Sisirnath Sangireddy: Innovation built to scale.

Meet Sisirnath Sangireddy – an innovation leader and design strategist with 15+ years of experience building and scaling innovation systems, teams, and measurable outcomes across global organisations.

He serves as Global Innovation Enabler at Epiroc, where he has established structures and programs enabling innovation at scale across the organisation.

Earlier in his career, he built and scaled a global design team from 1 to 16 members, achieving 45% month-over-month growth, and contributed to systems that reduced operator learning time by 90%.

His experience includes:

• Scaling teams from 1 to 16 with 45% MoM growth

• Reducing onboarding and learning time by 90% through design systems

• Building global innovation programs and frameworks

• Driving innovation from idea to implementation and measurable impact

  
  

He operates with a clear principle: innovation becomes predictable when the right systems, incentives, and environments are in place.

INSIGHT by Sisirnath Sangireddy

Below, his insight explores the human-centric mistakes that hold founders back from real growth.

Four human-centric mistakes founders make

Many startups and scaleups chase growth by focusing intensely on metrics, fundraising, and market share. While these are important, the biggest hurdles to growth often aren’t found in spreadsheets, but in the human-centred mistakes founders make early on.

From my experience, here are four common missteps that can hold back even the most promising ventures:

1. Underestimating the power of sponsorship

We often talk about securing financial sponsors, but another form of sponsorship is just as vital: emotional and strategic backing. This isn’t someone who just writes a check – it’s a person who believes in your vision and is excited enough to champion it. An emotional sponsor can be a mentor, an advocate, or a connector who opens doors and stands by you through ups and downs. Without this social capital, founders risk isolation and lose the networks that can make the difference between struggle and breakthrough. Building this human network is as important as building the product itself.

2. Building in a bubble, not with the crowd

Too often, founders are convinced their idea is enough. They spend months – even years – perfecting a product in isolation, hoping that “if we build it, they will come.” This seldom works. The market is a dynamic conversation, not a monologue. Without early and continuous user validation, you risk creating something nobody wants or solving a problem nobody actually has. Early engagement invites co-creation, aligning your vision with real needs and saving you from costly rebuilds or failed launches.

3. Mistaking the journey for the destination

A clear vision is essential, but an obsession with a single model, approach, or go-to-market plan can be dangerous. Founders who cling too tightly to one path often miss better opportunities. Startups rarely grow in straight lines – they evolve through course corrections. By staying flexible, listening to feedback, and exploring alternatives, founders can decouple their journey from a rigid destination, thereby increasing the likelihood of success.

4. Seeing asking for help as a weakness

Many founders hesitate to ask for help, fearing it signals weakness. In reality, it shows maturity. Learning from parallel industries, tapping into the wisdom of experienced peers, and observing past missteps are ways to accelerate progress and avoid preventable mistakes. Asking for help is not just acceptable – it’s a leadership skill.

A sharper growth trajectory doesn’t begin with spreadsheets or pitch decks – it starts with people. Emotional sponsors, early user validation, adaptability, and the courage to seek help create a foundation that is not only stronger but also more resilient.

Growth isn’t just about numbers - it’s about human connections, open dialogue, and the flexibility to evolve.

Sisirnath Sangireddy, Senior Advisor at Advisory on demand