Take us back to your Eureka moment. How did you come up with YourCampus?
Whilst working at various start- and scaleups, I noticed that my colleagues still received the same benefits from their employers. That just did not make sense to me. My colleagues were of all sorts of ages, with different interests and different needs. Why were employee benefits then still standardised?
Fast forward two years later. I decided to take the leap and turn my idea into something more tangible. I don’t really have a single “eureka moment” as my idea for an employee benefits platform was built up over a longer period of time. I waited a bit before starting YourCampus because a cool opportunity at my former employer Hiber came along.
What is (or was) your most significant challenge building your marketplace?
Our product is actually much more than just a marketplace. It is also a SaaS tool with an integrated fintech solution. Combining and working on these three elements was tough, to say the least. But we made it work.
You need to remember: building a marketplace is inherently challenging. We needed to take multiple benefit suppliers into account. Different players with different needs and preferences. Balancing the wants and needs of all stakeholders involved is not easy and takes times. But again, we made it work. Looking back there is nothing I would have changed, we would have done it the same way.
How are you making the world a better place?
YourCampus directly contributes to the physical, mental and financial well-being of the modern workforce. Since we tailor the set of benefits towards people’s own preferences, we can truly offer them the perks that will help them further. For instance, starters and young professionals will benefit much more from a financial planner or savings on their fixed costs, whereas a young family might favor work/life-balance benefits.
How would you describe the DFF way of working?
Very operational and pushing you to think big. Having that hypergrowth mindset is what I’ve taken away from you guys the most. Thinking further ahead than just the coming period is key. DFF has really challenged me to set ambitious longer term goals.
You also make for a great sparring partner when discussing go-to-market strategies and general growth tactics.
Tell us something you have underestimated?
Luckily, nothing really comes to mind that I have underestimated so far. However, I must say that fundraising was completely new to me. From having a clean captable to all of the different terms and agreements, fundraising can be daunting. You need to do everything right at the beginning, otherwise you’ll find yourself stuck with the legacy of your novelty later on. In hindsight, I would have probably spent even more time preparing for the fundraising process. My tip for other founders who are about to fundraise: always overcommunicate to your investors!
Fast forward to 2032. Where do you see Yourcampus?
Most probably we’ll have employee benefits that are metaverse-enabled. Virtual companies with virtual currencies obviously need virtual benefits!
What don't you know that you wish you knew?
How the world would change in just three years.
Last one: your favourite employee benefit
Obviously, employee benefits are a personal choice, but if I had to pick one I’d probably go for the high-quality meal delivery for at home - saves me a lot of time cooking!
Then on a more serious note, a perk that my generation could truly benefit from is having a financial coach. If I think of it, a financial coach could actually benefit everyone. Learning how to properly manage your finances can really bring peace and tranquility in your everyday doings. In high school and at the university they teach you everything about basic economics or corporate finance, but once it comes to personal budgeting, taxes and insurance, you are on your own. Financial mismanagement can cause a lot of stress, having a financial coach or planner can take that stress away.
