Principles
Things I Believe
Not rules. Not productivity hacks. Just things I've come to think are true — through building, failing, reading, and paying attention.
"Real impact is always specific."
Vague missions help no one. Givelink doesn't fight poverty — it makes sure a specific shelter in Athens gets the exact sleeping bags it needs for winter. The more specific your impact, the more real it is.
"Your mental model is your most important asset."
I read 40 books a year not for information but to build a more accurate map of how the world works. The quality of your decisions is a direct function of the accuracy of that map.
"Constraints are instructions."
Growing up without money taught me to be resourceful. Every constraint I've faced building Givelink has forced a creative solution that a well-funded startup would have bought its way around. I'm grateful for most of them.
"The best founders I've met are deeply curious, not just ambitious."
Ambition without curiosity produces mediocre products. Curiosity without ambition produces interesting conversations. You need both, but if I had to choose, I'd take curiosity. It compounds.
"Cold emails still work."
Some of the most important relationships in my life started with a cold email I almost didn't send. The bottleneck is almost never access — it's the courage to ask.
"Comfort is the enemy of good stories."
I moved to San Francisco with no network, pitched Dragons' Den on national TV, and started a podcast when I had no audience. None of it felt smart at the time. All of it made my life better.
"You should probably exercise more than you think you need to."
HYROX, triathlon, trail running — this isn't about performance. Hard physical training is the most reliable reset I know for clear thinking and perspective.
"Build things that would embarrass you if they failed for a small reason."
If Givelink fails, I want it to be because the problem was harder than we thought — not because we didn't care enough, didn't show up, or weren't honest with the people we were trying to help.
"The best thing you can do for someone in need is give them exactly what they need — not money you hope they'll spend wisely."
This isn't just Givelink's product thesis — it's a belief I've held long before I could articulate it. Cash is convenient for donors. In-kind giving is respectful to recipients. The difference matters more than most people realise.
"Greece is a place to come back to, not escape from."
I moved to San Francisco to scale Givelink, not to leave Greece behind. The best outcome I can imagine isn't making it in America — it's building something in Greece that proves it's possible, then doing it again.
Many of these beliefs were shaped by books.
See my reading list →