Let me introduce you to HiJiffy’s team
Did you know that over 2.5 billion people have at least one messaging app installed and it is projected that, by the end of 2018, a total of 3.6 billion people will be using messaging apps to connect with their family, friends and businesses? Indeed, messaging apps are the new social media. As a result of that, an increasing number of Hotels are already offering messaging solutions to their guests. With HiJiffy, guests only need to find the Hotel’s Facebook Page, click the message button and start the conversation with the chatbot. With this solution, guests don’t need to install a new app and get to, instead use one they are already familiar with.
HiJiffy was founded by Tiago Araújo, José Mendonça and Pedro Gonçalves. They started working together six years ago in a digital marketing agency in Lisbon, where they were managing different teams within the same company. With complementary profiles, in November 2015, they decided to quit their jobs and headed to Web Summit to analyse new market trends. Their main goal was to combine two of their great passions: digital marketing and travelling. From there, they started building an idea based on their travel struggles: a lot of hard work and planning was required, in order to have an unforgettable travel experience. While better analysing the hospitality industry, they concluded that there was another urgent need to attend: a big miscommunication between guests and hotels. Taking this into account, they developed a product where guests can communicate with hotels through messaging — as they do it with their friends and family. It is now time to meet the team:
Tiago Araújo
Tiago has a degree in Business Administration from Católica Porto Business School. Being the Co-Founder and CEO at HiJiffy, his main responsibilities are fundraising and structure the start-up’s go-to-market strategy. One of his favourite movies is Seven Pounds because, for him, it means that it is never too late to correct a mistake. On a daily basis, Tiago tries to eat healthy food like chicken, fish and various vegetables. However, he is a firm believer that nothing should be too radical, therefore, once in a while pizza, a good steak or sushi are part of the menu! When asked what is his favourite colour, he quickly replies Blue and White just like FC Porto (portuguese football club). His childhood days were spent playing the violin, riding a horse and swimming. Nowadays, Tiago tries to channel all his free time to travel, of course, HiJiffy made everything harder. But he had the chance to travel through Iran and to go to the arctic polar circle to see the aurora borealis as a solo traveller. In his day-to-day, he enjoys practising physical exercise, especially in the gym and going to summer music festivals. If he had to describe himself in a word that would be: Persistent.
Pedro Gonçalves
Pedro has a degree in Applied Mathematics and Computation from Instituto Superior Técnico. He is Co-Founder and COO at HiJiffy, thus he focuses essentially on finance, operations and product. Big Fish by Tim Burton is his all-time favourite film. Pedro says he has no favourite food, he likes to eat everything. But if a dish is odd or out of the ordinary that even arouses more curiosity in him. He developed his first website when he was only 14 years old and has an extensive experience in statistical analysis within the digital marketing sector. Here is something that people do not usually know about him: he has been keeping online, for 15 years, the oldest Portuguese music webzine — bodyspace.net. In his childhood days, he liked Playmobile and riding a bike. Nowadays, his hobbies include reading Quora, learning new things and, wait for it, doing soaps! Pedro admires Richard Feynman, for being one of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century who had the ability to turn the complex subjects of physics into simple subjects and still continuing to be extraordinarily humble and humane. When asked to describe himself in just one word, he said: Curious.
José Mendonça
José, commonly known as Zé, has a degree in Computer Engineering from Instituto Politécnico de Beja. He is Co-Founder and CTO at HiJiffy and also “Zéziner”. For those who do not know what the latter means, it is a fusion between Zé and Designer. José has 10 years of experience in back-end and front-end development. The Star Wars Saga and Star Trek are some of his favourite films. Bacalhau à Brás (Cod à la Brás — is made from shreds of salted cod (bacalhau), onions and thinly chopped (matchstick sized) fried potatoes in a bound of scrambled eggs), a traditional Portuguese dish, is his preferred food. And his favourite colour is: Pantone 433. When asked to tell a curious fact about himself, José said that he is half human and half robot. When he was a child, what he liked to do the most was to play in his ZX Spectrum. Nowadays his hobbies are still related to technology: he likes gadgets, weird Youtube videos, playing with Legos and listening to music. Alentejano (someone from Alentejo — a geographical, historical and cultural region of south-central and southern Portugal) is the word José used to describe himself.
Andreia Pais
Andreia has a degree in Communication and Multimedia Design from Escola Superior de Educação de Coimbra. She is a Lead Developer at HiJiffy. Her favourite movie is Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro. Her mother’s Arroz de Cabidela, a Portuguese dish made with poultry or rabbit cooked in its own blood added to water and a bit of vinegar, is her favourite food. And Olive green is her top-elected colour. When Andreia was younger, she almost blew up her parent’s kitchen because she decided to play with her playing cooking pots on a wood stove. During her childhood days, she loved to ride a bike through the woods. Currently, she enjoys watching TV series, going out with their friends and concerts, concerts, concerts, lots and lots of them. She truly admires her sister, for the woman she is only with 20 years old. Andreia describes herself as Resilient.
Manuel Pires
Manuel has a degree in Advertising and Marketing from Escola Superior de Comunicação Social. He is HiJiffy’s Product Manager. His job involves helping to develop solutions that meet the business objectives and our customers, as well as improving the user experience of the chatbots we support. There will be blood by Paul Thomas Anderson is his elected movie. And Manuel’s favourite colour is blue. When he was a child, his much-loved hobbies include building forts on the top of the trees. Today, he likes playing the guitar and video games. Leonardo Da Vinci is someone he admires because of his ability to see the world with the curiosity of a child and his quest for the true meaning of the world. When asked to describe himself in just one word and Manuel chose: Alentejano.
Diana Jordão
Diana has a degree in Management from Universidade da Beira Interior. She is a Marketing Intern at HiJiffy and most of her tasks are related to outbound marketing, that is, building databases for potential clients, writing cold emails or thinking of ways to improve the outbound strategy. Her all-time favourite film is Blood Diamond. Her favourite food is sushi but when it comes to traditional Portuguese food, Bacalhau à Brás is the chosen one. Diana’s colour of election is black. An interesting fact about her is that she only started drinking coffee in February. When she was a child she loved singing, playing the cavaquinho and going to her friends’ birthday parties. Nowadays, her hobbies are going to the movies, having coffee with her friends and shopping online. Diana admires Frida Khalo not only for her life story but also for her art, all her paintings are a reflection of some part or chapter of her life. When asked to describe herself in a word, she said: Transparent.
Mariana Marques
Mariana has a degree in Communication Sciences with a specialization in Strategic Communication from Universidade Nova de Lisboa. She is a Marketing Intern at HiJiffy and most of her task are related to inbound marketing, that is, writing blog posts, managing social media or writing press releases. Her all-time favourite movie is Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino. Her mother’s lasagna, whether it is tuna, meat or vegetables, is the favourite dish. Burgundy just like her Dr.Martens is her preferred colour. When she was a child, she adored painting and drawing everywhere, even in the street with chalk. Nowadays, Mariana still loves to paint, going to music festivals, shopping and reading. Steve Jobs is someone she admires for proving that no dream is too big and demonstrating that art is all around us, you just need to appreciate it. If she had to describe herself in a word, she would say: Family.
NB: This is a viewpoint by Mariana Marques from HiJiffy. HiJiffy brings chat to the hospitality industry, enabling guests to effectively connect with Hotels through instant messaging apps.
