Nico Ramos shares his story as an entrepreneur, as well as his current role as CEO of Eureka Labs. How he aims to exceed customer expectations while creating an enjoyable experience for team members and global partners.

First Steps

Could you share some insights into your transition from being the Director of Operations of the Cordoba (Argentina) Chapter at Endeavor to becoming an Entrepreneur?

It all began in my first year of university when I made the fascinating realization that the institution of work shapes modern society and our lives. In that world of work, it seemed that entrepreneurs were best able to combine job creation and wealth with values that allow us to create a more equitable world. After being an active supporter of the entrepreneurial ecosystem for years, I needed to experience firsthand what it meant to become an entrepreneur and to help others do the same. With that mission, Eureka Labs is the perfect place for me: a fast-growing startup, great people, tech, and services. What else can you ask for?

Navigating Cross-Border Operations

With your company focusing on serving clients in the Global Market, how have you navigated the challenges of operating a business internationally?

For me, working in the global market has always been very natural: first, when I was at Endeavor, even though there were people from hundreds of cities and different realities around the world, we shared the common language of entrepreneurship. And then, when I spent over 10 years in technology companies operating from Latin America to the Northern Hemisphere, it was very natural to continue with that global mindset. Working in technology remotely with people all over the world allowed us to navigate the great change that occurred through the pandemic. Although it was disruptive in many aspects, thanks to existing practices of interacting with people around the world online, operationally it wasn't a significant change. On the other hand, it was a time of great growth and success for many e-commerce platforms and SaaS products, which leveraged our systems to grow. We are people first, and technologists second.

Adapting to Technological Trends

The digital engineering industry is known for its rapid evolution. How do you stay ahead of technological trends, ensuring that your teams are equipped to meet the ever-changing needs of the market?

I believe that if you work in technology, you have to love change. I think that having an entrepreneurial attitude, whether or not you are the founder, gives you flexibility and skills for constant change. So the first thing is to set a culture of adaptability, helping your team embrace and navigate the world of uncertainty. Within our business, we try to constantly push research and innovation, tapping talented people who are hungry to discover and develop new concepts.

Leadership Philosophy

As a leader, what is your philosophy when it comes to guiding your teams and fostering a culture of innovation?

It's easy to talk about philosophy because ideas are rarely deterministic, particularly if there is no connection between the ideas and our actual realities. In the realm of praxis, it's hard for me: as entrepreneurs we always want to go as fast as possible and have our teams act the same. On the other hand, an entrepreneur may want two days to make a decision when their team thinks it should be made in two minutes. Overcoming ego and balancing our own opinions with others is a huge challenge for effective leadership.

A popular concept is hiring people smarter than ourselves. Once we hire them though, we want to dictate what they do. This is the wrong approach! The best way is to first, choose the team very well, and then give people the space to show what they are made of. Fostering a culture of innovation is impossible if you don't have first a culture of trying… and also, making mistakes. Once there is a culture where trying is rewarded, even if there are mistakes in that trying, innovation will come naturally. That innovation is not achieved by saying, it is achieved by doing - by making mistakes - without getting embarrassed, bottom down.

Eureka Labs seeks to capitalize the best of both worlds: the innovation of startups and the processes of corporations.

Key Growth Factors

Your company has experienced significant growth in the past three years. What do you consider to be the key factors that have contributed to this success? How do you envision sustaining and further accelerating this growth in the future, especially in the dynamic and competitive landscape of technology services?

There is one undeniable contributing factor; the growth of e-commerce and SaaS platforms during the pandemic. Of the factors we could manage, I believe it was always trying to deliver more than what our partners expected, without forgetting that we are people. So, on the one hand, a high standard, and on the other hand, making sure that we are enjoying the journey together. While everyone wants to get paid, we need to have fun while thinking and building incredible things. To that end, ensuring that our team and our clients are aligned on ethics and operations has been key to our success. By ethics, I mean having the same criteria to differentiate between good and bad. And by operations, a standard way of doing things: quality, communication, etc. That, together with our culture, makes us a unique complement to our partners.

We are people first, and technologists second.

As we think about the future, we are undoubtedly experiencing a massive shift in value creation. Building with AI is key to delivering value for our partners, helping them bring more delight to their customers. As a company, we are already leveraging AI to build better solutions in less time. This is tremendously accelerating our ability to think and ship, try, learn, and start over. On this journey, I believe everyone wins: as a business, we get better at creating things that people will buy, and our end customers enjoy more products that bring joy and ease to their lives.