Building Bonds & Painting in Pink: How Lumos Creates Connection in a Hybrid World
Creating a Culture of Trust, Play, and Partnership—No Matter the Distance
In every great story, the most memorable journeys aren’t walked alone. Frodo had Sam. Harry had Ron and Hermione. Batman had Robin. The best teams aren’t just a collection of talented individuals—they are partners. They trust, support, and challenge each other, knowing that success is never a solo act.
But how do you build that kind of connection in a remote-first world? Today's interactions happen through Slack messages and Zoom calls - not around coffee or in the hallways. How do you create a culture that feels real, human, and deeply connected?
At Lumos, we believe that connection doesn’t happen by accident—it happens by design. Since day one, we’ve made it our mission to create an environment where talented people don’t just work beside each other but with each other. We are intentional about how we build bonds in a hybrid world and focus on fostering deep partnerships through play. These elements aren't just culture initiatives; they’re part of how we work, collaborate, and thrive as a team.
Building Bonds & Partnering Through Play
Every great story has a place where its heroes gather—a home base, a training ground, a Batcave. A place where these heroes tackle challenges, devise strategies, and cement friendships. At Lumos, we’ve designed our hubs, offices, and team rituals to serve this purpose. They bring our team together to collaborate, problem-solve, and, most importantly, build relationships that make us better.
1. Creating Spaces to Gather
We recently opened our San Francisco headquarters, a space designed for Bay Area-based Alchemists to work in person and for teams to meet up. We don’t deny the power of face-to-face time. These gathering points are where ideas flow freely, bonds deepen, and shared experiences come to life.
We also have “Hub Cities” in places where there are five or more alchemists living. Each of these hub cities has a selected “mayor” to help plan and facilitate monthly events, whether its a coworking day, a cocktail making class, or a candlelight concert.
2. The Power of In-Person Meetups
Remote work gives us flexibility, but in-person moments create the magic that keeps our culture alive. We've really invested here, and built an operating rhythm around three company trips a year:
February: Company-wide offsite
June & September: Department-specific offsites
These aren’t just about meetings and workshops. They are about replacing “coworkers” with teammates. Squares on a screen with real people. And the impact is undeniable. After our most recent company-wide offsite, 92% of Alchemists reported feeling closer to each other with one even saying:
"The best part of the offsite wasn’t just the team sessions—it was the little moments. The late-night karaoke. The deep one-on-one conversations. The inside jokes that somehow make meetings more fun even weeks later. I came back knowing my team, not just working with them.”
This is why we invest in these moments. Because when people truly know each other, trust comes naturally—and great work follows.
3. Rituals That Keep Us Connected
The challenge of hybrid work isn’t just bringing people together—it’s keeping the bonds strong once everyone goes back home. We know our Alchemists crave more time together, so we've created small rituals that make connection a habit, not just an event:
Humans of Lumos: Inspired by Lumos’ story-led approach, this bi-weekly series spotlights an Alchemist who shares their life journey. From walking red carpets to growing up in a different country, these stories humanize the people behind the screen.
Question of the Day: Every morning, someone drops a random question in Slack. It could be thoughtful (What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?) or ridiculous (If you could only eat potatoes one way for the rest of your life, what would you choose?). What follows? Pure chaos. Debates over whether fries or scalloped potatoes are the superior choice. Passionate discussions about peanut butter preferences. A thread that somehow leads to three people scheduling a meet-up. It’s all about giving serendipity a place to happen.
Coworking Zooms: Sometimes, you just want to work alongside others without the small talk. So we created #coworking_zooms, where anyone can drop a Zoom link and work together, no agenda needed. Some listen to a shared playlist, others just enjoy the quiet background noise of teammates focused on their tasks. It’s a simple way to bring back the feeling of “working side by side” in a remote world.
4. Partnership Through Play
In every great story, playfulness and humor aren’t just side elements—they’re how characters bond. If the Guardians of the Galaxy can save the universe while cracking jokes, why can’t we?
At Lumos, we live by the value Paint in Pink, which reminds us that work should be ambitious and fun. Playfulness isn’t a distraction—it’s a competitive advantage that fuels creativity and trust.
Play as a Leadership Value: From the top down, playfulness is embedded in how we work.
Take our CEO’s recent challenge: If the sales team built $X million in pipeline within a few short weeks, he’d show up to the holiday party dressed as Princess Peach.
(They won. He kept his promise.)
These moments may seem lighthearted, but they serve a purpose. They show that leadership embraces boldness, fun, and a willingness to not take themselves too seriously. And when people feel psychologically safe to joke, experiment, and be themselves, they also feel safe to take creative risks in their work.
Traditions that Keeps Things Light: Since our early days, certain traditions have become part of our cultural DNA.
Karaoke Nights: There’s nothing more vulnerable than belting out Total Eclipse of the Heart with your coworkers. And at Lumos, you can always count on someone to start singing at a company event.
Zoom Banter: During All Hands meetings, the Zoom chat becomes an event of its own—filled with jokes, reactions, and real-time camaraderie.
Slack Culture: From meme-filled channels to #music-but-better, our Slack isn’t just for work. It’s a space where personality thrives.
Why Thoughtful Connection Matters
We spend about 90,000 hours—one-third of our lives—at work (Harvard Business Review). The research is clear: companies with strong cultures see higher productivity, lower turnover, and better financial outcomes. But beyond the data, a great culture does something deeper—it makes work meaningful.
At Lumos, we believe playfulness isn’t just about fun—it’s about trust, authenticity, and the kind of relationships that make collaboration effortless. In the high-pressure world of an early-stage startup, those moments of levity aren’t distractions; they’re what sustain us. As The Little Prince reminds us, “What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
Our playful traditions, rituals, and spaces make those invisible essentials—trust, camaraderie, and shared purpose—tangible and strong.
This is what we strive for at Lumos: a culture where connection isn’t just encouraged—it’s ingrained. Where moments of play fuel innovation, and where shared experiences turn colleagues into partners.
But we know this is an ever-evolving journey. How do you foster connection and play in your workplace? We’d love to hear your thoughts—let’s build better workplaces together.