Over time, I developed a clear understanding of what leadership truly looks like and whether everyone can become a leader. Spoiler alert: I don't believe everyone can. But that doesn't mean leadership is something you must be born with. It’s about making the conscious decision to lead – whether it's leading your life, your career, your pet project, or your team at work. This choice is especially pivotal in a deeptech startup, where the complexity of the work, the niche expertise required, and the long innovation cycles demand leaders who can navigate uncertainty, unite their teams, and build a culture of resilience and trust.

For deeptech startups, leadership isn’t just about business – it’s about responsibility. In sectors like cybersecurity, AI, or biotechnology, you’re solving high-stakes, often existential problems. Leaders in these fields face unique ethical and practical challenges, from managing sensitive data to making decisions about transparency. Many clients or investors may not even grasp the value of a solution until a crisis reveals its necessity.

Attracting and retaining top talent

The way you attract and retain talent speaks volumes about your company’s values. When it comes to recruiting talent, one of the first things to evaluate is your job descriptions. Are they engaging? Do they stand out in a sea of opportunities? What makes your company special? Simply offering "tea and biscuits" or "free parking" won’t cut it anymore. I’ve seen job posts that were either just a couple of vague sentences or filled with buzzwords like "cutting-edge tech" and "innovative company." But where’s the substance? Where are the specifics that will make someone stop and think, "This is where I want to be"?

When I began hiring for my first business, the question that kept popping into my mind was, "What can I offer people besides money?" As a startup, I knew I couldn’t compete on salary alone. I wanted to hire people who shared my passion and vision, but to attract them, I had to offer something unique. I had to stand out – not just as a business, but as an employer.

And the truth is, today’s workforce isn’t driven solely by financial incentives. We live in a world where fulfilment and purpose matter just as much, if not more. The new workforce consists largely of Gen Z and millennials. If you want to recruit effectively, you need to understand what drives them. Yes, we may have different habits and ways of working compared to previous generations, but there’s one thing we all share: a desire for meaning in our work. We’re ambitious, we work hard, and we often achieve success earlier. So, how do you tap into that?

Start by recognising that a job isn’t just a pay check; it’s part of a person’s life goals. To attract the right people, you need to understand how their role in your company can align with their personal aspirations. Once you grasp what motivates them – whether it’s an opportunity to make a difference or flexibility – you can place the right people in the right roles.

And once you've attracted them, the challenge becomes retaining that talent. Retention isn’t just about offering a competitive salary or fancy perks. It’s about fostering a culture that encourages growth and provides ongoing opportunities for development. Invest in your people, and they’ll invest in you. In deeptech, your ability to attract and retain talent is not just about hiring the best; it’s about cultivating an environment where they can thrive and make a meaningful impact on the world.

Creating a culture that sparks bold ideas

Big ideas rarely happen in isolation – they thrive in collaborative environments. Yet I’m surprised by how many founders still struggle to build truly collaborative cultures. Some even believe that forcing everyone to work from the office will magically foster teamwork. Spoiler alert: It won’t. I believe that the job of leadership is to build a culture where ideas can flow freely and people feel empowered to contribute, no matter their role. And here is my recipe for this:

1) Ownership

"Ownership" is about an individual's personal connection and responsibility toward their work.

When someone feels ownership over a task, they don't see it as just an obligation or assigned duty. Instead, they view it as their own creation, which gives them a sense of control and pride in the outcome.

The concept also fosters a mindset of continuous improvement because when people feel a personal stake in the results, they become more proactive in finding ways to improve their work over time.

Ideas are only as good as their execution. Encourage a culture where people take initiative and drive their ideas through to completion.

Exercise to do with your team: assign individuals to lead specific projects from start to finish. Give them the authority to make key decisions and allow them to present their work to the rest of the team. Encourage them to create and follow their own action plans, timelines, and deliverables. When employees are trusted with control over their projects, they feel more connected to the outcomes, increasing their investment and creativity.

Exercise to do with your team: in a meeting, work with employees to collectively define the goals, vision, and success metrics for a project or initiative. Ask each team member to share how they think they can contribute to reaching those goals. Co-creating expectations ensures everyone feels aligned and connected to the purpose of their work, enhancing a sense of ownership.

2) Safe environment

Creativity cannot thrive where there’s fear of failure. To spark bold ideas, create an environment where people feel safe to take risks. If someone fails, use it as a learning experience rather than an opportunity to point fingers.

Provide honest, constructive feedback, but do so in a way that builds people up, not tears them down. Support their growth, and they'll be more willing to push boundaries. I’ll tell you more about it.

3) Collaboration

Collaboration isn’t just about working together; it’s about engaging with diverse perspectives and practising radical candour. The best ideas come from a range of experiences and perspectives.

Make sure your team is diverse and every voice is heard. For example, invite teams from departments like sales, marketing, and legal to the table early on. Sales teams, in particular, are a rich source of knowledge – they're on the frontlines, talking directly to customers and understanding their pain points.

Exercise to do with your team: in one of my biggest projects, I made sure to have regular meetings with both the development team and the commercial team. These weren’t just updates – they were full brainstorming sessions. Bringing both groups together regularly helped us avoid miscommunication, quickly respond to issues, and keep productivity on track.

Encourage open, honest discussions where people can voice their opinions without fear of judgement. When team members feel safe to engage in back-and-forth conversations, they can openly debate what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to be adjusted. This kind of dialogue leads to innovation.

Exercise to do with your team: start by asking a big question: “What is the top issue most likely to hold back our collaboration, based on past experiences?” Break the team into small groups to discuss the question, then have each group present their findings. The goal is to identify the most common "collaboration-killers" and recognise them as threats to team success. Once identified, have each team member commit to avoiding these behaviours and agreeing to point them out when they notice them – kindly and constructively.

Exercise to do with your team: For true collaboration, ask yourselves two questions:

1) Do we trust each other? Trust is a solid foundation of any high-performing team. Without it, collaboration will be superficial at best.

2) Do we feel safe sharing ideas openly? In some cultures, speaking up without being invited by the manager is seen as inappropriate. Silence isn’t always disengagement – it’s often a sign of respect. As a leader, you need to create a space where people feel comfortable speaking up.

Speaking about radical candour, I would highly recommend the book by Kim Scott. They suggest a compass to guide individual conversations:

Scott, Kim. 2019. Radical Candor How to Get What You Want by Saying What You Mean. London, England: Pan Books.

Leading through growth

Now, we’ll explore how you can grow your bold leadership skills as your startup grows.

In the early days, a startup is often fuelled by close friendships – when everyone knows each other and cares deeply about both the company and each other. In this environment, it’s easy to be open and challenge ideas. But as the business grows, it becomes nearly impossible to maintain that same level of personal connection with every team member.

Nevertheless, as a leader, you should realise that emotional labour is a critical part of your job. It’s not just about driving results; it’s about being there for your team – really listening when they need to share, whether it’s good news or bad. Your role isn’t just managing operations, it’s creating an environment where people feel heard, supported, and understood.

Let me share an example. Every Monday, I had a one-on-one meeting with my Head of Product. This was our time to connect – no agenda, just a conversation. Sometimes we discussed work; other times, we talked about personal goals, struggles, or victories. These sessions weren’t about micromanaging – they were about expressing appreciation and creating a sense of support and belonging.

If you’ve never taken the time to ask about your team’s personal lives or truly listen to their concerns, you can’t expect them to trust you overnight. Trust is not something that can be forced or faked. Trust takes time and consistency. Start small, with regular one-on-one conversations.

Another way to foster that emotional connection is by rethinking the language we use in the workplace. For example:

Replace the word "feedback" with "guidance." Feedback can feel overused and often triggers anxiety, both for those giving it and receiving it. “Guidance” feels more supportive and constructive

Similarly, replace the word "help" with "support." People may hesitate to ask for help because they associate it with weakness, worrying that it makes them seem less competent. Support feels more empowering - it’s about working together, not signalling a flaw

Take a moment to reconsider the vocabulary you use and find your own voice. One of the biggest challenges for a founder is not falling into one of two extremes: micromanaging the team or ignoring them. Micromanaging will kill creativity and initiative, while ignoring your team can lead to disengagement and misalignment with the company’s goals.

The key is finding the right balance – providing guidance and support while giving your team the autonomy to own their work.

So how do you start building a bold culture that grows with your company? One of the best ways is to ask for candid feedback – starting with yourself. But when you ask for feedback, you’re not only showing that you’re open to growth and change, but you’re also experiencing what it’s like to receive criticism firsthand. This is a powerful way to build trust with your team.

However, be careful. Soliciting feedback can easily turn toxic if not managed correctly. You need to set clear boundaries: all feedback must focus on behaviours or processes, not individuals; any criticism must come with a suggestion for improvement.

Create an environment where people feel safe sharing their thoughts without fear of repercussions, but also ensure that the meetings shift from personal attacks to constructive discussions.

One more practice, I’d like to share. Recently, I’ve supported a startup whose product was a bit unstable and with a massive tech debt. After completing a sprint, the team spent a week fixing bugs and improving the system. This was invaluable for ensuring the long-term health of the product. So, why not implement a similar approach in management? Allow your team to periodically report management "bugs" – things that aren’t working, areas where leadership can improve. Just as you invest time in fixing your product, invest time in improving the way you manage and lead your team. It shows that you care about the health of the company’s culture just as much as the product itself.

Leading a deeptech startup through growth requires cultivating a bold culture where individuals feel supported, empowered, and motivated to tackle complex challenges. In this high-stakes environment, fostering trust and ownership is non-negotiable. A bold culture thrives when team members feel like co-owners of the mission, deeply connected to the vision of revolutionising industries through innovation.

For more startup news, check out the other articles on the website, and subscribe to the magazine for free. Listen to The Cereal Entrepreneur podcast for more interviews with entrepreneurs and big-hitters in the startup ecosystem.