Kilo Outsider | Startup Life Year-End: Important Moves Before a Fresh Start

Q&A sessions, social clubs, Shark Tank adventures with Tadas Burgaila , insights on landing a job in a startup from Ilona Bernotaite , and knowledge-sharing articles with Rita Janu?auskait? and Marius Nakrys . Strengthening connections and embracing the unpredictable startup environment were the key themes these 3 months.

This quarter was no different from the others — a lot has happened. Now, it’s time to reflect and prepare for a fresh start in the new year. Keep reading to find out what moves we made in the last months of this year.

What Tadas Burgaila has been up to: Shark Tank

You’ve probably heard the exciting news — Shark Tank, one of the most well-known business TV shows, has come to Lithuania. But in case you missed the even more exciting part — Tadas Burgaila is one of the investors! “I like the American "dream culture," even though to us it sometimes seems overly polished, with a touch of exaggerated self-confidence or even arrogance. However, we can learn from it — belief in oneself and support, especially from close circles. That kind of attitude: "Go ahead, try, fail. Didn't work out? Try again." I think the fear of "What will others think if I fail?" is a greater form of self-importance than the American "YES, I CAN."

When we founded UNICORNS LTU with like-minded people, we always had a small but vivid vision: maybe a girl or boy in school, hearing a story of business success, would start dreaming about their own story. That's precisely why I’ve always been passionate about bringing the "SHARK TANK" format to Lithuania,” said Tadas.

Did you see the first episode? We can’t wait for more!

How to land a job in a startup our CPO reveals

HR professionals from Hostinger, Orbio, Kilo Health, and Eskimi shared their insights on the most in-demand roles in today’s startup ecosystem at the edON X Unicorns Lithuania conference.

Ilona Bernotaite , our Chief People Officer, highlighted a common misconception: tech startups don’t just hire IT professionals. At Kilo Health, we’re always searching for top talent in marketing, product development, creative roles, and also finance and supply chain specialists. As she noted during the conference:

“What should a candidate be aware of before joining a startup? There is always quite a bit of chaos, which happens because startups do not yet have in place all the processes and procedures, many things are unknown, results go up and down, and there are many wins, but also many losses. Believe me, it is not easy after a few unsuccessful bets to pick yourself up and start a new bet with the same energy. But this process brings you many lessons, many learnings, and resilience and you come out even stronger. It’s not for everyone, but if you are ready for a rollercoaster with the highest highs and the lowest lows, then the startup environment might be a perfect match for you.”

Our experts sharing insights in our blog

Every now and then, the most knowledgeable people in our company share their insights on various topics in the Kilo blog. Sometimes they predict upcoming trends, other times they share success stories or reflect on the mistakes that taught them valuable lessons. Here the two of the latest articles:

“The ideal scenario is to have controlled downturns paired with significant wins.”

Rita Janu?auskait? , our Chief Operations Officer, had the opportunity to observe various types of businesses and draw some conclusions about success, mistakes, and spotting trends throughout her career.

That’s why, in her blog post, she talked about why one-time success doesn’t mean competence, the difference between stability and growth, the stages of startup growth, and the emerging trends in e-commerce. As she said:

“What’s the rule for keeping a startup alive after one year? Is there a secret? I can’t answer these questions because there is no straightforward answer.

If there were a rule, more startups would succeed after their first year. The truth is, there isn’t one — each situation is unique. Those who succeed don’t mistake luck for skill and continually deepen their knowledge about what they do.?

It’s about character and determination and having a clear plan based on past results. This might be the only real key to success, but there’s definitely no one-size-fits-all model.” Learn from Rita by reading her latest blog post here.

“Curiosity is the most important trait in understanding health”

Have you ever thought about what it’s like to be a Scientific Research Lead in a startup? What is there to research?

Marius Nakrys holds this role at Kilo Health, and he wrote a blog post about it, saying: “My workdays are anything but predictable. One moment I’m diving into scientific studies, like the effects of curcumin on diabetes management, and the next I’m mapping out customer journeys, identifying behavioral barriers, and brainstorming ways to overcome them with behavioral strategies.

If someone asked me if they should step into this role, I’d say that having a basic understanding of health topics is key. But above all, curiosity is the most important trait — the drive to understand how different factors affect health and the mechanisms behind them. Of course, a bit of analytical interest also helps.” If you missed this blog post, check out the link.

Train-to-hire media buying course wrap-up

The train-to-hire is an approach in which a company creates specialized courses to train new hires for specific roles. That’s what we did in collaboration with edON, where 12 participants completed our media buying course to become "Meta" and "Google Ads" specialists.

The course concluded successfully, with two participants hired full-time. One of the newly hired media buying specialists at Kilo Health shared:

"I was a brand manager, focusing on branding, sales, and launching new products, as well as email marketing and Meta/Google Ads prior to joining the program. While I had some experience, the course was more intense than expected, with a fast-paced learning curve."

The media buying crash course proved that the train-to-hire approach works for us, so this January, we launched a second course: the “Creative Strategist Academy.” This time, we’re partnering with Atomic Garden, a school of advertising and marketing. Stay tuned!

Internal connecting:?talking business and social clubs

Kilo Health has two sides: the company and the culture. As a company, we lead in digital health and wellness, and as a culture, we are passionate and creative. To nurture both sides, we made sure to spend this quarter catching up on business ideas and enjoying some after-work hobbies together:

Q&A’s every now and then

In a large company like ours, managing multiple HealthTech projects under one roof, it’s easy for people to feel disconnected or miss out on what’s happening in other departments. To bridge that gap, we introduced regular Q&A sessions, each spotlighting different products and categories.

In October, we hosted our CEO, COO, CTO, CFO, and CPO as speakers. In November, we shifted the focus to the heads of our digital products. These sessions have become a platform for knowledge-sharing, inspiration, and growth. Some key takeaways from our latest meeting included:

• Standing out in the market with AI
• The next big HealthTech ideas brewing in our teams
• Overcoming unique challenges and the lessons learned

These sessions have been a hit with our team — why not try something similar in your own setting?

Social clubs season 2

Season 1 of Social Clubs was such a hit that colleagues couldn’t wait for round 2. Some favorites returned, like the Gourmet Club, hosting olive oil tastings, the Brain Battle Club with weekly trivia, and the NBA Club sharpening their skills in tournaments.

New clubs also joined the mix. The Investing Club explored market trends and strategies, while the Forest Bathing Club offered peaceful retreats in nature. Padel Tennis enthusiasts got an energetic workout, and the Bouldering Club tackled tougher climbing challenges together.

Fun, memories, and learning — Season 2 was a blast!

Yet another tour of our headquarters

Did you know that we have a space where our employees can take a nap? Or that a barber visits our dedicated barbershop area? Additionally, besides all the fun perks, our headquarters is a historic building that was once one of the three largest 19th-century beer breweries in Vilnius.

Check out the DELFI “Can I Drop By?” episode to take a virtual tour of these spaces and learn more about the building where we make our ideas come to life. The video is here.

Wrapping up the year with Kilo Health's Christmas party

We won’t lie — Kilo Health people look forward to the Christmas party every year. We work hard, but we love coming together, taking out our best clothes, and having fun, especially during the most festive season.

This year, we embraced the theme of Lithuanian folk and challenged ourselves to “wear our heritage.” From creative dress code interpretations to a perfectly curated vibe by our event managers, the party was the best way to end the year.

Take a peek at our celebration:

See you next quarter!