Milene Darnis, a Product Manager at Heap, discusses strategies for startups to effectively scale their data practices, highlighting the need for startups to integrate data into decision-making processes while adopting the right mindsets. She emphasizes the importance of understanding when data can genuinely inform decisions versus when it may be misused, advocating for a gradual approach to data integration starting with key metrics and user segmentation. Darnis advises startups to establish foundational data standards and infrastructures before pursuing advanced projects like AI, ensuring data collection, storage, and exploration systems are reliable and scalable. She also stresses the significance of hiring the right data talent and adopting either centralized or distributed data organizational structures to mitigate bottlenecks and enhance data accessibility across teams. Additionally, she recommends a simplified data stack, involving tools like Heap, Stripe, and Salesforce, with cloud solutions for data warehousing and analytical platforms like Looker and Tableau for exploration.