Founder’s Focus: A Week Before the Launch - Behind the scenes of Groow’s debut

There’s always a moment (just before everything goes live) where the outside world sees only the final frame. The lights. The brand. The story. But before that, there’s something more real. The jet lag. The second thoughts. The test calls at 2 am. The endless WhatsApp threads. The energy that builds up is not from perfection, but from people.

This is not a playbook. This is not a roadmap. This is just what it actually feels like to be a CEO in the week before a new product goes live.

The truth is: I don’t get my best ideas in a boardroom. I get them when I breathe. This time, it happened in Bali, with the right people and at the right time.

This article isn’t about what you saw on stage when we launched Groow. It’s about what came just before. The part no one talks about, that makes everything worth it.

A few days before the launch, I found myself standing on a ledge, about to jump out of a plane over the Dubai skyline. This isn’t a metaphor. I actually went skydiving. It had always been on my bucket list, but life, work, and all the not now’s kept pushing it further away. Until something shifted.

That morning, I turned to the camera and said it out loud: “Before I do something a little crazy today, I want to share why.” And here’s the truth: two months earlier, I started testing Groow, our new product app, and from the first sessions, I felt its impact. This was going to change the game. 

So, I did it. I jumped.

Not just because I wanted the thrill, but because I finally had the space to do it. That’s what Groow gave me: the ability to focus on what really drives me, inside and outside the business. It might sound simple, but when a tool gives you your time back, it doesn’t just improve your calendar. It shifts your mindset.

This moment wasn’t only about adrenaline. It was about proving to myself that if technology really works, it doesn’t just organize your tasks; it empowers you to go for the things that matter. Even the crazy ones: let’s go!

And just a few days later, I was ready to present Groow to the world. Well, not quite ready yet.

There’s a very specific kind of silence that hits right before stepping on stage. It’s not fear. It’s not even adrenaline. It’s that split second when everything slows down and you realize this is it: one hour to go. The final version of the presentation deck just landed in my inbox. I had 30 minutes to test it, a quick shower ahead, then suit up and hit the stage. Welcome to launch day.

You might think that with months of preparation, everything runs smoothly. But the truth is: startup life has its own rules. Last-minute slides, shifting timelines, unexpected bugs:  it’s all part of the game. And in that moment, what really matters is your mindset.

I reminded myself to stay flexible, stay positive, and tune in to the energy around me.

Being a founder can at times feel like living on a lonely island. You’re carrying the weight, the story, the expectations, but you’re also the first to see the bigger picture. And if you’ve been close enough to your team, to your product, if you’ve lived every iteration, every pivot, every late-night brainstorm, you don’t need perfect slides. You just need clarity.

That day in Milan, I had clarity. About what Groow is. About what it stands for. About the people who built it with me. And even if I didn’t know exactly how it would land, I knew one thing: I was about to speak from a place of truth. That always makes the difference.

Let’s go! Again!

And then, it happened. At the Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, the lights dimmed, the room was quiet, I stepped on stage and said exactly what I had been holding onto for months.

“Let’s imagine, just for a moment, that there’s a technology built to work with small businesses. Not just another tool, but a real partner in execution. Something that helps them become more efficient, stronger, and better at selling. Something that gives them superpowers in a market where they’ve always had to fight bigger players.

Now imagine they don’t have to fight alone anymore.

We built that platform. And it’s called Groow.”

Built to empower. That’s not a tagline. That’s the mission.

It’s the answer to a very real need we see every day, from entrepreneurs who are doing their best, pushing limits, but are held back by tools that complicate more than they simplify.

Groow changes that. Because growth doesn’t come from adding more complexity. It comes from clarity. From time. From energy. From having the right partner by your side.

If you to know more, check out groow.ai

Let’s make space for what really matters.