Raisin - Behind the scenes

Interview with Raisin - Europe’s #1 deposit marketplace

Founded: 2012
Tech stack: Java, Node.js, PHP, JavaScript
Employees(#): 120 (60 tech)
Headquarters: Berlin

How did Raisin’s journey begin? What problem are you solving?

Our aim is to provide customers all over Europe with simple, secure and attractive savings and investment products. We started with one term deposit offer from one partner bank working with a small team in a tiny basement office. Today more than 100.000 clients invested more than 5 billion Euros with our 40 partner banks in Europe. Our team consists of more than 120 employees from close to 30 different countries.

What do you do and makes your service exciting?

Raisin is the leading pan-European investment marketplace connecting retail customers with banks. Our product is at the core of FinTech innovation and at the fore-front of the open banking revolution. We enable our customers to make the most of their money and are a trusted partner to financial institutions across Europe.

What kind of talent are you looking for?

Hiring the best talent and collaborating across teams are prerequisites for achieving outstanding and lasting results. We are looking for candidates that have drive and show initiative, that are willing to take on responsibility and are not afraid to be hands-on. Also, we value innovative thinking in candidates, who are creative and do not shy away from great opportunities. Although we want people who are able to work independently, we still highly emphasize team work and working collaboratively towards the same goals.

Can you describe the work environment at Raisin?

To enable everyone to identify with our values, we defined our principles and hung them in the office. For example, we want our employees to act entrepreneurially: We want them to identify business opportunities and treat the company´s resources as if they were their own. Also, we encourage everyone to step up and respectfully disagree — but also to commit to a decision, once it is determined. Therefore, we have flat hierarchies here at Raisin. No matter if CEO, working student or intern, everybody is involved and everybody’s input is valued. We want people to unleash their potential together with great people and that is why we aspire to create an environment where our employees get to work with the best brains in the FinTech industry. Our engineering team is always at the core of the business. We work according to agile principles cross-functionally with chapters and quads. Everyone is involved in projects across the whole company to enable us to deliver value to our customers, partner banks and the rest of the teams in the company. They don’t have to ask for permission to be involved in every part of the business they are passionate about. That allows them to take on new responsibilities, shape their role and even the company direction. We encourage proactiveness and appreciate when people are curious and willing to grow, learn and improve. Beyond that we benefit from the diversity of the team. Not only does our team consist of close to 30 different nationalities, but we are also from different backgrounds with different levels of experience. This encourages thinking outside one’s own scope and being inspired by a different perspective.

What growth opportunities do you offer to your employees?

At Raisin, our aim is to provide an ideal environment for development and growth. We offer a variety of internal as well as external trainings. There are several internal trainings that are mandatory for everyone. For instance, there is a feedback training where everyone learns how to provide, but also how to receive feedback. In addition, every employee has a yearly training budget that can be used for external trainings. Besides that, we live an open feedback culture, where we encourage to provide and to receive feedback daily. In addition to this frequent informal feedback, we have formal performance reviews twice a year where we discuss the current performance as well as the next steps for development.

What’s the tech scene like in Berlin? Are you happy to have started Raisin there?

The tech scene in Germany is very international and diverse. We are very happy to have started Raisin in Berlin as it is the tech hub in Germany and even in Europe. There are many start-ups, a big tech community as well as several well-known universities. The community is driven by innovation and modern technology, which is also why you can attend many different events, such as conferences, hackathons, and workshops.

Prove that you’re The One. What would attract candidates to work for you?

We are the fastest growing FinTech in Europe and have received a substantial amount of funding. Our product is at the core of FinTech innovation and at the fore-front of the open banking revolution. We have a clear vision for the future, that is becoming the one-stop shop for savings and investments. Thus, we provide the unique opportunity to become part of this exciting journey and have a significant impact. In addition, we have a number of other benefits, such as daily fresh fruit, breakfast and a variety of beverages at free disposal. In addition, there are several different sports activities that you join, such as yoga, running, and volleyball. Also, we go on a company retreat once a year. Last year we for instance went to Sofia in Bulgaria for four days. If you are coming from outside the EU, we offer assistance with the visa and relocation process to ensure a smooth start.