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The Data Stack Show
221: The Art and Science of Technical Leadership in Early-Stage Startups: Building World-Class Engineering Teams from Scratch with Sokratis Vidros of Novu
Dec 24, 2024
Sokratis Vidros, a founding engineer at Clerc and now with Novu, brings his wealth of experience from building engineering teams in startups. He dives into the dynamics of early-stage tech environments, emphasizing the balance between innovation and structure. Sokratis shares insights on hiring practices that value intuition, the challenges of data management like version control, and the importance of team dynamics. He offers advice for engineers on fostering creativity while maintaining stability, highlighting the unique challenges faced in fast-paced startup settings.
46:13
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Quick takeaways
- Sokratis emphasizes the importance of engineers wearing multiple hats in early-stage startups, highlighting the need for adaptability and diverse skill sets.
- He discusses the critical role of team dynamics and trust in fostering creativity and collaboration within startup engineering teams.
Deep dives
Career Progression and Growth
The guest, Socrates Vedros, shares his career journey from being a founding engineer at a startup to his current role at Novo, highlighting the fast-paced evolution of the tech landscape over three and a half years. He reflects on his first experience at Workable, where as the second engineer, he contributed to achieving significant milestones like reaching one million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) within two years. The difference in challenges between building SaaS products and development tools is emphasized; while each has its unique hurdles, the complexity of the latter, especially in scaling a business, is notably higher. Socrates appreciates the learning curve that comes with creating value from scratch, seeing it as a pivotal and exhilarating aspect of his profession.
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