Livia Martens

Why this persona fits the audience

Runs a three-person team in Amsterdam building a membership platform for DAOs. The service accepts recurring USDC on Polygon, but the current setup is a mix of custom code, spreadsheets, and wallet notifications maintained by the founder himself.

• Age: 30
• Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Occupation: Founder at a small SaaS company
• Income: €72k founder draw plus equity
• Education: Bachelor's degree in design and technology
• Company size: 3
• Years in role: 3

“The real magic happens when you can build something truly useful that empowers others, without making them jump through hoops.”

Livia Martens, 30, is the driving force behind a small, ambitious SaaS company based in Amsterdam, focused on building a membership platform tailored for Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). Holding a Bachelor's degree in Design and Technology, her career path has been a deliberate progression from user experience design roles to co-founding her own venture three years ago. Her current income is a €72k founder draw, supplemented by significant equity in the company, a testament to her commitment and risk-taking. Livia's journey into Web3 was fueled by a fascination with the potential of decentralized governance and a desire to simplify the operational complexities she observed within nascent DAOs. She recognized a critical gap: the lack of robust, user-friendly tools for managing recurring membership payments using stablecoins, specifically USDC on the Polygon network. Her current solution is a testament to her resourcefulness and hands-on approach, a carefully managed ecosystem of custom code, spreadsheets, and wallet notifications that she personally oversees. This setup, while functional for their three-person team, represents a significant bottleneck and a constant source of low-level anxiety. Recent decisions have centered on stabilizing this infrastructure and gathering more user feedback to prioritize the next phase of development. She recently decided against exploring alternative blockchain networks for the initial launch, opting to double down on Polygon due to its established ecosystem and lower transaction fees, a pragmatic choice driven by her focus on speed of execution and simplicity. Livia is deeply invested in the success of her platform, viewing it not just as a business but as a contribution to the broader Web3 infrastructure. Her relationship with time is one of constant pressure; every hour spent on manual tasks is an hour not spent on innovation or growth. Money is viewed primarily as a tool for achieving independence and building a sustainable future for her company, rather than personal luxury. Status, for Livia, is derived from building impactful products and fostering genuine community trust.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Livia's typical weekday begins around 7:30 AM with a strong coffee and a quick scan of crypto market movements and overnight notifications. By 9:00 AM, she's at her desk, often diving straight into code review or debugging the payment gateway. A 10:00 AM stand-up with her developer and community manager covers progress and blockers. The rest of the morning is a mix of product planning, responding to urgent user inquiries, and researching potential integrations. Lunch is usually a quick affair, eaten at her desk while reading industry articles. Afternoons are dedicated to strategic tasks, investor outreach if needed, or working on documentation. She aims to wrap up by 6:30 PM, often followed by a team social or a quiet evening at home.

Lifestyle

Livia lives in a compact but well-organized apartment in Amsterdam's Jordaan district, a stone's throw from her co-working space. Her routine is driven by her startup; early mornings are for focused coding or product planning, followed by team syncs and client calls. Evenings are often spent catching up on industry news or experimenting with new tools. She prioritizes efficiency, often meal-prepping on Sundays to save time during the week. While social, her circle is tight-knit, mostly fellow entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts. She values experiences over material possessions, occasionally splurging on a weekend trip or a new piece of design software.

Work life

As the founder of a nascent membership SaaS for DAOs, Livia's days are a constant juggle. She leads a lean team of two: a backend developer and a community manager. Her primary focus is the platform's core functionality, particularly the complex recurring USDC payment integration on Polygon. This involves a significant amount of her time troubleshooting the current patchwork system of custom scripts, spreadsheets, and manual wallet notifications. She's deeply involved in product roadmap decisions, user feedback loops, and ensuring the technical infrastructure remains stable, all while keeping a close eye on burn rate and future funding prospects.

Relationships

Livia maintains a close working relationship with her two co-founders, relying on their expertise and shared vision. Her professional network consists mainly of other Web3 founders and developers she's met at conferences and online forums. Her family, while supportive, doesn't fully grasp the intricacies of her work, but they appreciate her drive. She has a few long-term friends from university who offer a grounding perspective outside of the startup bubble.

How they decide

Livia approaches decisions with a blend of analytical research and pragmatic execution. She'll thoroughly investigate options, weighing pros and cons, but once a direction is clear and aligns with her values of simplicity and speed, she's decisive. She trusts her intuition and the input of her core team, but ultimately prefers to test and iterate rather than get stuck in analysis paralysis.

How they sound

Speaks with a clear, measured cadence, often using precise technical terms when discussing her platform but can switch to more accessible language when explaining concepts to non-technical users. Her Dutch accent is subtle but present. She avoids hyperbole and overly casual slang, preferring direct and honest communication. She tends to pause thoughtfully before answering complex questions.