Iwo Szapar

Hybrid Work Expert

🚀 Remote-First Activist | Top 50 Remote Influencer | Since 2017, shaping the future of remote-first world

Aloha, I'm Iwo Szapar! Over the years, I've helped transform how over 3,000 companies approach work, leading to more efficient and enjoyable professional lives. 🌍

Key Achievements:

▪️Co-created the AI Maturity Index with Harvard researchers, democratizing access to enterprise-grade AI readiness insights
▪️Advised Ministry of Communications and Technology of Saudi Arabia on AI up-skilling for startups
▪️Launched world's first certification program for remote workers: Remote-how Academy, back in 2018.
▪️Established strategic partnerships with 150 companies, including Asana, Deel, Remote, and Safetywing.
▪️Created an expert community of 250+ consultants from companies such as GitLab, Netflix, and Hubspot.
▪️Co-organized 3 editions of Remote Future Summit, reaching over 11,000 attendees and featuring 140 speakers.

Born in Gdansk, Poland, I've embraced the 'slowmad' lifestyle, living in various countries while working remotely. This journey has enriched my perspective and fueled my passion for innovation. When I'm not working, you can find me reading history books, following international affairs, or indulging in my hobbies as a dog lover, amateur surfer, and DJ.

Connect with me to explore how you/your company can work smarter! 🚀

🚀Remote Work Advocate & Co-founder

Remote-how helps companies make remote & hybrid work, work. Since 2017. 

🤓 Remote-how Marketplace - the world’s leading remote & hybrid work experts marketplace. Work on your consulting and advisory projects with 200+ pre-vetted practitioners from top distributed companies. 

🚀 Remote-how Campus - a community where leaders of hybrid teams come to connect, learn and grow together with access to live leadership development programs, mentoring services, and more.

$50k revenue in three months from a side-project. Two other products in the making, while working my half-time job. 

No team. 
No VC. 
No startup story. 

A small, profitable product.

Just me + dozens of AI Agents, and an obsession of going AI-first with 99% of work tasks I do.

IE University's podcast asked what advice I'd give entrepreneurs. My answer surprised them. (I guess...😅 )

Forget the unicorn. 

Build small. 
Build profitable. 
Build alone if you have to.

Skip the unicorn obsession. 

The founders winning right now are the ones running lean, staying profitable, and using AI as their operating layer instead of a headline.

Now advantage goes to whoever moves before the playbook is written - right now, that's the lean operator, not the firm with 500 analysts."

Keep in mind that we're at maybe <5% AI adoption globally. 

Still the first inning. 

The window to figure this out before everyone else does is narrow.

Is the lean founder model genuinely better - or does it only work for certain product types?

Sooo... coming back to the interview: Ainhoa asked great questions, and our conversation went places I didn't plan for.

Enjoy tull episode in the video - link in comments.

Gracias Ainhoa for a super energising chat and Mercedes for the invite ❤️ 

Sending good vibes to my IE / South Summit friends and hope to see you in a few weeks in 🇧🇷 Victoria Juan Christopher Joe Francisco Geoffroy Nacho Liz João Camila Mateo Juan Andrea Emma María Maria Gabriela Fernanda

You read posts about AI every day. That does not put you in the top tier.

0.04% of humans use AI daily to ship real work. 

0.3% pay for any AI tool. 

The rest are observers.

Reading about AI, sharing posts about AI, attending AI workshops: none of that moves you up the distribution. 

Building something does. 

Running a model against your actual work does. 

Getting Claude Code to do a real task in your real environment does.

I deployed Second Brains for 85 people. 

The ones who moved tiers fastest did one thing differently: they stopped consuming AI content and started running experiments inside their own work.

The AI revolution people keep announcing has not happened. 

For 99.96% of people, it has not started.

You already know what to build. 

The gap is not ideas. 

Where do you stand with AI adoption?

Start here: https://lnkd.in/dgqpKJyd

AI Adoption Tiers among knowledge workers 2026 

I cancelled my ChatGPT subscription last year. Now OpenAI sees a mass exodus of users. Why? 

It’s following the deal with the Pentagon over AI military use, where Anthropic rejected the deal due to its firm position on AI ethics. 

The CEO Dario Amodei refused to accept the deal for two reasons: 
- the use of AI for mass surveillance of American citizens
- managing autonomous weapons.

Is this a temporary problem for OpenAI or a part of a bigger trend where they might loose the pole position in the AI labs competiton? 

PS. Have you cancelled your ChatGPT subscription - what was the reason? Have you joined the Claude Code family for good?

Thank you IE University for having me ❤️ Muchas gracias! 🫡

The latest episode of Venture Ahead explores the future of work with Iwo Szapar, an entrepreneur, writer and speaker and the founder of the AI Maturity Index.

From the rise of remote work to a world shaped by automation, augmentation and distinctly human skills, this conversation, recorded during South Summit Madrid, dives into the profound shifts redefining how we work and how we live. As AI agents move from prediction to reality, the question is no longer whether change is coming, but how we adapt to it.

For founders, leaders and professionals navigating this transformation, this episode offers a sharp look at what’s just beginning.

Watch now and #VentureAhead: https://lnkd.in/edN3fx8V

Ainhoa Valencia | Victoria Pérez Jiménez | Juan José Güemes | IE Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center | IE University Lifelong Learning

I built a tool that grades AI Second Brain setups. It gave my own setup a 76% 😅

Everyone assumes the person who builds the grading tool at least passes their own test.

Overall: 80% - Grade A. 

But Setup Quality scored 76%. 

That's a B.

397 out of 499 points across 140 automated checks.

Here's where it got embarrassing:

1. AI Fluency: 93%. Five checks scored perfect. Reference Integrity: 60%. My files point to things that don't exist. Embarrassing when you're the one who wrote the scoring logic. 

2. Setup Quality: 76%. Model Configuration scored 0%. Sandbox scored 13%. I literally skipped the config I tell other people to set up. Progressive Disclosure: 98%. 

3. Self-Correction and Compound Learning: both under 60%. The system I built knows I'm not using half of what it checks for.

The tool placed me at COMPOUNDING - fourth of five levels. 

Not yet Production-Grade. 

Which means there's a ceiling I haven't hit yet.

Three fixes would add 14 points:
- Auto Memory (+5)
- Quality Tracking (+5)
- Growth Log (+4)

Fifteen minutes of work I keep putting off.

The tool is Open Sourced - it's free. 

If you want to be publicly humiliated by your own setup, install it in one line:

claude mcp add second-brain-health -- npx second-brain-health-check

Read more: https://lnkd.in/dqnjpsrd

Full breakdown in the carousel.

What's the one part of your setup you know is broken but keep ignoring? 

Mine was Model Configuration. Scored 0%.

Second Brain Health Check Iwo Szapar 2026

AI tools made my clients productive. Then they asked me to remove every single one.

Not because the tools were bad. 

Because every tool came with the same trade-off: someone else owned the intelligence.

Notion AI? Your data on their servers. 

ChatGPT? Zero memory between sessions. 

CRM automations? Break the moment your workflow changes.

After building 81 Second Brains across 12 industries, the pattern is always the same. 

People start with tools. 
Then they want a system. 
Then they want to own it.

What they actually want is a fourth category that nobody talks about.

A system built to their exact workflow. 

Running on their own infrastructure. 

Vendor-independent. Claude today, GPT tomorrow, Gemini next month. 

You own it. Completely.

The discipline behind this is context engineering: managing what the AI knows, when it knows it, and how that knowledge compounds across sessions.

The industry default is renting intelligence from a vendor. More and more people want to own it instead.

Does that gap feel real to you?

I'm packaging v2.0 in the next 7 days.

Comment below what an ideal Second Brain should do for you 👇

AI is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get, but it will absolutely be confident it gave you exactly what you wanted.

AI Cartel

Clients: Consulting firms, startups, scale-ups, SaaS, Web3, European Commission.
Locations: Remote, Luxembourg, Portugal, France, Switzerland, Canada.
Profiles: Blockchain devs, VC, backend developers, security architect, marketing manager, CMO, CTO.

Missions:
As a Co-founder:

Steer AI platform development, defining initiatives for growth and impact.
Oversee AI interface optimization, simplifying job postings and enhancing user experience.
Spearhead virtual speed recruiting events, setting new industry standards.
Champion AI-driven candidate interviews for a seamless job seeker experience.
Innovate candidate-centric features to stay ahead of industry trends.
Establish a rewarding referral bonus system, fostering a collaborative community of headhunters.

As a Global Talent Acquisition Consultant:

Recruitment process auditing, market insights, metrics, sourcing, CV reviewing/selection, interviewing.
Training: Behavioral interviews, unconscious bias, management of a remote team, how to become a headhunter/digital nomad.
D, E&I: Build a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Employer branding: EVP, implementing talent attraction and retention strategies.
Advise hiring managers on the development of the need and the recruitment strategy.
Ensure a positive candidate experience throughout the recruitment process.
Communicate through reports on the progress of recruitments and performance metrics.
Challenge the existing recruitment process in a spirit of continuous improvement.
Remote workers coaching, travel planning, personal branding, community building.

OKRs: Hiring the best talents faster and being recognized as a top employer - reduce time to fill from 9 to 4 months, increase referrals by 50%, improve talent attraction, keep turnover low.

Co-Founder

Numadia

Founder - Global talent acquisition 

P1 STUDIO

Head of talent

Cloudbeds

Full life cycle recruitment : SDRs  - 130 in 1 year - (Noram and Latam), Market managers hiring (Asia and Europe), Backend engineers (Europe), Devsecops (Noram) 
Participation in : Virtual career day (sales), D&I women in tech initiatives (shecodes), Graduate program in North America, visibility in Lisbon in the tech community as a top remote employer (meetups and web summit)  

Achievements: build behavioral interview guides aligned with Cb values, ensure positive candidate experience, build latam sales team in 1 month, team building in Brazil and Portugal, help revamp career page, partner with remote friendly job boards and communication channels, increase brand visibility in Lisbon

Global Talent Partner (remote consultant)

Cloudbeds’ mission is to power every property in the world with our hospitality management platform. We empower independent hoteliers and hosts to grow revenue, streamline operations, and deliver a memorable guest experience. 
Founded in 2012, Cloudbeds has expanded to over 400 people with local teams in 40+ countries, speaking 20 languages.

Technical recruiter (Remote consultant)

Expedia, Inc.

Responsible of the recruitment (FTE) for Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver 
Define the recruitment strategy, intake meetings with hiring managers, job posting with textio, candidates selection, head hunting, recruiter screens: technical and culture fit, scheduling interviews, influence hiring managers, feedbacks to candidates, offer approval request, writing offer letters, onboarding, follow up) for diverse roles : IT, marketing, accounting, sales, administrative support, travel agent,… 
Creation of the diversity and inclusion committee in the Montreal office 
Round table and surveys to measure sentiment of inclusion, Participation/Organization of Women techmakers (external) and IWD (internal) events 
Creation of a machine learning Hub in Montreal : Data scientist, TPM 
Talent attraction, sourcing, business case with the Seattle team to pitch Montreal as a location to create the hub, employer branding: put expedia in the map in Montreal market  
Training for 400 employees across Canada 
Unconscious bias, Behavioral interview, Recruitment process, Referrals and Open Internal Talent Market coaching sessions 
Build a pipeline for “speed recruiting” events in Bellevue/Seattle (HQ) and supporting NORAM locations: Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, Miami . 

Achievements: 80 new hires in 1 year, work with a remote team and different locations, improved gender and cultural diversity hires (10 to 17% of women in tech in Montreal in 1 year), global time to fill: 40 days – reduction of 50%, improve brand visibility in Montreal

Noram Sr Recruiter

Full lifecycle recruitment for Expedia Cruise Ship Center – Vancouver 
Improve Employer branding: new career page with testimonials, reach out to passive candidates, networking events with brand ambassadors 

In 6 months: 30 new hires, time to fill: 33 days 

It was a contract and they offered me a permanent position

Talent Acquisition Consultant

Intellio Capital Humain

- Creation of a new business unit : InMotion. Talent agency for creative media (gaming, vfx) 
- Talent attraction, acquisition and retention in VFX, gaming and IT
- International recruitment
- Expert competency in all phases of the recruitment life cycle for consulting and permanent position: sourcing, screening, interview preparation, fee negotiation, closing, on-boarding and coordination of activities with employer to meet client goals.

Achievements in 12 months: creation of services offer and new services, 5 new clients in gaming, 25 recruitments, 6 months recruiting as a digital nomad

Talent Manager

Groupe TVA Inc

Partner with MELS studios (VFX) and Quebecor Groupe Media (IT)

- International head hunting
- Talent attraction best practices implementation
- Employer branding management
- Training & skills development in recruitment with the HR team

Achievements in 6 months : creation of training programs, Highly diversified recruiting accomplishments for employers - clients and candidates at all organizational levels in numerous occupational designations and across industry lines, successfully placing over 40 contracts, contract-to-hire and permanent candidates with niche skill sets (vfx and IT)

Stolo

- Full life cycle recruitment
- Networking (meetups, social media)
- Meeting clients (startups, gaming, vfx,...)

Achievements in 6 months : 20 recruitments (devops, developpeur java, php, c++,...),

Talent Agent

Abroad Production

- Project management (Apps development : Linker and Triper) and team management ( Asia and remote : 2 ios and android developers 1 designer)
- Community Management 
- Recruitment of consultants
- e-training 

Achievements : management of a remote team, development of new entrepreneurial skills

HR Advisor/ Digital nomad

Systematix

- Requirements analysis / Head hunting/ networking / Interviews/ Coaching and career management/ Mobility and diversity management
- 2.0 marketing HR project/ community management: Strategy presentation and workshop Animation
- Writing service offer of International HR strategy : Identification of issues, risks and impacts of change. Design communication strategies and training plans

Achievements:
50 recruits in two years, development of the employer brand, edit diversity policy and strategy of international talent acquisition

IT Talent acquisition advisor

With over 15 years of experience in talent acquisition and employer branding, I help tech companies, fintech, traveltech, gaming, VFX, AI, startups and scale-ups grow and thrive by finding and attracting the best talent from around the world. 

I'm the founder of Numadia and cofounder of AI recruiter, a referral based recruitment platform, powered by AI and Humans

As a digital nomad and a remote work advocate, I had different bases Montreal for 8 years and now Lisbon since 2019. I traveled and worked from 70 countries, building a strong network of diverse and talented professionals. 

I specialize in recruitment by referrals, leveraging my connections, AI and personal branding to source and engage candidates. I also design and implement employer branding strategies that showcase the unique value proposition and culture of each company I work with.

Let's connect!

Refer and Earn - Book/Become a Talent Agent 
The world is your new office !

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Iwo Szapar

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