Univio: Navigating Progressive Management Under Private Equity Ownership

This blog post is part of 80+ case studies of progressive organizations we created for the ZeroDX awards 2025. These organizations embody the principles of RenDanHeYi in their work structures:

• Zero Distance to customer: Decision what to build is based on insights from the marketplace

• Autonomy: Small teams with full decision-making autonomy enable speed in execution

• Shared Rewards: Everyone in the micro-enterprise participates in its financial success.

Since 2016, Univio has operated under a progressive organizational model centered on self-managed teams, distributed leadership, and a philosophy of transparency. This approach was not merely areaction to trends but a deliberate pivot away from conventional management. As Grzegorz Kuczyński, Univio’s co-founder and long-time CEO, explained, “Privately, I’m convinced that working in a more progressive way is simplymore meaningful. But I also believe it’s more resilient when the market turns.”

In 2020, Univio employed roughly 170 people. By early 2024, the headcount had climbed to nearly 500. Growth brought new challenges. Technology cycles shortened, client budgets contracted, and competition intensified. It became clear that sustaining momentum would require more than cultural conviction.

In late 2023, Univio’s founders began exploring strategic options. They concluded that attracting an investor would be essential to secure the resources for international expansion and acquisitions. What followed was a protracted negotiation with a Polish private equity firm.

Kuczyński described it as “the most intense period of my professional life.” He recounted how the final signatures wereaffixed one Wednesday at 11 p.m., closing a chapter of uncertainty and opening an unprecedented experiment: integrating private equity funding into a progressive governance model.

What made this arrangement unusual was not the capital itself but the terms. According to Kuczyński, the investorexplicitly agreed to preserve Univio’s self-management philosophy. He described it plainly: “We negotiated to keep ourculture intact. The agreement is clear: as long as we deliver results this way, no one will impose a different model.”

This commitment to autonomy and transparency reflects principles often associated with RenDanHeYi. Univio hasretained its practice of organizing work around self-managed teams, each supported by a non-managerial leader responsible for coordination rather than control. Line managers remain in place but are primarily accountable for employee development and well-being. The company has also continued refining its team of teams approach, inspired by General Stanley McChrystal’s ideas on distributed networks. To facilitate collaboration, Univio created internal “APIs” enabling cross-functional teams to integrate without layers of middle management.

Even a progressive model must evolve under pressure. In 2024, Univio reduced its workforce to 430 in response to market deterioration. The company introduced an entrepreneurship focus, implementing Objectives and Key Results to foster greater ownership at the team level. Kuczyński described the shiftin mindset as moving from team members to co-operators, people who see themselves as entrepreneurs within the enterprise.

At the same time, Univio began reexamining its compensation philosophy. For years, the company had relied on flatsalaries and non-monetary motivation. The investor’s involvement reopened conversations about incentives. Whilediscussions remain ongoing, Kuczyński has expressed a clear preference. “I am much closer to the idea of profit-sharing than bonuses because it aligns everyone’s goals from employees to shareholders.”

Today, Univio holds 16 percent of Poland’s commerce transformation market and aspires to extend its influenceinternationally. The new investment will help fund strategic acquisitions and strengthen Univio’s competitive position abroad. The leadership team remains committed to proving that self-management can deliver both human fulfillmentand commercial performance. As Kuczyński summarized, “This is not the usual way. But perhaps that’s why it matters.”