About

My Story

For most of my career, I was building things — companies, teams, products — and figuring things out as I went. Like most people who end up in leadership roles, I learned less from books and more from experience: things going wrong, decisions not working out, people surprises, moments of doubt, and the constant pressure of having to decide without perfect information.

I didn't set out to become an advisor.
Over the years, people started coming to me informally. Not because I had all the answers, but because I was easy to talk to, I listened properly, and I could help them make sense of what was actually going on. Those conversations kept repeating, across different contexts, industries, and roles.

This work is simply a more intentional version of that.

I'm not a guru or a polished success story. I've built things, hired people, made mistakes, changed my mind, and carried responsibility that doesn't switch off at 6pm. I'm naturally curious, empathetic, and quick to connect dots across different industries and perspectives.

I tend to think a bit sideways. Sometimes the useful insight comes from somewhere unexpected.

People usually describe me as

Easy to talk to
Grounded
Honest without being harsh
Good at seeing what
actually matters
That's what I bring into these conversations (plus a sense of humour and levity).

My Background, In Plain Terms

I've spent the last decade or so:

  • Building and running startups

  • Hiring and managing teams

  • Working closely with founders, managers, and operators

  • Moving between people topics, product decisions, and technology questions

  • Mentoring, teaching, and advising individuals, formally and informally

I've been on the inside when things were working and when they weren't. I've seen what breaks teams, what stalls progress, and how often the real problem isn't the one people think it is.

I'm not a theorist. I'm not detached from reality. I've carried responsibility, made trade-offs, and lived with the consequences of decisions.

Why I do this.

I've always been the kind of person who shows up when someone asks for help. If a founder, a colleague, or even someone I barely know reaches out, I tend to drop what I'm doing and help them think things through. That's just how I'm wired.

At the same time, I'm not great at asking for help myself. When things get hard, my instinct is usually to deal with it alone. And yet, there are moments where I do need someone's input, perspective, or simply a conversation — and I've often found that kind of availability is rare.

So this is, in a way, me building the thing I've always looked for but rarely found: a place where you can reach out when you need help now, not next week, and talk honestly without having to perform or justify yourself.

How I Think and Work

I care a lot about:

  • Clarity over complexity

  • Honesty over performance

  • Progress over perfection

I'm intuitive, but not careless. I move quickly, but I don't rush. I ask questions that help get to the point faster.

  • Spotting patterns

  • Cutting through noise

  • Naming the thing everyone feels but hasn't said

  • Staying calm when things feel heavy

That's the role I naturally fall into, and the one I'm comfortable owning.

I'am praised for:

I'm naturally curious and drawn to different perspectives. I tend to borrow ideas from one industry and apply them somewhere else, often in ways that aren't obvious at first.

Elina

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