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Ciao from Turin, Italy!
Ok, lean in for a second, because there’s something I’ve been keeping secret for the past few weeks that I’m finally, allowed to share…
If you’re like me, you’re increasingly souring from the AI slop infesting LinkedIn, but, still looking for places to find those who (like you) are doing the hard things and want to talk about it.
Well that place is here, and it’s a community called In Good Company.
Not only is this about to become the go to space for the modern People professional, it features incredible ambassadors sharing insights and lessons that you won’t get elsewhere.
I’m talking people like:
Jessica Zwaan (OG of product-led thinking in People teams),
Adam Webber (the leader on leadership),
Hebba Youssef (building the burn-book on bad HR practices),
Christine Song (multi-time startup CPO), and
Johannes Sundlo (AI in HR expert).
Not to mention, yours truly will be live and engaging on everything to do with building startup People and compensation practices.
While every HR professional is invited (from anywhere in the world), only the most progressive should join, which is why I’m sharing this amazing space with you.
I’d love to see you there. Hit the button below and…
Enjoy this week’s edition ✌️
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TODAY’S INTERVIEW
Designing Your First Compensation Cycle
with Ravio’s Chief People Officer, Vaso Parisinou
In this episode, Vaso takes us inside the “first comp cycle”, a make‑or‑break moment for early startups. Having built frameworks in fast‑moving environments, she brings a practitioner's clarity to messy, high-stakes choices: from data hygiene to pay bands, merit multipliers, non‑monetary levers, and retrospective reflection.
If you lead People or compensation in a startup of 50–150 people, this session gives you a straightforward scaffold to land your first comp cycle with confidence (and with less regret).
What you’ll learn in this episode:
The minimum scaffolding you must have before launching any comp cycle
How to calibrate merit increases relative to salary band position
When—and how—to break through “top‑of‑band” ceilings
Creative non‑cash reward levers that align with your philosophy
A simple retro design to test whether your messaging landed
How to visualise relative pay and build perceived fairness
Why “let them recite your comp philosophy back to you” is a powerful litmus test
My Key Takeaways:
Start with clean data, because your comp cycle is only as good as your foundation.
In Vaso’s process, the very first step is to “clean and centralise HR data” so that reporting is transparent and comparable across departments. Without that, even the best increase rules will look arbitrary. If you’re not starting with solid basics, you threaten not just the credibility of the process, but of the function entirely. Nobody (the People team included) has time to be wasted identifying and correcting inaccurate data.
Design rules, not exceptions. Use multipliers tied to band position.
Rather than ad‑hoc negotiations, Vaso recommends building a merit matrix: high performers low in the band get steeper multipliers; high performers already near the top might receive a modest bump or a different structure. She warns against hard stops for superstars: “Don’t cut their wings off … I would be so offended by that.” If your comp philosophy allows, breaking band ceilings is defensible as long as it’s clear, and most importantly, consistent.
Offer choices, not just cash. Personalise rewards to reduce friction.
When pay ceilings push you against the band, Vaso encourages swapping in non‑monetary alternatives: “paid sabbatical … spot bonus … bigger equity grant.” Even better: let employees pick. “Would you rather the cash or the sabbatical?” she asks. That flexibility, while complex to track, is a differentiator in retention.
Test your internal PR, and let employees recite your comp philosophy.
My favourite part of the discussion and one of Vaso’s favorite retro practices: invite people to explain your comp philosophy to you. If someone can’t, the message hasn’t landed. She recounts being stunned: “there I was thinking that everybody’s bored [from the message] … and this person can’t remember it”. For fairness and trust, you must close that messaging gap.
Visualise relative pay and build transparency to reduce suspicion.
Vaso argues people compare their pay relationally, not absolutely. If your org is mature enough, show employees where they started, where they land now, and how they compare to peers. It’s a strong fairness signal — assuming your comp structure is defensible. When done well, “it plays to your benefit” more than opacity ever will.
Where to find Vaso
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That’s all for from me this week.
Sure, this is technically the end of the newsletter, but we don’t have to end here! I’d love this to be a two-way chat, so let me know what you found helpful, any successes you’re seeing, or any questions you have about startup compensation.
Until next week,
When you’re ready, here’s three ways I can help you:
1. Tools & resources
Resources and tools that give you what you need to build your own startup compensation practices.
2. Comp consulting
I run FNDN, a global comp consultancy that builds compensation practices that are clear, fair and competitive for startups.
3. Startup People Summit
I run the Startup People Summit, a one day annual event focused on creating the playbook for startup people practices. Grab recordings from past events, or subscribe to the newsletter to join the next event.
