HUMANS OF LIFT99 is a series of stories from LIFT99 members, highlighting the inspiring people we see around us every day. Not all of us are founders (yet), or even startuppers, but we all have a story to tell or a skill to share - it’s what makes our community as amazing as it is.
Here is the story of Carlos Paniagua - CTO of Glia, MEMBER OF LIft99
From left: Carlos with fellow co-founders of Glia - Justin DiPietro and Dan Michaeli
I am originally from Guatemala, Central America. In 2010 I moved to Estonia because I was granted a scholarship at the University of Tartu, where I studied masters software engineering. I met Dan from Guatemala, who together with Justin, introduced me to the idea of Glia. Which is why I moved to the US for 2 years, until moving back to Estonia in 2014. My plan is to stay around and continue building and growing roots in Estonia, I like it here. Because of the people mostly. One thing I need to work on is my Estonian.
What was different for you in Estonia?
Estonia was the first place where I lived abroad so everything was new. It was eye-opening, how different things can be in every aspect. From something very simple as not having daylight at 11 PM, that was something really hard for me to explain to people, especially to my parents. I really liked the people, well still do. I personally resonate with the Estonian communication style, where mostly what you see is what you get. In a bigger picture, generally the system works well, for instance traffic, there is order, banks, etc.
How did you decide to move Glia to Estonia?
The decision to move the developers’ team to Tartu was made by three of the co-founders, and I proposed it. When we got the angel funding, the question was how to get engineers on board to start building, and also, who are the best engineers we know. I immediately thought of a few guys from Estonia, who I worked with during my studies. Throughout this journey, many people from Glia have been with us from the beginning - it’s great to see our team growing and developing together with the company.
Any tips for foreign founders on moving to Estonia?
Join the startup founders community from day one. Staying involved in the ecosystem will open up different opportunities, which will make it easier to start off. For example in LIFT99, the events and community are very valuable. In addition, I would suggest learning the language. It’s very powerful. The positive reaction when you try to speak Estonian with someone makes an instant connection. And that’s one of the reasons we, at Glia, like to have diversity, language essentially shapes how you understand the world and how you connect with people.
Carlos having a cheat-day
“I feel that if you combine a cultural-add mindset with a set of values, you open yourselves to the right group of people, experiences, backgrounds, points of view, that strengthen your team. ”
What’s the secret to building strong company culture like GLIA has today?
There’s a combination of things that have been very important for us to build the team.
We have something called the CChaMP, 4 values that we co-created with our team:
Collaborate
Challenge
Master
Persevere
Those are the big pillars we base our decision-making process on, from how to design a project for hiring. To have a clear set of values that the team relates to and lives by, and that you can refer to when things get difficult or you have to make an important decision, is crucial. I feel that if you combine a cultural-add mindset with a set of values, you open yourselves to the right group of people, experiences, backgrounds, points of view, that strengthen your team. Even the founding team is diverse and has different backgrounds culturally. I don’t think it was intended or deliberate at first (to have an international team), but having these values and looking for cultural add, has helped us to create the team that we have. And of course, great talent attracts talented people.
What are the means by which you work and keep your team working?
Since we have an international team, we have to work remotely a lot and consider the 2 time zones. You need to have very clear communication guidelines and be mindful of your peers to make it work. What I mean is, to communicate to show intent, be very clear and provide context.
We have a set of guiding principles in terms of communication style and expectations on what information goes where, even for Slack. In terms of remote work, keep your calendar up to date. Mark all family time etc as well, with different time zones, it could be very crucial. Over-communicate!
“Over-communicate!”
How has your experience at LIFT99 been?
About the community and communication, working with LIFT99 has been very positive. Even when we have last minute requests, you are always willing to help us and be there for us. The feeling that you can breathe, when you walk around in LIFT is super nice - like you belong. The people around you understand what you’re going through and are always willing to help with challenges. All the activity you see in Slack, LIFT connects people and constantly creates new opportunities. That’s what community is for me, creating space for people who share common goals and ideas, visions, come together and collaborate or co-exist. I think LIFT99 provides exactly that and I feel that you have had a very positive impact on our team.
How do you keep yourself sane with all this work as a startup co-founder?
In Estonia, I’ve been trying to connect more with people here. I have a close group of friends and a brother living in Estonia as well. It’s helpful to have some family close by. In addition, I like hiking a lot, that’s something I didn’t do in Guatemala as much. It’s very nice to walk in the beautiful nature, think and relax. Meenikunno, close to Tartu, is my favorite trail. It’s nice how far into the forest you go. I like to listen to audiobooks - when I go to the gym or have lunch you can just put on a book, and that’s how I like to keep up with learning.
Meenikunno hiking trail in the South of Estonia
I just finished a book that our product manager recommended “Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Product” by Marty Cagan. The book can be summarized in one line: how to build products that customers love but help grow your business. It captures the difficult balance of building great products while being mindful of your business as well.
“Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products” by Marty Cagan with Chris Jones
A routine I do: I reflect on my day in a diary style. Writing down all the problems occurring when leading a team, helps me to wind down. Closing the loops in writing is really helpful at the end of the day, but also to prepare for the next day. Look into your calendar, be aware of what’s ahead and your brain will start preparing and generating ideas for the coming day. It gives you a sense of control which is very important.
On the cover photo:
Perseverance - The attitude towards situations is crucial to Carlos. The perseverance value is the one that the cofounders of Glia advocated the most. They’ve been working together for 9 years now and one of the most important things that also is close to their heart is the ability to see opportunities instead of problems. Carlos strongly identifies with that.
Värska - He just really loves Värska mineral water and never leaves without a bottle of it in his hand. It has become an office joke for Glia.