From Corporate Frustration to Co-Founding an AI Learning Platform
Founders Espresso Shots: featuring shot-size inspiring stories, key lessons, and practical tips from Hidden Champion Founders to boost their entrepreneurial journey.
🚀 Growth Hack
From Fragments to Structured Learning: The AI-Powered Transformation
Syllog revolutionizes corporate learning by transforming fragmented knowledge—manuals, procedures, and norms—into engaging multimedia training paths. Instead of relying on static content, the AI-driven platform dynamically personalizes training, enhancing employee onboarding, continuous learning, and overall knowledge-sharing efficiency. The startup ensures that learning is interactive, structured, and tailored, reducing knowledge gaps and increasing retention.
“AI made this possible. The idea of personalized and autonomous learning for employees couldn’t have existed without this technological shift.”
Advice: Leverage AI not just as a buzzword, but as an enabler of entirely new possibilities. Identify gaps that technology can uniquely address.
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💡 Founder Spotlight
The Bench That Started It All
Before Syllog, co-founders Edoardo and Davide were stuck in the corporate loop—experiencing a steep learning curve followed by stagnation. One summer evening in 2023, they found themselves venting about their shared frustration on a bench in Prato, near Florence. That very bench, now placed outside their office, became a symbol of their leap from corporate jobs to entrepreneurship.
They bootstrapped €50K in the first year, relying solely on personal savings, before securing €500K in pre-seed funding to expand their team and scale their vision.
“We weren’t part of a mission in our previous jobs—Syllog is about helping people grow within a company, not just work for one.”
Advice: Identify a problem you’ve personally experienced, then validate it with industry peers before taking the leap.
🗝 Founder Tips
Customer Feedback Over Hypotheticals
Syllog dedicates 75% of product development to real user feedback, focusing on active customers rather than speculative prospects.
“It’s a balance—customers give you high-level needs, but as a founder, you have to translate those into a scalable vision.”
Advice: Prioritize insights from actual users rather than hypothetical prospects. Focus on delighting early adopters before scaling.
🛠 Startup Tools
Processes Over Tools: Building a Culture of Ownership
Instead of relying on predefined tools, Syllog empowers employees to choose their own. The team focuses on process-driven alignment, ensuring that every tool adopted serves the company’s broader mission rather than just individual efficiency.
“We don’t impose tools; we give our team the freedom to choose—because they are the ones who need to align their workflow with our mission.”
Advice: Build a culture where processes come first. Tools should complement strategy, not dictate it.
☕ Cup of Founders Wisdom
Hiring is Harder Than You Think
One of Edoardo’s biggest lessons? Hiring isn’t just about skills—it’s about mindset. Early hires often don’t share the same work ethic or mission-driven approach, leading to costly mistakes. The key learning? Fire fast when there’s no cultural fit.
“I assumed every hire would treat the company like I do—but that’s rarely the case. You need people who truly align with your mission, and make it resonate with them.”
Advice: Be quick to identify misalignment and don’t hesitate to cut ties when needed.
🔋 Boost of Inspiration
The Deeper Why: Technology as a Force for Good
Beyond business metrics, Syllog is driven by a deeper mission—to make corporate learning human-centered and impactful. Having worked in AI and automation, the founder strongly believes that technology itself is neutral—it’s how you apply it that defines its ethical impact.
“Our goal is to leverage AI for real societal progress, helping individuals grow within organizations rather than feeling like disposable assets.”
Advice: Your startup should have a meta-objective—something beyond the revenue that sustains your motivation through the hardest days.
Sip up and scale up!
Stay tuned for more founder stories and actionable insights in the next edition of Founders Espresso.
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