For fast-growing companies, the speed of learning and adaptation will be one of the most critical factors in staying relevant. We live in a world where the pace of innovation has never been faster. Products can lose relevance overnight, and the ability to learn, pivot, and innovate quickly will define a company’s trajectory. That’s why the true test for AI startups isn’t just who has the boldest vision, but who can rally the best people to bring it to life.

People-led growth

In my time building innovative products at Uber and Plaid – and as Founder and CEO at Stacks.ai – I’ve seen that experimenting with AI is the easy part. While almost every company can now build proofs of concept, the difficult part is focusing on building the right solutions, and then embedding those innovations into business workflows so they deliver measurable and accurate results that truly advance a company’s mission.

If 20 people all start experimenting at once, chaos can ensue. The companies turning AI hype into business impact are those that put strong talent at the centre, ensuring the right people define priorities, choose what gets tested and built, and integrate new approaches without breaking what already works.

Mindset over qualifications

That process begins with who you hire. For early-stage startups, ‘talent density’ – the concentration of exceptional people who can adapt rapidly – is the best predictor of success. 

But attracting the right profiles means looking beyond conventional signals like degrees or certificates. These credentials signal knowledge, but they don’t guarantee impact in a field that evolves monthly.

What really matters is mindset. The standout hires are the ones with curiosity and resilience: people who run towards unfamiliar problems, stay calm when experiments fail, and persist until solutions emerge. At Stacks, we’ve just launched our agentic product, which automates complex accounting workflows, with autonomous agents that do the work yet some of our most effective team members haven’t come through traditional AI career paths. We’re not just hiring coders and accountants, we’re hiring elite performers and are looking for people who’ve trained their minds for intensity, discipline and strategic thinking. That’s the mindset that scales an AI company. They distinguished themselves because they were willing to learn quickly, collaborate thoughtfully, and keep advancing the mission even through setbacks. You can teach tools, but that level of drive and mental agility is something you’re either wired for or you’re not.

Building the talent pipeline

It would be remiss not to acknowledge the reality that founders face: the talent needed to scale AI-driven businesses is scarce and contested. Europe can no longer depend on importing senior AI specialists from the US or Asia – we need to grow our own pipeline.

That starts with education, such as a greater investment in STEM training and practical AI skills. But founders also have a direct role to play. We can create the conditions for talent to thrive, by cutting friction so teams move in sync, providing coaching to elevate performance, and opening clear pathways for career changers who bring fresh perspectives. Hands-on exposure to AI tools is essential, but so too is a culture where people feel empowered to experiment and supported to continue to innovate when things don’t work right the first time.

From hype to advantage

AI’s development curve is not slowing. As teams expand and tools evolve, the fundamentals of focus, discipline, and deliberate team design will only become more important. 

The European startups that win won’t necessarily be those with the most eye-catching technologies. They’ll be the ones that treat talent as their primary engine, turning AI into a long-term advantage that reshapes how businesses operate.

Albert Malikov is the Founder & CEO of Stacks.ai, the fast-growing startup using agentic AI to reinvent the financial close.