A multicultural and multifunctional start-up enthusiast – this is Tiffany Monteverde. Read her career story and see how the biggest challenges in her life made her the strong and motivated person she is today.
In 2-3 sentences, please tell us a little about you!
Half Italian and Japanese with family in Argentina; a self-starter moving to the UK at age 15 to chase my ambitions to become an Architect; now living in Belgium working as an investor relations manager at a Web3 startup (Accelerator Program).
What does success mean to you? How do you align with your definition at the moment?
To me, success means staying true to your personal values on a daily basis. I feel very much aligned with my definition of success at the moment as I am able to do the things that bring me value and are meaningful to me; grow my relationships with close friends and loved ones, focus on health through daily sports activity and nutrition, progress in my learning and career through bringing value to others.
What prompted you to pursue the career or business you’re working in/on now?
After completing my master’s in Architecture and working in an interior design firm, I quickly came to realize that I was more interested in adding value through providing structure and organization and improving internal processes on project management. I soon after transitioned to a project management and business development role working on large accounts in the automotive sector. Working directly with clients on a daily basis and capturing their feedback was very rewarding to me, but working at a big corporate company had its limitations in implementing new processes and changes. I was also very interested in working with new technologies and being at the forefront of innovation; naturally, blockchain technology intrigued me and I knew that I wanted to apply my skills in this ever-changing industry.
How did you know this is what you wanted to do?
To be honest, I didn’t know if this was the perfect role for me until I began working! I never had experience working at an accelerator program let alone in Web3, but I knew that if I wanted to be at the forefront of driving the adoption of emerging technology, working directly with startups building in the space and helping them in their ventures would be the perfect place to start. Working in a startup environment was perfect for me as I was able to mold my role and directly add value through implementing structure and organization; it is the perfect playground for someone like me who loves to create mind maps and Notion boards.
What excited you most about the project you’re working on, or the industry you’re working in?
What excited me about working at an accelerator is to be able to broaden my knowledge and see first-hand how blockchain technology is being implemented in different sectors. Today, I am most excited about building a platform for startups and VCs as well as being able to provide guidance and insights when it comes to fundraising.
Have you made any big transitions or changes in your career? What were they? How did you do it?
Every move I have made has been a big jump in my career so far; from Architect to project manager and business development, to program manager and investor relations manager. Although the titles and roles may seem completely different from one another, there are parallels and similarities in the skills required to exceed each. I focused on these parallels and transferable skills to build my narrative during each of these career transitions.
What is something that has been particularly challenging throughout your career?
The biggest challenge has been to stay true to myself and my values; to be brutally honest with myself and to not be afraid to admit when things don’t go as planned. Admitting that Architecture was not for me was perhaps the biggest hurdle I had to overcome since I dedicated so many years to my studies and had educational support from my parents.
What have been your go-to tools and strategies to overcome challenging experiences or people in your career?
I have a simple word document that I use as a base that layout’s my values as well as the areas in which I want to improve both on a personal and professional level. Every now and then, I take some time to think back and reflect on my experiences so far and see how far away they are from my core values. This also helps to put things in perspective whenever facing any challenges or obstacles
What is one personal or professional skill you’re working on at the moment and why?
Being more flexible and embracing chaos; as someone who likes organization and planning things in advance, more than often things don’t always go the way you expect. Being able to capture feedback, adapt quickly, implement change, and learn from experience, is very valuable both on a personal and professional level. I believe that by building an antifragile mindset and being flexible, no challenge or hurdle will be difficult to overcome.
What is something you wish you’d known when you were first starting out in your career?
I have several that come to mind; don’t be afraid to put yourself in situations where you feel like you are the dumbest person in the room; never assume, always ask; focus on the things that bring you joy and happiness.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone who is about to embark on the journey that you have been on for the most recent period of your life?
Be patient and stay true to your values. It took several months until I found the perfect role and there were definitely some positions I applied for that would have definitely not been a good fit for me. Defining and discovering your values and personal drivers is not easy and it honestly took me several years until I could articulate exactly what those items were. Taking the time to reflect on your core values together with how you want to progress personally and professionally is the greatest gift you can give yourself before embarking on a journey to change careers.
How can we follow your journey?
I am not very active on social media, so the best way to stay in touch would be on Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-monteverde/, otherwise via Twitter @timamoya.
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