As Head of Tech Portfolio at Kiloverse, Greta Buikė builds solutions that have to earn their place in the business. So she earns it — every single day. Through bold decisions, radical honesty, genuine listening, and curiosity that never stops.
In such a high-velocity environment, how do you actually ensure that tech delivers real value?
It’s all about the “whatever it takes“ mindset. My days are never the same. Sometimes I’m running planning sessions, sometimes I’m writing specs, and other times I’m doing vibe coding myself to ship an actual feature.
I do whatever it takes to ensure our tech team delivers real value to the business — whether that means building a solution, explaining a complex concept, or simply bringing the right people into a room to talk.
“In Kiloverse, there is no “that’s not my job“ — if I see a way to add value using the tools available, I just go for it.“
What’s the most “off-script“ part of your role that surprised even you?
Kiloverse roles are incredibly wide, and that stems from our “startup inside a startu“ model: we build products for independent businesses within the Kilo group, but those businesses aren’t obligated to use them. We have to earn their trust every day.
It changes how you fight for your ideas. If you truly believe in a solution but others are skeptical, you can’t just argue your way through — you have to prove it. You find the time to build a proof of concept and show the value in practice.
At the end of the day, you have to accept that you can’t force anyone to adopt a technology. Our clients in the Kilo portfolio run their own businesses, and they know them best.
How has the rise of AI tools changed your day-to-day work compared to a year ago?
A year ago, it wasn’t possible for someone in my position to develop and ship real features without a team of engineers. Now, with vibe coding, I can. I write code, I ship something, and real people use it. That feeling is genuinely unlike anything else. Though, I think engineers are not very happy with it (she smiles).
You’ve described your first year as a rollercoaster. What was the hardest lesson that led to your biggest career breakthrough?
It’s been a year of real ups and real downs, and the high velocity here is unlike anything I’d experienced before. But the real breakthrough happened when I shifted my perspective on what success looks like in tech.
When an organization grows and experiments as fast as we do, it’s a simple fact: some bets will pay off, and some won’t.
“The hardest part is admitting that a project you’ve poured your heart into has no future. But that’s exactly where the biggest leap in tech maturity happens.”
Killing something that isn’t working isn’t a failure — it’s freeing up resources for a better idea. I’ve learned not to fall in love with the code, but to stay focused on the result.
In many places, feedback is “sugar-coated“. Why does Kiloverse’s direct route help the team move faster?
I had to grow into it. My instinct was to observe first, earn context, then speak. But here the feedback loop is fast and visible. Early on, tech was very much in the spotlight — which meant our mistakes were too.
“Radical honesty is the fastest route to real progress: it saves time and builds real resilience.”
I vividly remember standing in front of the whole company and saying, ‘This didn’t work.’ Having to do that more than once hardens you in a good way — and more importantly, it saves the team months of wasted effort. Now, it’s just normal practice for me.
I’ve learned that a “diplomatic sandwich” usually just muffles the point. Being straight is always better in the long run.
How does it change your daily work when your “internal clients“ aren’t forced to use what you build?
We have to earn the trust and show the value. In practice, this means genuinely listening. My value is connecting the dots between their business needs and our tech capabilities.
You quickly realize that a roadmap or an OKR isn’t a value in itself; the only thing that matters is the result. I try to coach my teams through that lens: we are in a role that requires adaptability. If the business needs change, we pivot.
It’s also about radical honesty — we can’t hide behind bureaucracy or ‘soft’ promises. We have to be honest, even when it’s uncomfortable, because building something nobody needs isn’t just a waste of time here; it’s also a risk to our reputation.
“My main value is being able to genuinely listen, understand, and connect the dots. When people feel that you care — they trust you.”
How do you keep your head clear and your energy up when everything moves at such high velocity?
It’s the people. I’m a team player to my core. I care deeply about my work, and because the personal responsibility is so high, it can be hard to detach. What truly gets me through the low moments is the relationship I have with my team and manager. Knowing someone has my back is what fuels me.
Outside of work, my non-negotiables are sports and my dog, Žakas. He’s a spaniel-poodle mix who couldn’t care less about instant delivery timelines (smiles).
“I believe burnout doesn’t come from the workload alone. It comes from a bad emotional environment. We’ve worked hard in our team to make sure that’s not about us.”
If you had to name the one trait that helps a newcomer turn their first year into a career breakthrough, what would it be?
It’s definitely proactivity. You have to realize from day one that nobody will hand you a pre-built roadmap. Everyone is moving at high velocity and is deep in their own work. The more you proactively take ownership and give back to the team, the faster you’ll see results.
But you also need an open mind. Even if you’re an expert in your field, Kiloverse has a way of showing you things you’ve never seen before. If you come here ready to unlearn and adapt, that’s when the real breakthrough happens.
“If you have the courage to try bold things and the honesty to say when they don’t work, this might be your place.”
