Kilo’s formula for success has been constantly evolving. Chief Operating Officer of Kiloverse Rita Janušauskaitė is delighted to contribute to the company’s growth story.
The energy, speed, and risk-taking of the founders, visionaries, and product co-creators enable the company to develop at a remarkable pace. And while no business journey is free of challenges, they have bounced back stronger each time.
Startup builders are like athletes
Rita is convinced that in the startup world — just like in professional sports — talent alone is not enough to achieve impressive, long-term results. Endurance, maturity, and resilience are essential qualities when striving for ambitious goals.
“Sports is a great parallel when I try to explain what life at Kiloverse is like. For me, it’s consistent, steady work, the drive to improve both in success and in failure, the ability to find inner motivation to keep moving forward, and the need to build sustainable, healthy relationships with teammates, leaders, and peers. It’s also about handling stress and pressure when you’re fully geared up, facing risks, and having only days, hours, or sometimes minutes to show your very best,” says Rita Janušauskaitė.
Sharing her philosophy, she emphasizes that “pressure is a privilege”:
“This is one of my favorite phrases, and it fits our company perfectly — as long as it’s understood correctly. Pressure to deliver results is a privilege. It means we’re playing at a level where physical readiness alone isn’t enough. There are many factors at play: self-imposed pressure, competitive pressure, the challenges of scale, visibility, and much more.”
Learning Through Change
Rita joined Kilo’s leadership team at a time of significant organizational transformation. Every day felt like a valuable lesson in understanding the business and its nuances.
“I’ve always believed in leadership based on knowledge, fairness, and values, and over the past year, this belief has only grown stronger. I began applying these skills more deliberately — building sustainable relationships. For me, this is the only proven way to quickly and effectively create unique businesses. Of course, there are other approaches — through processes, systems, rules — but those would slow us down and erode our competitive speed. Trust is the critical factor,” she explains.
Success Depends on the Team and Its Leaders
Rita believes in “letting winners win.” This philosophy reflects the importance of a champion’s character within Kiloverse and the role of the team that supports those champions.
“Champions are rarely the easiest personalities to manage, but they have talent and skills. It’s crucial to recognize and nurture that. And here the team’s contribution is invaluable. All great achievements begin with a team — the ‘invisible’ people who may be further from the spotlight but stand by you during challenges and celebrate together when things go well.”
She is convinced that strong teams are built not only on diverse skills but also on shared values:
“We are united by courage, determination, and discipline. It’s important to align a person’s strengths with their role. And of course, the values compass has to point north in the same direction,” Rita laughs.
“We’re building dozens of teams that are either already successful or have the potential to become so. The secret to success is a conscious leader who truly understands the product, knows their strengths and weaknesses, and builds a team that balances them — often with the support of other experienced leaders.”
Looking ahead, Rita does not doubt the Kiloverse path:
“Business is like a plant — if it stops growing, it begins to wither. And there are many ways to grow. The future — which I can already call the present — is about creation, innovation, and the continuous school of building and scaling businesses, where the possibilities for improvement are limitless.”
