Beyond the Herd Mentality with Foundervine Co-Founder Cecil Adjalo

Imagine a world where there are no barriers to innovation, everyone has the ability to bring their ideas to life, and the world in which we live looks completely different as a result. 

Today’s guest, Cecil Adjalo, is working towards this vision as the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Foundervine which was recently recognised as one of Europe’s leading start up hubs. 

Cecil is on a mission. His wisdom as a founder as well as a leader who is shaping the start-up ecosystem is boundless. His passion, determination and discipline, has always inspired me and so I had to bring him on and share it with you. Giving you a peak behind the curtain of what it is like to be the COO of a growing startup from someone who was listed by the Financial Times as one of the top 100 most influential BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) Leaders in the UK Tech sector. 

In this conversation we cover:

• Work-life integration vs work-life balance
• Strict parents instilling discipline and rejecting average
• How Cecil founded Foundervine while starting up a tech company
• Importance of having thick skin and not being afraid to look stupid
• Sky to ground thinking and the role of a COO
• Importance of mentorship and advisory
• Balancing delusion and humility as a founder
• Leadership mentality in the face of challenges
• Managing family life as a COO and founder
• The DEI landscape
• Confronting racism with curiosity

Find Cecil here - linkedin.com/in/adjalo

Learn more about Foundervine - https://www.foundervine.com/#

The book recommendation - Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss