b>,<\/span>who helps us? <\/b>Where is the fire?<\/b>\u00a0I believe we\u2019ll always <\/span>remember our allies<\/b>\u2014even as our environments change. <\/span>I, for one, will <\/span>never forget those men with their big hands, building fires better than we ever could<\/b>. <\/span>