He has had the chance to pursue a classical musician career, chose to be a software engineer instead, and ended up at Capmo’s Berlin Hub as Engineering Manager: Meet Alexander! After having gained some experience in the retail industry, he is now looking forward to digitizing construction with Capmo -and no less for joining the Capmo cycling crew. How he got here, why he chose to join Capmo and what his plans for the next months are? Let’s have a TECH talk!
What does a typical day of yours look like?
Alexander: I consider myself a night owl: I usually have productivity bursts before lunch and late in the evening, so I don’t start my day too early with a cup of coffee, but rather grab a glass of water, appreciate an outstanding view of the Havel from my home office and get ready for the day.
Throughout the day, I always try to keep the balance between meetings and a healthy amount of focus time. I am convinced that one has to be smart about their own and others‘ focus time and try to minimize the interruptions.
When I am in the office, I prefer to have lunch with my colleagues at one of the restaurants nearby: it is always great to have a chat about various non-work-related topics. When I am at home, I prefer to cook by myself and often try various recipes to discover something new.
So if not at coding, we find you in the kitchen?
Alexander: During the home-office the chances are pretty high, yes. If not there, you can find me cycling around in Berlin and Brandenburg roads and forests or I might be practicing that sticky chorus on bass or remembering some classical pieces on the piano. Even though music plays a crucial role in my life, I don’t work on code while listening to music, but rather focus on a problem and try to view it from multiple angles at my own pace.
What experiences are you most proud of?
Alexander: Probably when I got a client whose idea was refused by another software development company multiple times with comments like „It is impossible“, I took the chance and I built a working proof of concept in 3 weeks. The website went live in less than 3 months and started taking payments shortly after.
Another great experience was with Adidas, where I fixed an annoying random crash on their front page during my first week on a project.
“ I like the idea of building a product that simplifies crucial processes in one of the biggest industries worldwide and hereby makes the life of thousands of people easier every day. It is an art to build a solution to complex problems that feel and look easy.“
Why did you choose to join Capmo?
Alexander: Since I moved to Berlin 6 years ago, I have somehow mostly worked in construction-related companies: holiday rentals, realtor and property estimation as well as property developer companies. After these experiences, I am familiar with the issues in these industries and saw a great potential and the right approach in Capmo’s product. The Business strategy also looked like (and hopefully really is) smart. We had a lot of matching views on how to develop a healthy product together with the Product Manager whom I met during the interview. I had a feeling that those guys know how to build a good and successful product right.
What I like about Capmo is their purpose: making the hard things in construction feel easy. If you look at how most companies in the industry operate, many things feel hard. Most of them still work with pen and paper or overly complicated solutions that dominate the industry at the moment. I like the idea of building a product that simplifies crucial processes in one of the biggest industries worldwide and hereby makes the life of thousands of people easier every day. It is an art to build a solution to complex problems that feel and look easy.
What are your plans for the next year at Capmo?
Alexander: There are exciting days ahead! With our product vision and great support from our tech team we plan on expanding massively, spinning up new and improving existing services, but always remember to listen and implement initiatives from our engineers aiming for a healthy mix of new features and maintaining quality and security.
To support this growth we are investing heavily in product and engineering. We are planning to create several new development teams to digitize construction planning, tendering, and improve construction projects so there are finally some construction projects in Germany that will finish on time and budget.
My personal goal is to assemble a team. I am looking for a healthy balance of frontend, backend, and infra expertise within a team. I am building it with a collaborative and supportive atmosphere, great work-life balance, and hopefully lots of great moments together. So if anyone reading this is looking for a new challenge, hit me up! We have plenty of open positions to fill.
What are you looking for in new candidates?
Alexander: It might not be too surprising, but relevant experience in software development is key. Our stack is Node.js and React, but we value your experience in other technologies as well.
Besides that, we value collaboration, willingness to learn and try something new, being open-minded and respectful to your teammates.
Why should one join your team?
Alexander: You will not only get the chance to be part of an amazing team that is ready to change one of the biggest industries worldwide: You will also get the chance to develop personally and professionally. I believe in investing in people as the most valuable asset. This is why I foster continuous education and learning practices in my team. Hit me up if you want to find out what this looks like.
If you have any questions about software engineering at Capmo or want to check out our open positions – hit us up! We are looking forward to getting to know you.
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