In this blog series, we speak to founders, marketing teams and VCs from our climate tech ecosystem to find out what gets them out of bed in the morning, and what challenges they have overcome to get to where they are today.

It’s an opportunity to peer behind the curtain and hear directly from the people who are playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of our planet.

Magdalena Milecka is the Operations and Hiring Partner at HyperHeat, a German startup that develops electric high-temperature heating solutions for energy-intensive industries to support industrial decarbonisation.

She has been working for HyperHeat for a little over two years and is responsible for scaling the business internally through recruiting the right people and building people operations processes from the ground up.

In the eight months since we started working with HyperHeat on its communications strategy, we’ve witnessed its steady growth and the integral role that Magdalena has played in this. That’s why we were keen to learn more about how she navigates the challenges that startups commonly face and what advice drives her despite those challenges.

1. What moves you?

What moves me most is what people can achieve together.

I’ve always believed that the best things happen when people join forces. There are things we simply can’t do alone, but when everyone brings their strengths, ideas and energy together, real magic happens, genuine teamwork. That feeling is just as important to me in my personal life as it is in my professional one.

That’s also why I love working with people so much. I start my days feeling genuinely curious and excited about what my team will share: what ideas they will come up with, what challenges they will bring and what we’ll figure out together. Working with people is incredibly rewarding, and I’m blessed to work with amazing teams.

As a huge startup enthusiast, it’s very important to me because building real change is always a team effort. That’s why I’ve always loved this quote by Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”.

Working with passionate, inspired people who genuinely care about what they do is one of the most rewarding feelings I know. People who dream big. People who have high standards and believe in something bigger than themselves. Are they sometimes a little crazy, ambitious, or unconventional? Even better.

And there is something incredibly special about knowing your team has your back. When people look out for each other, trust each other, and celebrate each other’s successes, it creates a culture where everyone can thrive.

That’s what makes me excited to get up in the morning.

2. What challenges do you face?

As with any startup, we want to build something meaningful, so attracting and hiring the right people is important. Finding talented candidates is one thing, but finding people who genuinely share our beliefs, who connect with the company’s mission, and who want to be part of the journey is a completely different challenge.

And the challenge becomes even more interesting when you add diversity into the mix. Our teams are made up of people from different countries, cultures, backgrounds, age groups, genders and professional experiences. Building a team where all these different perspectives come together and thrive is something I care deeply about. It’s not just about hiring great individuals; it’s about creating an environment where people can collaborate, learn from one another, and succeed together.

Working in tech and startups also means facing a challenge that is particularly important to me: attracting more female candidates. That’s why I continuously think about how we can make opportunities more visible and attractive to a broader range of candidates.

Another challenge I enjoy is finding the right balance between structure and flexibility.

A big part of my role involves projects, people operations, and business operations, which means constantly thinking about processes. As companies grow, they naturally need more structure. Processes help people collaborate, stay aligned and ensure important things don’t fall through the cracks. At the same time, startups thrive because they are agile, fast-moving, and adaptable.

The challenge is finding that sweet spot: creating enough structure to support people without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.

3. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received is to assume positive intent, but verify reality.

In startups, things move fast. Everyone has a long to-do list, priorities change, new ideas appear every day, and communication often happens in quick messages, short calls, or rushed meetings. In that environment, it’s very easy to misread something. An email can sound more direct than intended. A voice message can come across differently than it was meant. Someone might challenge an idea in a meeting, and your first reaction is to wonder what they meant by it.

That’s where this advice helps me. I assume people mean well.

This mindset is especially powerful when you’re working closely with a team. When you’ve chosen to build something together, you already know you’re united by a common goal. You care about the same mission, want the company to succeed, and are all trying to move in the same direction. This advice helps me stay calm, especially in complicated or high-pressure situations. It has saved me from countless misunderstandings and unnecessary overthinking. It has helped me build stronger relationships, collaborate better with teams, and enjoy working with people more.

There is also the second part of the advice: verify reality. Assuming positive intent doesn’t mean ignoring problems or pretending everything is fine. But assuming that people mean well and asking questions instead of making assumptions is my way to go.