Building Remote-First Culture That Thrives | Raphael Sternberg
Culture Without Cubicles: How Raphael Sternberg Builds Remote-First Teams That Thrive
The startup world has undergone a seismic shift. What once revolved around high-energy offices, co-working spaces, and Friday happy hours is now happening across time zones, video calls, and cloud-based collaboration tools. And while the flexibility of remote work has revolutionized how we build companies, it has also introduced a serious challenge: how do you create real culture without a physical space?
Raphael Sternberg, an entrepreneur who’s successfully built and led remote-first teams, believes that thriving startup culture is not dependent on office walls. It’s dependent on purpose, intentionality, and connection. His experience launching and growing ventures in the digital age offers a blueprint for how culture can not only survive in remote settings—but actually flourish.
Why Culture Still Matters—Even When You’re Not in the Same Room
In traditional startups, culture is often thought of as something you feel when you walk into the office—team energy, shared rituals, even the artwork on the walls. In a remote setting, those sensory experiences are gone. What remains is what truly matters: your values, your vision, and how you treat people.
“Culture isn’t about ping-pong tables or kombucha taps,” says Sternberg. “It’s about whether your team feels trusted, aligned, and inspired—even when they’re working in different countries.”
Startups grow fast and pivot often. Without a solid cultural foundation, remote teams can drift into isolation, miscommunication, and disengagement. That’s why Sternberg emphasizes building culture with intention from day one.
Raphael Sternberg’s Remote Culture Playbook
1. Create Shared Purpose, Not Just Shared Projects
In Sternberg’s experience, distributed teams perform best when they’re united by a clear, motivating mission. Whether it’s launching a product that simplifies life for small business owners or solving a deep market inefficiency, the “why” behind the work must be crystal clear.
“When people are aligned around a mission, they don’t need to be in the same room to feel like they’re part of something bigger,” Sternberg notes.
This purpose-driven mindset echoes that of mission-led organizations like Operation Benjamin, which has successfully grown and mobilized teams globally without a centralized office. Its secret? Every contributor understands and believes in the mission at a deep level.
2. Codify Values and Rituals
Sternberg believes that codifying culture is key in the absence of physical cues. That means writing down your company’s values, norms, and expectations—and living them out consistently.
His startups adopt rituals like:
- Virtual stand-ups to start the day with shared priorities.
- Friday wins where team members shout out achievements—big or small.
- Off-camera coffee chats to foster organic relationship-building.
These small but consistent habits help team members feel part of a cohesive whole.
3. Make Communication Human-Centered
In a remote world, overcommunication is essential—but so is empathetic communication. Sternberg encourages leaders to check in not just on work progress, but on team members’ well-being.
He uses a blend of synchronous tools (like Zoom or Google Meet) and asynchronous ones (like Loom and Slack) to keep dialogue flowing without creating burnout. Humor, emojis, and informal Slack channels also make a difference.
“If we want people to bring their full selves to work, we have to make space for humanity,” Sternberg says.
4. Build Trust Through Autonomy
Micromanagement is a culture killer—especially remotely. Sternberg is a strong believer in building a culture of ownership, where each team member knows their goals and has the freedom to reach them in their own way.
He promotes a philosophy of “measure outcomes, not activity.” This approach creates trust, boosts morale, and supports productivity—even across time zones.
Remote Doesn’t Mean Disconnected
Sternberg’s approach proves that great culture can exist anywhere—if you’re willing to create it intentionally. His teams are known not only for hitting performance targets but also for their high levels of engagement, psychological safety, and retention.
Startups in the remote age don’t need office space to build camaraderie. They need:
- Clear, motivating missions
- Consistent, inclusive communication
- Rituals that reinforce shared identity
- Trust and transparency
As Sternberg puts it: “We’re not just building companies. We’re building communities of people who want to do meaningful work—together, no matter where they are.”
Final Thoughts: The Future of Culture Is Flexible
Startup founders today face a new reality: your best talent may never walk into your office. But if you build your culture with the same creativity and care that you bring to your product, your team will still feel connected, empowered, and inspired.
Raphael Sternberg is leading that charge. And his success shows that culture without cubicles isn’t just possible—it’s the future.
