We sat down with our CEO Julien Schillewaert to get more information about him, his role and the next milestones of PriceHubble.
1) If PriceHubble were a Superhero, what would it be?
That’s a tough one… but I would go for a classic: Superman. First, because his story starts in space and it simply resonates with the founding story of PriceHubble.
Secondly, because he has - among many other superpowers - «x-ray vision» which allows him to see what others don't see, and that's what we do with data-driven digital solutions: bringing more transparency to the finance and real estate world.
2) You have been CEO since 2019. How have you experienced the development of PriceHubble since then?
PriceHubble has evolved and grown enormously since then: we have six times more Hubblers, 50 times more customers and we are active in over three times more countries. And, every year has brought its fair share of new milestones, new challenges and learnings so far. Every year, we have to step up our game to stay ahead of the curve and maintain our customer service.
Every year we welcome new talents and specialists to our team in order to make that happen and achieve these goals. This growth also means that many roles are changing - including mine. Opportunities open up, responsibilities shift and you are constantly challenged and have to be ready to embrace that change.
3) What do you enjoy most about your job?
First, the level of ambition we have: The vision is to be the undisputed and global market leader for real estate and financial solutions within the next 5 years. Second, I very much appreciate the diversity of daily challenges: from product to sales, including data, engineering and more, we have to deliver something that nobody else does in 10 countries. Finally: I enjoy working with our team the most. PriceHubble has a unique energy and atmosphere, which you can feel across all teams and in all countries.
4) What has been the biggest challenge so far?
This is actually the scaling of the team. In my opinion, this is the top issue for every company, especially for fast-growing ones like ours. PriceHubble is present in over 10 countries, so our employees are spread all over Europe.
While we embrace Remote working which allows us to hire new talent anywhere, it also increases the complexity of internal communications, corporate culture and, to some extent, collaboration. The travel restrictions over the last two pandemic years have accentuated this even further. We have just had our first Company Reunion in 3 years. It was wonderful to finally meet everyone in person.
5) What has been the greatest success story?
Although Real Estate is a rather local industry, PriceHubble is one of the few companies that have managed to cross borders and be successful in many countries. International expansion is at the core of PriceHubble's DNA and vision to become a global market leader.
6) What can we expect from PriceHubble as next milestones?
PriceHubble has just launched its market activities in the UK. This is one of the biggest real estate markets in the world and a big focus of ours in the months to come.. You should hear more from us there, and a few more European countries might follow soon after.
7) What are the key values that drive PriceHubble’s strategy?
Our corporate values are: be bold, own it, one team and customer first. We rely on talents who are courageous, take responsibility, explore new horizons and embrace innovation. Although we are already a scale-up, you are allowed to fail because that is how you learn. Even scattered in so many countries, we support each other and work together across teams to achieve our clients' goals. That is because they are our business, and they are always at the centre of our efforts.
8) Where do you see PriceHubble in 5 years?
By then, PriceHubble will be the global leader in our field: our data-driven (B2B) workflow technologies will empower all market participants in the property ecosystem to accelerate their business performance and enhance the way they engage with their customers.
The importance of sustainability and ESG in real estate and finance will keep increasing, and PriceHubble will be leading that charge. Having our technology embedded in the business of our customers will be the new normal as PriceHubble establishes itself as a brand and a leading provider.
9) Anything else you want to share with us?
I am happy to use this interview to draw attention to our open positions. Given our growth, there is hardly a more fascinating Proptech in Europe at the moment to be a part of and to develop personally. I would like to invite everyone to join us on our journey!
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