We had a Rukam Capital team dinner last week.
Just a quiet evening. Nothing fancy.
But in moments like these, you get to observe something most pitch decks don’t show.
Energy. Chemistry. And that rare sense of shared ambition.
In early-stage startups, culture is built through its people.
And yet, early hiring is often where founders get it wrong.
The founder holds the vision. They might have equity.
But early team members? They need something else to stay in the game.
→ They need to feel trusted.
→ They need room to own.
→ And they need to believe this is their company too—even if they don’t hold paper that says so.
The best early hires aren’t just smart. They’re energizers.
They show up with freshness. They take initiative without asking. They move things forward without being told.
And quietly, they make the entire team better just by being there.
Startups scale on belief, commitment, and momentum.
So when you're hiring your early team, don't just ask:
“Is this person capable?”
Ask:
“Does this person radiate energy?”
Because in those first 5–10 hires, you’re building the company’s emotional engine.
And once you get that right, everything else gets easier.
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