#MadeInWollongong
Business Leader Series
Johnny Mitrevski and Amanda Guest, CTO & Co-founder and Head of Talent at Scalapay
Tech and professional services
"Engineering is in Wollongong's DNA, you can really see it in the mindset of the talent here"
Johnny Mitrevski and Amanda Guest, CTO & Co-founder and Head of Talent at Scalapay
Tell us about the global business you are running here in Wollongong
JM: Scalapay is a buy now, pay later (BNPL) provider that operates in Southern Europe. We have offices in Italy, Barcelona, Paris and Portugal. Actually we're the number one BNPL player in Southern Europe at the moment. We currently service over 8 million customers as well as tens of thousands of merchants.
The ultimate vision for Scalapay is really to become Southern Europe's most loved financial platform. Whilst we've started off as a buy now pay later product, we're starting to expand into other services that can help people in their everyday lives to access financial products that aren't as easily accessible.
What is it like running a global company from Wollongong?
JM: Running a global company from Wollongong does come with its challenges, however a lot of the work can happen remotely. It's not necessarily easier to run a business here, but the quality of the people, in particular the engineering space, is something that's very valuable to Scalapay.
Our office in Wollongong primarily does the technical operations, the core platform itself is actually built out of Wollongong. We've got our software engineers, data engineers, data scientists, and quality engineers that develop the platform that services the business.
Why did you choose to start your business in Wollongong?
JM: I actually grew up in Wollongong, went to the University of Wollongong, and there was a part of me that thought if I was ever to start a company, I would want it to be here. However, there's a real advantage to starting an engineering focused company in Wollongong. The quality of the candidates that come out of the Uni, plus the DNA of the area… there really is an engineering excellence that that we carry with us through generations. I’ve worked with companies and people all over the world, and there really is something special about what happens here in Wollongong.
Scalapay is Wollongong's first Unicorn - what did that feel like?
JM: Becoming a Unicorn was a wonderful validation of all the work that the team here has put into the company over the last few years, and being recognised on a world stage is a really great feeling for us.
A Unicorn is a privately valued company that is worth over a billion dollars in equity. There’s only a handful of companies in Australia that have that status and it's really a great validation of the work that comes out of Wollongong.
How long is your commute?
JM: My commute is actually 24 hours to Milan! Just kidding, my commute's 5 minutes up the road - I have been living in Woonona for the past 20 years. I don't think it's just the commute to work that is the real advantage in Wollongong, it’s small enough that it’s really easy to do drop-offs and pick-ups in a matter of minutes where I’m sure in bigger cities that can be an hour or so. That is the real advantage.
What was the biggest challenge in building Scalapay?
JM: It was really just getting started. Having that faith and belief to build something without the guarantee of success, was a massive challenge. However, once we started to get revenue and the business started to grow even just a little, we started to build so much energy and positivity that masked a lot of the negative. Suddenly, the hard work was all for a purpose.
What advice would you give an entrepreneur starting out?
JM: My advice is to commit. I think there is truth in the saying of “burning the boats” and having no other option but making this work. Yes, there's going to be a lot of sacrifice but it makes the journey so much more fulfilling.
What are you most proud of?
JM: I'm most proud of the engagement that comes from the team. It's a long slog being a part of a startup. It's hard work. It's late nights. And to know that these people that have been here for the last five years on this journey and still turn up motivated every day is a fantastic feeling. Over time, that actually becomes the most important thing.
Amanda, tell us a bit about what you do here at Scalapay
AG: My role is mainly focused on attracting and growing talent for Scalapay, and it’s been a relatively easy journey for me based on the high quality talent that comes out of the University of Wollongong and iAccelerate programs. They create an entrepreneurial culture within Wollongong that's just continuing to grow and thrive.
Do you find it easier to retain talent in Wollongong?
AG: Our retention has been very high. We've got a really young, dynamic team, and we've been able to offer people the opportunity to come in and own something end to end and that’s not something they would typically get the opportunity to do in another organisation.
Having recruited for companies in Sydney and Wollongong, the difference is that people are more dedicated to staying within and developing a career path within the organisation. Whilst we have moved into a hybrid world, I think people here still do love to come together and that’s really easy in Wollongong, only 10 to 15 minutes from home. So we do still have a great office culture and that is what has enabled us to grow at the pace that we've grown.
What do you think employees are looking for?
AG: In the process of recruiting, the perception that I've come across from the Sydney market is just that there's a real lack of visibility of what Wollongong has to offer. It's important for people to know that not only do we have a wonderful infrastructure, schools, an easy commute to the office, we actually have a huge appetite for entrepreneurs. So with people looking to move to Wollongong, whether it's the initial job they're considering taking up, they can rest assured that there are other opportunities to move in the future into other organisations and to grow and to take their skills with them.
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Johnny Mitrevski and Amanda Guest, CTO & Co-founder and Head of Talent at Scalapay
Tell us about the global business you are running here in Wollongong
JM: Scalapay is a buy now, pay later (BNPL) provider that operates in Southern Europe. We have offices in Italy, Barcelona, Paris and Portugal. Actually we're the number one BNPL player in Southern Europe at the moment. We currently service over 8 million customers as well as tens of thousands of merchants.
The ultimate vision for Scalapay is really to become Southern Europe's most loved financial platform. Whilst we've started off as a buy now pay later product, we're starting to expand into other services that can help people in their everyday lives to access financial products that aren't as easily accessible.
What is it like running a global company from Wollongong?
JM: Running a global company from Wollongong does come with its challenges, however a lot of the work can happen remotely. It's not necessarily easier to run a business here, but the quality of the people, in particular the engineering space, is something that's very valuable to Scalapay.
Our office in Wollongong primarily does the technical operations, the core platform itself is actually built out of Wollongong. We've got our software engineers, data engineers, data scientists, and quality engineers that develop the platform that services the business.
Why did you choose to start your business in Wollongong?
JM: I actually grew up in Wollongong, went to the University of Wollongong, and there was a part of me that thought if I was ever to start a company, I would want it to be here. However, there's a real advantage to starting an engineering focused company in Wollongong. The quality of the candidates that come out of the Uni, plus the DNA of the area… there really is an engineering excellence that that we carry with us through generations. I’ve worked with companies and people all over the world, and there really is something special about what happens here in Wollongong.
Scalapay is Wollongong's first Unicorn - what did that feel like?
JM: Becoming a Unicorn was a wonderful validation of all the work that the team here has put into the company over the last few years, and being recognised on a world stage is a really great feeling for us.
A Unicorn is a privately valued company that is worth over a billion dollars in equity. There’s only a handful of companies in Australia that have that status and it's really a great validation of the work that comes out of Wollongong.
How long is your commute?
JM: My commute is actually 24 hours to Milan! Just kidding, my commute's 5 minutes up the road - I have been living in Woonona for the past 20 years. I don't think it's just the commute to work that is the real advantage in Wollongong, it’s small enough that it’s really easy to do drop-offs and pick-ups in a matter of minutes where I’m sure in bigger cities that can be an hour or so. That is the real advantage.
What was the biggest challenge in building Scalapay?
JM: It was really just getting started. Having that faith and belief to build something without the guarantee of success, was a massive challenge. However, once we started to get revenue and the business started to grow even just a little, we started to build so much energy and positivity that masked a lot of the negative. Suddenly, the hard work was all for a purpose.
What advice would you give an entrepreneur starting out?
JM: My advice is to commit. I think there is truth in the saying of “burning the boats” and having no other option but making this work. Yes, there's going to be a lot of sacrifice but it makes the journey so much more fulfilling.
What are you most proud of?
JM: I'm most proud of the engagement that comes from the team. It's a long slog being a part of a startup. It's hard work. It's late nights. And to know that these people that have been here for the last five years on this journey and still turn up motivated every day is a fantastic feeling. Over time, that actually becomes the most important thing.
Amanda, tell us a bit about what you do here at Scalapay
AG: My role is mainly focused on attracting and growing talent for Scalapay, and it’s been a relatively easy journey for me based on the high quality talent that comes out of the University of Wollongong and iAccelerate programs. They create an entrepreneurial culture within Wollongong that's just continuing to grow and thrive.
Do you find it easier to retain talent in Wollongong?
AG: Our retention has been very high. We've got a really young, dynamic team, and we've been able to offer people the opportunity to come in and own something end to end and that’s not something they would typically get the opportunity to do in another organisation.
Having recruited for companies in Sydney and Wollongong, the difference is that people are more dedicated to staying within and developing a career path within the organisation. Whilst we have moved into a hybrid world, I think people here still do love to come together and that’s really easy in Wollongong, only 10 to 15 minutes from home. So we do still have a great office culture and that is what has enabled us to grow at the pace that we've grown.
What do you think employees are looking for?
AG: In the process of recruiting, the perception that I've come across from the Sydney market is just that there's a real lack of visibility of what Wollongong has to offer. It's important for people to know that not only do we have a wonderful infrastructure, schools, an easy commute to the office, we actually have a huge appetite for entrepreneurs. So with people looking to move to Wollongong, whether it's the initial job they're considering taking up, they can rest assured that there are other opportunities to move in the future into other organisations and to grow and to take their skills with them.