Innovation rarely moves at a single speed. Some industries reward patience, structure, and decades-long planning. Others demand rapid experimentation, constant iteration, and a tolerance for uncertainty. Few founders understand both worlds firsthandābut Larissa Schneider does. In this episode of Inventive Journey, host Devin Miller sits down with Larissa to unpack a career that spans continents, industries, and radically different innovation timelines. From working in aerospace at Airbusāwhere products can take 20 to 30 years to reach the marketāto building and scaling an AI startup to nearly 100 people in under two years, Larissaās journey offers powerful lessons for modern founders. Born and raised in a small town in Germany, Larissa developed an early desire to experience the world beyond familiar borders. That curiosity took her to Australia for high school, the UK and France for university, and eventually into large multinational organizations. Along the way, she gained exposure to international teams, multiple languages, and the discipline required to operate inside massive enterprises. At Airbus, Larissa learned what āslow innovationā really means. Precision matters. Long-term thinking isnāt optional. And mistakes carry enormous consequences. While those lessons built rigor and patience, they also revealed a mismatch between the pace of the industry and the kind of impact she wanted to make. That realization led her to the Bay Area and into the startup ecosystem, where speed and experimentation define success. There, Larissa experienced the other extremeāshipping fast, learning in real time, and seeing results almost immediately. The contrast reshaped how she thinks about building companies, teams, and products. During COVID, she made another intentional pivot into cybersecurity, seeking both challenge and purpose. It was in that environmentāalongside her future co-foundersāthat she witnessed the sudden rise of large language models. While consumers adopted AI tools almost overnight, businesses struggled to unlock real value. That gap sparked the idea for Unframe. Today, Unframe has grown rapidly across multiple continents, serving customers who return again and again as the platform expands across teams and departments. Larissa shares candid insights on what made that growth possible, including early hiring mistakes, the danger of over-polishing before demand exists, and why founders must be honest about the level of commitment startups require. She also offers advice that isnāt always popular but is deeply practical: startup life isnāt compatible with half-measures. The work is intense, the boundaries are thin, and the tradeoffs are real. But for those who choose it intentionally, the learning and momentum can be unmatched. This conversation is a must-listen for founders navigating AI, global teams, and fast-moving marketsāespecially those trying to balance speed with long-term discipline. To chat about this one-on-one, grab a free consult at strategymeeting.com
