Business leaders discuss founder succession and scaling

Business leaders and experts are highlighting the critical importance of founder succession and the transition from entrepreneurial instinct to professional management as companies scale.

During the B55 Conference, founders of major Brazilian companies, including David Vélez of Nubank, Guilherme Benchimol of XP, and André Street of Stone, discussed the challenges of growth. They noted that companies often stagnate when founders continue to act as operators rather than leaders capable of scaling people, processes, and culture. Benchimol emphasized that the skills required to build a business from scratch are not always the same as those needed to sustain an expanding organization.

Organizational culture expert Adeildo Nascimento added that a company must transform its values and decision-making into a culture that functions autonomously. He cited research suggesting that after an IPO, a founder's continued heavy influence can negatively impact performance. The consensus among experts is that successful scaling requires moving from a reliance on individual 'heroes' to the implementation of robust systems and professional leadership.