Ready to scale your tech startup? Read these expert tips

The prospect of scaling your tech startup is exciting. Fast growth, media attention, big funding rounds. But the reality involves a lot of hard work without much recognition. 

Wiktor Schmidt (Executive Chairman at Netguru) has been through the trenches of growing a tech company: 

“Building and scaling a business is tough, and not in a glamorous ‘Forbes cover story’ kind of way,” he said. “I've learned the importance of focusing less on bulletproof processes and more on establishing the right habits and incentives for the team.”

Many founders overlook this key insight – that habits and culture matter more than obsessing over perfect systems. And no matter how good your processes are, it’s the people you hire and the trust you build that determine how far you’ll go.

“Thankfully, scaling becomes considerably more manageable when you're surrounded by incredibly talented individuals,” Schmidt added.

Lessons in collaboration from a global mega-event 

When it comes to scaling an idea to global levels, Oscar Barranco Liébana (Integrated Operations Platform Director, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022) has a bit of experience. When managing innovation at such a massive scale as the World Cup, he told us you need to manage both people and technology side by side.

“The optimisation of global collective intelligence, human-AI collaboration and effective structured stakeholders’ interaction produces high quality innovation,” he said. 

It’s not about a single big leap – it’s about many small steps that build momentum.

“Understand how national and international networks behave to generate constructive and evolving chain reactions and domino effect,” he added. This snowball approach leads “to massive collaboration and strong engagement towards global impact.”

Importantly, you have to recognise the difference between open collaboration and close coordination – because each “requires a different approach to management and governance – and both are needed in mega events.”

Make sure your stakeholders know what they’ll gain 

Hold up; you’re probably not trying to scale a mega event. But the message here still matters to you, tech entrepreneur or founder: because knowing how to collaborate is just as important as knowing who to collaborate with. It’s about building the right environment for innovation to thrive, by engaging all stakeholders in ways that are meaningful to them. 

If people are going to help you scale, they need to see the benefits very clearly. 

Liébana urged founders to seek out ambitious thinkers, encourage them to dream bigger, and build genuine relationships that go beyond purely professional networking. Because “surrounding yourself with trusted, committed, and talented individuals fosters better communication, collaboration, and intelligence, which actually makes things flow easier and more effectively.”

And choose the right investors for your unique journey 

Funding is an essential element of scaling. But if you’re raising investor funds, choosing the right investor is about much more than the capital they can offer. It’s about forming a partnership that truly supports your business goals. 

When we asked William Bao Bean (General Partner at SOSV and Managing Director of Orbit Startups) about the value he brings as an investor, he said:

“We need to constantly drive a huge amount of value for the startups we invest in. A program lasts forever and we continue working with the company throughout its lifetime. We need to be able to be at service.”

That value-driven mindset is critical. If your investor finds most of their deals through referrals, like Orbit does, then they’re motivated to help you succeed – not just to protect their investment, but to protect their reputation too.

And when choosing a partner, make sure they really get your vision. 

“Never work with an investor who doesn’t understand your business,” Bao Bean advised.

Scaling sustainably with an eye on long-term growth isn’t about hype or hustle. It's about strong relationships, shared vision, and delivering real value. 

So whether you’re growing a startup from scratch or scaling innovation across continents, remember: focus on people, partnerships, and purpose. The rest will follow.