ICEO - Venture Builder

Our October #newsletter is out! 🍂 Catch up on the latest highlights at ICEO and trending industry insights. 📬

No tricks here, just treats. 🎃 Swipe to see how brands got creative this year with interactive, tech-driven initiatives, bringing #Halloween into the digital age. 👉 Have you participated in any unique online Halloween experiences this year? Share your favourites with us in the comments! Sources: Linity, Binance, Meetaverse, Finbold

Today under the #ICEOSpotlight is Tony Lees, VP of Product at ICEO. 💡 We were interested to hear about a piece of advice or a philosophy that has fundamentally shaped how Tony approaches product development. He replied: "Always prioritise delivering genuine value to the user while aligning with the commercial goals of the company. Success comes from deeply understanding user needs, solving real problems, and ensuring that every feature or decision also drives sustainable business growth. It's a balance between empathy for the user and strategic focus on outcome." We also asked, "What legacy do you hope to leave through the products you build and the teams you lead?" Tony shared his vision, "The legacy I hope to leave through the products we build is one of real-world impact, creating innovative platforms that solve meaningful problems and drive positive change. From a team perspective, my goal is to mentor and empower people to become exceptional product leaders, fostering a culture of curiosity, creativity, and accountability. Ultimately, I want both the products and the teams I lead to push boundaries, challenge the status quo, and create lasting value for users and society." Continue following our Spotlight series to hear more stories and insights from the creative minds at ICEO. 🌟 #leadership

Why do so many innovators love the ideation phase? 🧠 💡 Well, one of the reasons can be that it’s a limitless field where your ideas can run wild, and you might just land on the next million-dollar idea! But it isn't all that simple. The ideation phase may take 1 to 3 months, but investing this time sets the stage for a thriving business. At this stage, you’re not just dreaming—you're exploring uncharted waters, digging into market needs, emerging trends, and real-world problems. Here’s what to expect during this phase: 1️⃣ Market Exploration: Understanding the landscape and spot opportunities. 2️⃣ Vision and Mission Development: Creating a clear vision and defining your mission to guide your venture. 3️⃣ Creative Brainstorming: Encouraging bold and diverse ideas. 4️⃣ Feasibility Assessment: Evaluating the potential of the ideas based on market fit and available resources. 5️⃣ Refinement: Honing in on the most promising ideas and choosing frontrunners. At ICEO, the ideation phase has been the starting point for many of our most successful ventures. Through years of refining our approach, we’ve developed a process that not only sparks creativity but also ensures those ideas are built on a strong, strategic foundation. #VentureBuilding #Ideation #Entrepreneurship

Every startup has a "wilderness" period. The question is, how will you find your way through? 🌲 That uncertain stretch before your first real win is where lessons are learned and direction is found. Let’s talk about finding your way out. Swipe to learn more. #WildernessPeriod #Entrepreneurship #Startups

Today is World Mental Health Day, an important reminder to prioritise our well-being. 🧠🫶 At ICEO, we understand that rest is essential for supercharging your mental health. That’s why we’re committed to supporting a strong work-life balance through our benefits and initiatives. Together, we're creating a culture where caring for ourselves is just as important as achieving our goals. How are you finding balance today? #WorldMentalHealthDay

Every successful team has key players who quietly yet powerfully shape the future. This week, we’re excited to introduce Damian Zachwieja in our #ICEOSpotlight feature, where he shares his thoughts on business process automation.🔍 "Automation isn’t just about technology—it’s also about people. How do you ensure that the solutions you implement enhance the team's daily work?" Damian answered: "It's definitely about people! We always measure hard metrics like time, quality, and error rates before and after implementing the process. But equally important, we assess the overall satisfaction of those involved. Our goal is to automate repetitive tasks and support high-value work that requires human attention." We also asked, "What’s the most challenging aspect of your role, and how do you keep pushing forward when things don’t go as planned?" He replied, "The most demanding part is analyzing current processes and finding areas for optimization. It requires a blend of soft and technical skills to understand colleagues' needs and propose tailored solutions. It's not always easy to pinpoint needs or find the perfect improvement idea. But the satisfaction of delivering results always makes up for the initial challenges." And finally, "The field of automation is constantly evolving. How do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends, and what excites you most about the future of #automation?" Damian said, "ICEO encourages innovation and experimentation, which makes it an exciting place to grow. I also take courses and experiment with new technologies on my own. As for the future, I'm particularly excited about AI, especially creating and using AI agents in everyday life and in organizations. This idea could revolutionize process automation, allowing us to automate even more complex, less structured work. Can't wait to see effects we will have when we start to use agents more generally." Stay tuned for more features from our team.

📢 The second edition of the #ICEOInsider newsletter is here! Catch up on everything that happened in September with our latest recap. 📩 And don't forget to subscribe to get all future editions as soon as they're released. #Newsletter #SeptemberRecap

In this edition of the #ICEOSpotlight, we turned to Tomasz Łaz, VP of Technology at ICEO, to get his thoughts on common tech challenges startups face and more. 🚀 When we asked Tomasz: What’s a common mistake startups make with tech implementation, and how can they avoid it? He advised: "Over-engineering is a common mistake startups make with tech implementation, which can be avoided by adopting an agile approach to iteratively refine solutions, focusing on user-centric development to ensure features meet actual needs, and, most critically, establishing a clear project vision and mission, which is essential for guiding development, preventing scope creep, and ensuring that all efforts are aligned with the core objectives." We also asked: What’s an underrated concept in the startup ecosystem that deserves more attention? Tomasz replied: "I believe that a clear vision and mission are often underrated in the startup world. Having a strong vision gives you direction and keeps everyone focused, while a well-defined mission motivates the team and guides decision-making. It also helps align everyone's efforts, which is crucial for strategic planning. Plus, it can attract the right talent and shape the company culture in a way that fosters resilience and growth." If you’re looking for new opportunities to join ICEO's technology department, don’t forget to keep an eye on our openings at career.iceo.co/

What makes a startup founder truly successful? It’s more than just having a great idea. Swipe to see five traits that really set them apart. 🔑 Which one do you think matters most? 👇 Read more about what it takes to succeed as a founder or late-stage co-founder on our blog 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e9p4um7h #Entrepreneurship #Leadership