Six years in, and HumanQ is proving that transformation isn’t just a concept—it’s a product that drives real change. Scaling a company from idea to impact is never a straight line, and Nishika de Rosairo has navigated every twist and turn with a deep commitment to human potential. As HumanQ continues to evolve, its mission remains clear: to equip managers and teams with the tools they need to lead, adapt, and thrive in a fast-moving world.

In this conversation, Nishika shares the lessons she’s learned, the pivotal moments that shaped HumanQ, and what’s ahead for a company redefining how businesses connect human behavior to business results.

I hope you enjoy our candid dialogue.

Rimma Boshernitsan | Founder & CEO, DIALOGUE

What It Takes

RB: Scaling a startup is often portrayed as a straight line—fast growth, high impact. But reality is different. What’s been the hardest-earned lesson of running a venture-backed company?

NdR: We raised venture funding 3.5 years ago, and I would say that the biggest takeaway is that it takes time to get it right. For a business to be an “overnight success” many things have to be absolutely right. And the reality is that most startups operate in shades of gray—crushing it in specific areas and needing help in others. But the one thing that no one can argue is the concept of product-led growth and what that could do over time to turn a business into a success. After shaping and reshaping for product-led growth, we’re at an exciting and pivotal moment at HumanQ.

RB: Can you share what you mean by product-led growth? And what are the things at HumanQ that bring you to this pivotal moment?

NdR: Product-led growth is the dream that every tech startup aspires to get to, which is when customers experience a frictionless onboarding process, the product benefits very quickly speak for itself, and there is often a virality component through intuitive design. At HumanQ, our new Small Teams Essential Solution product is showing early signs of these tenets.

Products People Need

RB: You’ve built a product that resonates across industries—from the Big Four consulting firms to top tech giants and even startups with just a few employees. What is it about HumanQ that makes it universally needed?

NdR: The most exciting part about HumanQ has been our product. We are a human capability and action tool that has been very lucky to have had product market fit from day one which allowed us to acquire several key logos in our early days. I’ve been told by founders that our logos are the ones they dream of, which is such a compliment. I think the reason we’ve managed to get these amazing logos is because our product fills a gap in the market, and then truly delivers on that gap. It’s one thing to fill a gap, but it’s a whole other thing to actually close that gap in a way that is seamless, easy to measure and drives real results.

Love Notes

RB: I understand HumanQ has a Net Promoter Score of 90, which is so impressive. But what makes HumanQ’s products so impactful?

NdR: My prior background working at Deloitte, Cisco, Salesforce, and others, in both human capital and human resources, taught me a lot about organizations and the people in them. The first thing that became apparent to me was that these organizations were trying to get people to change their behaviors constantly—whether it was using a new system, or a new go-to-market strategy—but fundamentally behavior change is really hard for us as humans. And so the psychology of change is the genesis of our products. We believe that in order for the best business outcomes to be driven by people, human behaviors need to be aligned to business results, and that is what we do at HumanQ.

Even though our products are designed by the business for the business, I have to say one of my favorite aspects of leading HumanQ is the love notes we get from our customers, sharing how much we’ve shaped their lives—“I’d like to express my gratitude for allowing us to profoundly think differently. This was an experience that will remain for the rest of our lives.”

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

RB: Startups demand a unique type of resilience—not just in leadership, but across the team. How do you and your team at HumanQ build a culture where people thrive amid constant change?

NdR: Our products are centered around alignment, action and purpose. These three criteria translate directly into our culture at HumanQ where trust is a key theme woven through each of those words. Hiring the right talent is all about selling the dream at the startup phase. Startups are challenging and are certainly not for everyone. Some will soak up the dream, others will challenge it, and ultimately those that stay long term continue on because the dream is alive on both sides.

How Far Has Passion Taken HumanQ?

RB: Passion is often cited as the fuel for startups, but sustaining momentum takes more. What personal traits or leadership disciplines have been most critical to your journey?

NdR: Passion gets you started, but discipline keeps you going. Passion without a plan is like sailing without a map—it’ll only get you so far. At HumanQ we’ve hired, we’ve fired, we’ve built awesome products, we’ve tested a few mediocre products… it runs the gamut. Being able to emotionally navigate the ups and downs is a key trait of any CEO and Founder, and I’m learning how to do this better every day.

Vision for HumanQ

RB: Looking ahead, what’s the most exciting frontier for HumanQ? Where do you see the company making its boldest impact?

NdR: I’m excited about three things in particular. First, we currently deliver our products to scientists, engineers, sales executives, yoghurt makers, print supervisors, and so many other roles including C-suites across the world. This range of professions across geographies, levels, and industries means that we’ve only just tapped the surface. Second, I think it’s very rare that a tool that is designed by the business, for the business, can change an employee’s life. I can’t wait to hear and read more love notes of how we’ve impacted more lives. Third, our Small Team Essential Solution is a game-changer for both us and the industry—offering an easy activation that allows any organization to go deep at scale. The list of logos again is exciting, from the biggest names, to mid-sized companies, and emerging startups. I’m thrilled about this product’s potential to revolutionize the way we approach human capability and action in the workplace and beyond.

Closing Thoughts

Hearing Nishika’s journey, it’s clear that building a company isn’t just about product-market fit—it’s about human fit. It’s about resilience, discipline, and the ability to shape and reshape until the vision becomes reality.

What stands out most about HumanQ isn’t just its ability to help businesses scale—it’s how deeply it transforms people in the process. And in a world that’s moving faster than ever, tools that create real human capability and action aren’t just nice-to-haves. They’re essential.

Rimma Boshernitsan is the CEO and Founder of DIALOGUE, an interdisciplinary strategic advisory that helps leaders find the shortest, clearest path to their most ambitious goals. Rimma’s writing has appeared in Tech Crunch, Fast Company, Inc and Forbes.