Just a week after joining Yapily, on my first Thursday, I got to really feel part of the team as we all cleared out our office and moved our screens and trinkets to our new Shoreditch home (come and visit us!)
No screens were broken (or scraped) in the process — Success!
Changing office every few months has become the norm for this fast-growing fintech, and it has done wonders for the fitness level of its employees. Since its inception in mid-2017 Yapily has moved multiple times. It took only few months for the company to outgrow Stefano’s (our founder) living room.
Two years later and 22 employees larger, Yapily is establishing itself as the go-to API-only connectivity platform for Open Banking.
While the driver is definitely a growing team, choosing the new office is not just a question of having enough space. For Stefano the key is finding a welcoming and productive environment for us, his beloved employees.
My job is to enable my team, unleash their full potential and making sure everyone is happy to come to the office everyday — this is the starting point
Stefano told us when giving us new Yapily’s hoodies and serving beer to toast the new office.
The change was welcome to all, including myself. The previous office was nice, but the air conditioning was seriously lacking — not ideal during one of the hottest summers in London’s history. And if being cool was not enough, the new office has so many perks!
I’ve asked the team to let me know what they love most about our new location, and while we have from Yoga classes, massages, office barber, tons of events, free coffees and cappuccinos top of the list is definitely the filtered water fountain — which promises sparkling water as well. Funny how basic needs are often the ones we notice the most. Of equal significance is also the presence of dogs, the terrace with its Shoreditch view, and the retro atmosphere which makes coming to work a true joy every single day.
Two weeks after our move we had an office pot-luck, a lunch where a few people pooled a whole lot of homemade food. We got to taste dishes from 6 different nationalities (a literal taste of representation in a company that proudly employs people from over 10 different countries).
The pot-luck was to be a little celebration of the new office and of ourselves for getting to this point — it was so fitting. Seeing happy faces and full bellies walking back to the office and working the afternoon away reminded me that while the new office is definitely great, it’s the people ultimately that make the company. My colleagues are all fantastic, and I count myself very lucky to have met — and be working with — such a proactive and energetic team.
Yapily is growing quickly and dreaming big, so the future is a question mark full of hope and potential. It’s difficult to tell where we will be tomorrow, or how many more people will join our team, but one thing is for sure: there are many more destinations in our future (Stefano has already eyed a corner office on the floor above us) and I can’t wait to see them all.
