Tech Thursday Recap: Scaling Leadership Teams from Seed to Series A
A summary of the last week's Tech Thursday's top ideas.
Last week’s Tech Thursday panel, Scaling Leadership Teams from Seed to Series A, co-hosted by Artemis, brought together a powerhouse lineup of leaders to share insights on one of the most critical phases in a startup’s journey—growing a leadership team.
The panel featured:
John Wong (CEO, Fluid Biomed)
Rick Bird (CEO, Thin Air Labs)
Kristina McDougall (Founder, Artemis)
Moderated by Ashley Gallant (Senior Consultant, Executive Recruitment)
The conversation explored the challenges, strategies, and pitfalls of building a leadership team that can take a startup from its earliest days to a Series A milestone.
Artemis delivers executive and senior talent to Canada’s fastest scaling tech companies, with precision, rigour, and care. Whether you are a tech founder ready to start an executive search or a leader looking to make your next career move, we’d love to hear from you. Connect with our team of talent experts: info@artemiscanada.com.
This is a recap of the top ideas from the panel.
Photo Credit: Motiv
What Does It Mean to Scale from Seed to Series A?
Firstly, let’s talk about the key distinction between Seed and Series A stages:
Seed Stage: The team is focused on discovering product-market fit, working in high chaos environments, and everyone is wearing multiple hats.
Series A: The company raises significantly more capital, proves scalability, and introduces specialized leadership roles.
One of the biggest shifts? Moving from generalists to specialists and learning how to manage through layers of leadership.
Building the Right Team at Each Stage
It’s critical in the early stages to hire for fit, not just experience. Early-stage hires need to be Swiss Army knives—able to work across multiple functions, solve problems with limited resources, and thrive in ambiguity.
However, as the company scales:
Founders must transition from doers to leaders.
Specialized roles become essential for scaling efficiently.
Companies must hire carefully—avoiding people who are just looking for a title or prestige.
One common hiring mistake? Bringing in an “expert” from a large company too soon, when what’s really needed is someone who believes in the mission and can execute in a scrappy environment.
The Role of Investors in Leadership Evolution
John Wong, fresh off raising a $27 million Series A for Fluid Biomed, spoke candidly about the pressure founders feel from investors when it comes to leadership decisions. Investors often assess whether a team is “fundable”, which can lead to difficult conversations about whether founders should stay as CEOs or bring in external leadership.
John’s perspective? Stay flexible and listen. While the initial instinct is to push back, it’s important to understand why investors are making those suggestions—and to constantly evaluate if you're the best person to lead at the next stage.
From an investor perspective, Rick Bird shared the "green flags" he looks for when evaluating founding teams:
Deep subject matter expertise.
Strong passion and resilience.
High humility and intellectual curiosity.
Ability to scale their own leadership as the company grows.
One of the biggest red flags? Founders who struggle to delegate and won’t let go of control as the company scales.
Raising Capital & Hiring Without Breaking the Bank
Hiring is one of the biggest challenges for early-stage companies, especially when capital is tight. Some key strategies discussed included:
Equity as an incentive – If you can’t pay top salaries, offer ownership.
Fractional hiring – Bringing in part-time executives to bridge early gaps.
Selling the mission – The best startup employees aren’t driven by money alone, they want to solve a meaningful problem.
John shared a hard truth: Raising capital is harder than brain surgery (and he would know!). Success comes from storytelling, persistence, and widening your investor network beyond your local ecosystem.
Letting Go: Scaling Leadership Without Losing Control
One of the biggest challenges founders face as they scale is learning to “give away their Legos”—or in other words, letting go of responsibilities.
Investors at the Series A stage want to see that founders can empower others rather than hold onto every decision. If a founder can't delegate, it’s a major red flag.
Rick Bird’s advice?
Bring in exceptional people—and actually let them lead.
If you’re a founder, constantly evaluate what you should stop doing.
The right leadership team should make you feel less essential to daily operations.
Key Takeaways: What Founders Need to Know
Hire for today, but plan for tomorrow. Early hires need to be generalists, but leadership teams need specialists to scale.
Don’t ignore investor feedback. Even if you don’t agree, understand why they’re asking for leadership changes.
Fundraising is a storytelling game. Investors don’t just back ideas, they back teams that they believe can execute.
Equity can be a powerful hiring tool. If you can’t pay top salaries, sell the vision and offer ownership.
Scaling leadership is about letting go. The best founders bring in strong leaders and trust them to execute.
Want more insights? Join us tonight for a panel on the Science of Leadership.