This week, Guillaume had the opportunity to chat with Ashok AzhagarasanHead of Growth at OSS Venturesthe startup studio working to reconnect tech and industry.
Enjoy your reading!
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Hello Ashok! First question if you were to summarize your company culture in 3 words...
Hi Skeelz! I'd say: mission, solidarity and commitment.
- Mission is fundamental to OSS, as it guides our vision and actions to bring technology to the factory floor and support employees who lack the necessary technical skills. By focusing on this mission, we are able to create a positive impact on the lives of those involved.
- We believe in the importance of working together and supporting our colleagues in a spirit of mutual support. This allows us to develop a close-knit team, capable of overcoming challenges and achieving our common goals.
- Finally, engagement is at the heart of our values, as we seek to recruit the best talent from start-ups to transform the lives of the people we work with. We expect our employees to be fully invested in their work and passionate about achieving our mission.
We focus on high-impact missions. We aspire to transform people's lives by using technology and the skills of top talent to deliver innovative, high-performance solutions. We want to set ourselves apart from other companies by constantly being at the forefront of innovation and rejecting obsolete methods.
Our approach allows us to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the people involved, improve their daily lives and contribute to sustainable growth for the entire ecosystem.
As a candidate, why join OSS?
We offer an exceptional learning environment. We have noticed that our interns progress very quickly and can reach the skill level of people with 7 or 8 years of experience in just two years. We give our employees a lot of freedom and allow them to take on responsibility quickly, even early on in their career with us. This allows them to take on entrepreneurial projects and quickly become experts in their field.
What does an onboarding process "Made in OSS" look like?
Our integration lasts one month, the first two weeks being devoted to shadowing and participating in various meetings to immerse ourselves in the business.
We have a detailed Notion page for the administrative aspects and skills required, which new employees can consult even before starting.
They are also taken out into the field to better understand the challenges they will face. During this month, we follow up regularly to set goals and resolve any issues to help them feel fully integrated and ready to take on the challenges of their position.
Speaking of goals, can you tell us about your continuing education program?
With pleasure! We provide ongoing training for all our employees and startups, regardless of their probationary period. Every Thursday, we offer a training session on various topics. In addition, we organize a quarterly Academy that brings together a wide range of profiles.
Let's take the example of sales: we gather about 100 people in the same room. We don't teach ourselves alone, since we devote one hour to training and the remaining hour to exchanges between the participants.
This sharing of best practices and solutions to solve problems or implement new processes is, in our opinion, the best way to progress together
What profiles are you looking for at the moment?
We mainly recruit founders, CEOs, product managers, growth managers, UX designers and developers. These are the most common profiles to launch five startups per year. For other positions, it depends on the needs of each startup. We help startups recruit the profiles they need, but we are not involved in all the recruitment processes. However, we do test candidates for CSM and Sales positions, as we want to make sure that they have the necessary skills to work in our company and that they can adapt to our working environment.
👉 To discover all the offers of OSS Ventures, it is here
A ritual to share with us to keep your teams engaged?
Every Monday evening, we hold a mandatory meeting for all members of the company. During this meeting, we discuss most issues, including those related to startups. Our CEO is also present and shares the same information that he communicates during the meetings with the shareholders. Transparency is a key element for us.
In addition, we take a very flexible approach to the workplace. We don't force our employees to be in the office a certain number of days a week. If they want to work somewhere else for a week, they can. Our priority is to achieve our goals; the rest is up to the individual employee. They can work from home or even abroad without any problem, as long as they have a work permit in France. This flexibility helps maintain a high level of commitment within our teams.
Last question: why should we NOT join you?
It's true that our work environment is not for everyone. If you are fully satisfied with your current situation and are not ready to embrace the uncertainty associated with startups, then our company may not be the best choice for you.
Working with us is a bit like riding a roller coaster, with its ups and downs. Some profiles may find it difficult to accept this risk-taking and the instability that can come with it. However, if you are ready to take on these challenges and to live a variety of experiences, our company can be an excellent starting point.
As with entrepreneurship in general, it takes resilience and adaptability to succeed in this environment!
Many thanks for your time, Ashok!
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