Joining Sana to do my life’s work
Context
Growing up in a family of artists, my parents gathered curious minds from all over the world every summer to create art together. I clearly remember our house being filled with sculptures, paintings, and other artworks in all shapes and forms. Those were special weeks that I always looked forward to. While I do not consider myself a creative mastermind like my namesake, observing others in their creative pursuits profoundly shaped me, helping me carve out my own path in life. In sum, the constant spur of creativity made me relentless in the pursuit of unconventionality, which is an art form in and of itself.
Connecting the dots
These early experiences drew me to contrarians and misfits, often individuals who are not afraid to stand against the wind. They are artists in a sense, but wearing a different cape, and often known as founders.
These “artists” are not known for their large oil canvases or sculptures as I was used to; instead they aspire to build large tech companies with the goal of changing the world, forever. I admired their bold vision and huge ambitions; I quickly fell into the entrepreneurship rabbit hole, and there was no way back.
The Decision
The thing I admire most about founders is their willingness to place abnormal “bets” on how the future will look. It’s an artistic process in a way, as it often begins with a “blank canvas” and a clear vision of the finished “masterpiece”. They’ve completely rejected the concept of linearity and replaced the whole premise with exponential curves with limitless upside potential. They are dreamers by any definition of the word, and I love that!
Earlier this year, I decided to start adding some colors to my blank canvas, and make some non-linear life decisions. I booked a one-way ticket to the city I love the most, London. My bet: being in an area with high talent density would increase my surface area of luck. Just a few weeks later, lightning struck and by pure coincidence at an event, I met Gery who would later introduce me to my new home, Sana.
The Opportunity
I was immediately hooked when Gery told me that if an opportunity isn’t a “hell yes,” it’s probably not worth pursuing. It sounds obvious at first, but it’s incredibly hard to find and especially to recognise that feeling. Fortunately, every single interaction with the Sana team gave me that intoxicating feeling of excitement. From Olivia’s obsession with company building, Valentino’s incredible journey as one of the first employees and Jasmine’s warmth and helpfulness, to Jon’s stoic perspective on life and Joel’s vision to create a place where the people at Sana (known as Sanians) do their life’s work, a modern take on the talent factory Bell Labs. It was one of the most obvious “hell yes” moments of my life so far!
The Question
At Sana, I’ll combine many passions I’ve developed over the years. More specially, after wearing different hats in both investing and working at fast-growing start-ups, I’ve felt a magnetic pull to one key question:
How do you build a once-in-a-generation company?
My first instinct suggests that part of the answer stems from both the individual parts and the sum of the people that make up the organization. For me, Sana has built the definition of talent density, where the Sanians are all passionate about their respective fields and are working collectively towards the same vision: augmenting human intelligence with AI. I can’t wait to get closer to an answer to this crucial question alongside the Sana team, and building the next Bell Labs.
Last words
I would personally never bet against anyone who takes talent density seriously. The magical things that tend to happen when great minds work together on hard problems are off-the-charts. Combining high talent density with artistic sense and making uncommon life decisions, lightning will eventually strike.
We’re growing fast and always hiring at Sana, so reach out to me if you’re ready to embark on a journey like no other.
Dreaming big,
Michelangelo Pagliara
Side-quest
Are you interested in being part of a like-minded community of start-up operators? Join us at Operators & Friends. 👋
About the author
This piece is written by Michelangelo Pagliara, BizOps at Sana, co-founder of Operators & friends, ex-Founders Associate at Strise, and previous VC Analyst at Antler, Samsung NEXT and KPN Ventures.
