Want to learn the best business insights from remarkable speakers at Slush 2023, but don’t have the time to watch the full speeches on YouTube?
You’ve come to the right place. Below is a summary of a speech by Julio Martinez, Co-Founder & CEO of Abacum.
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Introduction and Speaker's Background
- Julio Martinez, co-founder and CEO of Abacum, introduces himself and shares his professional background.
- He has launched several fintech products and has extensive experience in investment banking.
- Martinez emphasizes the importance of effective hiring processes, drawing from his own mistakes and lessons learned.
Abacum Overview
- Abacum is a leading mid-market financial planning and analysis solution that helps finance teams drive performance.
- The company consolidates operational KPIs from all business systems into one place, simplifying reporting, forecasting, and scenario building.
- Abacum has operations in New York, London, and Barcelona.
Hiring Priorities
- Martinez underscores the significance of hiring as a top priority for startup founders, requiring substantial time and effort.
- He notes that the caliber of early talent can heavily influence the quality of future hires and the perception of investors and customers.
- Martinez stresses the need for mindful and intentional hiring due to the high uncertainty in early-stage startups.
Who to Hire
- Martinez recommends hiring senior engineers with business orientation, interactive designers, and customer-obsessed product managers in early-stage startups.
- For go-to-market, he suggests hiring growth specialists who are driven and willing to experiment and full-cycle account executives who can handle complex products and technical conversations.
- Early hires should be passionate builders who enjoy working from scratch, and they should possess a founder's mindset.
How to Hire
- Martinez emphasizes the need for a rigorous and disciplined hiring process, treating it like a go-to-market funnel.
- He advises using referrals, networking, accelerators, and advisors to attract top talent.
- He also shares tactical tips such as trusting your gut feeling, understanding what great looks like, and being fast, aggressive, and competitive in the hiring process.
Onboarding and Managing Early Hires
- Martinez emphasizes the need for performance-based relationships and setting clear expectations from day one.
- He encourages founders to have uncomfortable conversations and focus on delivering results rather than making excuses.
- Martinez advises against keeping underperforming employees and emphasizes the importance of timely action.
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
- Martinez summarizes his top three learnings: prioritize referrals, prepare for failures, and focus on ROI when hiring.
- He concludes by thanking the audience and offering a Q&A session for further discussion on early hiring.
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