Welcome to Selection Day!

Have you ever wondered what the Selection process looks like? I am not going to lie: it is one of the most synchronized yet chaotic things that happens all year. Over the past months, Armada has been throwing coffee campaigns, talking to people, and getting you excited about joining. It worked: almost 250 people applied, and we conducted interviews over two weeks. We took notes, asked the tough questions, and tried to take as many details as possible. Then, during Selection Day, everyone met in a room with all those interview notes and a single mission: build the best teams we can. What would you ask us to focus on?

The Selection day process is divided into 2 big rounds

Round 1: The Dream Teams

First, each team breaks off into their corner and reviews the interview notes to rate candidates on the criteria we just mentioned. They are trying to think: Who would make my team incredible? And this is done without talking to any other group.

It's like everyone's building their fantasy team from the same draft pool, but nobody knows what the other teams are doing. This is intentional. We want teams to pick who they genuinely believe in, not who's available or the easy choice. The energy in the room is a particular brand of chaos. There's a quiet intensity. People scribble notes, shuffle papers, and ask clarifying questions about interviews.

Round 2: The Negotiations

After the each team compelted their initial team round 2 starts. Teams compare their picks among themselves, and instantly, there are clashes. Three different teams want the same candidate and the dream teams do not look as ideal anymore. That's when the real negociation begins.

An organized chaos that smells like a Pokémon card exchange:

• "We need this person for our team."
• "Yeah, so do we, but we also have them for this role specifically and they are esential"
• "Okay... what if we take this other person from your list as a compromise?"
• "No, we need that person too, but we could give up ..."

Everyone is trying to build their strongest possible team while also being fair to the people who applied. Sadly, we know we can't have everyone. It sounds chaotic, but it works. Not because everyone gets happy, but because everyone gets heard. Everyone debates everyone to avoid bias. The decision is ultimately collective. A candidate who seemed perfect for one team might actually be crucial for another. A clash that looked impossible gets solved with a creative trade. And slowly teams lock in, and they start calling their new team one by one.

If you didn't make it this time, it doesn't mean you're not good enough. It means we had to make impossible choices from great people. Most of Armada's members tried at least once before getting in. The process is hard because the standard is high. That's actually a feature, not a bug.

What's Next?

Selection day is a small example of how Armada actually works. A group of people that collaborate succeeds on complicated challenges that would not be possible alone otherwise. In a few weeks, the machine would increase gears, and Armada 2026 would be closer.

See you in November