How to Lead Engineering in a Mission-driven Tech Startup

A Journey with Actionable Insights from Nuri’s CTO, Vidya Mani

As an Engineering leader with deep experience in topics like payments, blockchain and cryptocurrency, Vidya Mani is CTO at Nuri, an Earlybird Digital West fintech portfolio company.

Nuri underwent a brand transformation this year in line with their mission to inclusively expand the traditional crypto demographic — helping customers save money by embracing crypto basics.

In the answers below, discover her international journey to Berlin, Germany via Delhi, India and Oakland, California – including culinary highlights. 🧀

Welcome, Vidya!

1. Let’s start in October 2021, when Nuri went to Web Summit. What are your top takeaways?

Web Summit was a great experience, especially after almost two years of being remote. So many smart and ambitious people under one roof, exchanging ideas for partnerships! Nuri’s booth was near the Growth Summit area which added to this high energy atmosphere. Here are my key takeaways:

• People are eager to get back to meeting in person for the human connection and also the accelerated pace of knowledge sharing.
• Great new products and ideas are coming up globally. We met a lot of people in other booths and networking events.
• Crypto and Blockchain were everywhere! I’m excited for where the industry is headed and for wider adoption of these technologies.

2. You studied Mathematics at Delhi University. How does this impact your work?

I studied Math at university yet sadly don’t get to use its pure form in my daily work — besides overlapping Computer Science topics like logic, algorithms, etc. Math is about problem solving and playing around with abstract concepts that can then be applied in life. But I’d say Math trained me well in these areas and I aim to apply that to daily life. Leadership itself is often about taking abstract concepts or problems, thinking them over, and finding the right methods and steps to solve them.

“Leadership itself is often about taking abstract concepts or problems, thinking them over, and finding the right methods and steps to solve them.”

3. You bring expertise as a software engineer leader and developer. What have you learned managing large teams (of 100+ people)?

Leading large teams, especially if distributed, can be complex. I’ve been lucky to have worked with some fantastic teams, engineers and leaders, including Nuri. Here’s what I see:

• Clear mission and vision for the organization is fundamental to any company’s success. It brings clarity and speed to every subsequent decision, at every level. When you know what your north star is, everything else falls into place.
• Focus on automation and developer productivity as you grow. Machines are best at repeatable work that requires precision and efficiency; humans are best at creativity and innovation. As the team and product or business needs grow, you cannot hire your way out of this situation. Automation is the way to increase velocity on your teams.
• Good leadership structure is key to ensuring your vision is understood and relayed within the organization. The leaders on my team are the best positioned to ensure we are headed in the same direction, advocate for the mission and vision and also bring back feedback from the teams. This network makes us stronger everyday.

4. What was behind the rebrand from Bitwala to Nuri?

Nuri, short for a ‘new reality’ of banking, splashed into being earlier this year in a rebranding from Bitwala. I fell in love with the concept and branding at first sight. The new reality is that banking continues to be more complex for the customer than it needs to be. Large banks continue to optimize for scale and corporate use cases. Some neobanks have simplified the basic banking experience which is a step in the right direction.

Nuri’s mission is to take that to a new level: we simplify the banking experience and become a one-stop shop to grow wealth. This combination, with a customer obsession to simplify their experience, is the new reality. Investing and building wealth can be complex but Nuri’s mission is to take the complexity away from the customer and solve it for them. Managing your finances can be a joy and we’re on our way to make it so!

5. How would you describe the team culture at Nuri?

The culture at Nuri remains mission- and values-driven. Culture evolves with every new person who joins or leaves a company. Our values ensure that we continue to be a place that is warm, collaborative, eager, and revolutionary. We’re a diverse team from various backgrounds, cultures and nationalities. It keeps us humble, respectful and excited to learn from each other daily.

“Culture evolves with every new person who joins or leaves a company.”

6. What does a CTO daily routine look like in a product-led, fast-growing tech company?

Most of my routine is on a weekly basis but in a company that’s growing as fast as Nuri, here are the top things I focus on daily:

• Nurturing the team — We have a great engineering team, with leaders growing from within the organization. My job is to support them all so they can achieve their highest potential. Clear expectations, feedback and focus enable that growth. I fundamentally believe that people do their best work when they are happy and feel supported.
• Production health & customer obsession — A product without customers is a hobby. As a leader, I like to spread my customer obsession across the organization for every decision we make — be it technical, product or UX-related. Production health tells us if we are building the right product and if it is working. Using this feedback cycle in a timely manner is key to a great customer experience.
• Hiring — Hire the right people; understand what they bring with them and what they need to be successful. At Nuri, we give them support which is the best way I can ensure Nuri’s overall success.

“A product without customers is a hobby.”

7. What do you suggest to aim for in a startup tech leadership role?

• Find the right mission and right team. Everything else can follow. The right mission will keep you motivated and help you make the right decisions. The right team will be greater than the sum of its parts. Before you join, understand what mission and team you want to be a part of.
• Make fast but mindful decisions. At a startup, so many early decisions need to be made and are foundational and can be long-lasting. As a leader, ensure that the pace of decision making remains high while being mindful of their lasting impact.
• Be ready for anything! :-) But be deliberate about where you are spending your time. In any leadership role, your attention might be needed on topics ranging from the operational to strategic. The operational and urgent topics can seemingly feel endless and constant. Carving out time, for you and the team, to focus on the strategy is important. Make time for it deliberately.
• Enjoy the ride! The best part of a startup, especially in a leadership role, is that it’s so fast and new. Build a great team; grow up but don’t grow old.

8. You came to Berlin from Oakland. How are you adjusting?

Berlin is an amazing city — so large and diverse, with a palpable and youthful energy. It’s still early days for me while I adapt to the city and a more European lifestyle. It will take me a while to familiarize myself with all Berlin has to offer, especially given the current remote / hybrid situation. I’ve met fascinating people here from around the world and that’s been enriching. While my week is busy with all things Nuri, I’ve embraced concepts like quieter Sundays which now include a long walk in a park, the ‘coffee & cake’ tradition in the afternoon, or meeting up with friends.

9. Lastly, Berkeley and Oakland in the Bay Area are sometimes called the ‘Gourmet Ghetto’. What’s your favorite food spot discovery here?

Markthalle Neun is one of my favorite places in the city to hang out. It’s a tiny piece of culinary heaven for me and my husband. The cheese festival in November was fantastic! There’s so much more to discover still in this vast and vibrant city. It’s been going slower as we are playing it safe during COVID. I look forward to snacking my way through Berlin in the coming months!

Ready to take the leap with your career? Check out new roles at Nuri.

Please 👏🏽 if Vidya’s insights resonated. Follow Earlybird on Twitter or LinkedIn to discover more stories from our growing portfolio of European companies.

Interview edited and condensed by Elisheva Marcus.