Life as a Chief of Staff at a Founder-Led Startup

As part of our 'Life at Ramp Network' series, we're excited to introduce our Chief of Staff Hannah Smith, who plays a pivotal role in driving our mission forward. From managing global communications to supporting our CEO's vision, they bring a unique blend of strategic thinking, adaptability, and collaboration. Let's dive into Hannah’s journey and what it's like to be at the heart of our rapidly growing organisation.

What do you do as a Chief of Staff?

It's a tough question because my role involves a bit of everything. Mainly, I'm the right hand to Szymon, our CEO and co-founder, helping free up his time so he can focus on areas where he truly excels. In practice, that means I act as a sounding board when it comes to strategic decisions, and I lead OKRs, global comms, and investor relations.   Every day is different though. Some weeks I’m traveling to events like Token2049 in Singapore, others I’m digging into how we can boost our KPIs.

Why did you decide to join Ramp Network?

For all of my roles, I look at three things: the team, the impact of the role, and the product/space. Ramp Network ticked all of these boxes for me.

The Chief of Staff role was clearly defined in a way that promised a lot of space for ownership. With the team, collaboration was a key focus—there is no working in silos. While I work closely with the CEO, I also collaborate with other executives and teams across the company, and there’s no room for egos. As for the product, I'm excited about where the space is right now. It’s moved into finding ways of using the technology to really elevate other industries, rather than just “Web3 version of X”. I want to see us get to the stage where people use it seamlessly without even knowing it, and Ramp Network has front row seats to this.

You have worked at numerous startups, what made Ramp Network a different and such an exciting proposition?

I'm very intentional about the startups I choose to work for. In my first two roles, I focused on learning how to build products and specific teams . Since then, I’ve wanted to shift into gaining experience scaling companies as a whole. What makes Ramp Network unique is the opportunity for all of this but with the added benefit of being within an industry just at the point of crossing the chasm.

What were your first impressions of the company and its culture? How did these impressions evolve as you settled into your role?

I was super lucky to have my first week at Ramp Network during the company-wide "Ramp Magic" retreat. It was probably the best way to dive straight into everything that makes Ramp Network unique, rather than just the specifics of my role. It was in this remote town in Poland, at an incredible venue that was definitely not your typical hotel conference space. The energy from that weekend was really contagious.  What stood out to me most was how open and direct people were about both the good and the bad, which I really appreciated. You can tell that this openness comes from a genuine place of care and drive for the company to succeed.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve encountered so far in your role? How have you tackled them?

In a startup, there’s always a lot happening, and with the  industry we’re in, things move even faster. Being the right hand to the CEO adds another layer of intensity, and as someone new, it can be hard to say no. Strict prioritization can be tough when everything around you needs you to be flexible.

The first thing I focused on was listening and observing. Context was so important for helping me to understand how every part of Ramp Network fits together. For me personally, I couldn’t start pushing improvements without first knowing the history behind it.

How do you collaborate with Co Founder and CEO ? What strategies do you use to ensure alignment with his vision and goals?

I work closely with Szymon non-stop, and because he's so open and constantly sharing different ideas, a big piece for us to figure out was how to be ruthless with how we prioritise tasks effectively. The more time we spent working together, the better we understood the patterns.

We’ve set designated times to discuss small tasks, larger projects, and top-level goals, scheduling these around when we’re both most productive.

Our feedback is very open and transparent, and it goes both ways. This ties back to Ramp Network's culture—direct, frank, and rooted in radical candor, which makes everything more efficient.

Ramp Network first came to life in Poland and continues to have strong roots there, what have you learnt about Polish work culture?

‍The culture is very direct and emphasizes real-time feedback. I appreciate this a lot—it helps things run much more efficiently in my opinion

What is one thing you have come to learn about crypto that you wish you knew before joining?

‍I was pretty embedded into the space before joining Ramp Network, but I really appreciated how many employees we have who are new to the industry and don’t experience imposter syndrome. While we of course have those who have been here since the first whitepaper, there is also a strong culture of learning and knowledge sharing that supports those who are "ramping up" and getting to know the ins and outs of the crypto world.

If you had to describe one thing that is distinctively Ramp Network what would it be and why?

The commitment to radical candor and the open, direct communication style. This approach fosters a transparent and efficient work environment where feedback is both clear and constructive.

What did you envision your career to be when you were growing up? At what point did you realise that the role of Chief of Staff aligned with your career goals?

Ha! I’ve always been a generalist, so my answer likely changed depending on the week. I never had a specific 5 or 10 year plan, but I did learn early to focus on what energized me—curiosity, learning new things, diversity in tasks, and problem-solving.

What advice would you offer to someone aspiring to transition into a Chief of Staff role?

The role is what you make of it. You need to clearly understand what you want from the position and build strong relationships with key people, not just your CEO and co-founder.

During the interview process, don’t just treat it as a formal interview. Focus on assessing whether you'll work well with the team by speaking with as many people as possible. This helps you understand the working and team dynamics and how you can act as a force multiplier within the organization.

Which Ramp Network value do you resonate with the most and why? You can find our values in our cultural toolkit here.

I love the ‘level heads’ value. In any operational role at a startup, you’ll inevitably face challenges and urgent issues. Staying calm is the only way I can stay solutions-oriented and learn from the mistakes.

Thank your Hannah, for featuring in this blog. We look forward to seeing what you’ll do next at Ramp Network!

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