Interview with Zoi’s Managing Director Benjamin Hermann

Table of Contents

1. What’s the story behind the creation of your company? What inspired you to start your business?

Benjamin Hermann: “Get out of your comfort zone!” While this may sound like the shrill whistle call of a run-of-the-mill fitness trainer, for me and my partners it was this uneasy feeling that was our main motivation. We have both worked in similar company structures and, ironically, around 20 of our current employees have also experienced the same kind of working environment that was not creating the culture that led to a productive, creative, and forward-thinking workforce. Back then the startup hype was up and running but we saw a lack of newly established companies that really captured the potential of doing it in a different way. We had the vision to start a company which is truly diverse and scales fast internationally. A company which is home for nerds, but also fancy and determined to ship great services to the hidden champions in the thriving region of Stuttgart, Germany, and beyond. This type of company was not existing. So we started it. Together, we shared our experiences and encouraged each other to break out of our comfort zone, to transform it, and, most importantly, to digitize it. We pushed the reset button ourselves.

2. What’s your current view on the market you work in? What makes you feel like your brand stands out?

Benjamin Hermann: We at Zoi are guiding digital champions with our passion for code, cloud, data, electrical engineering and creation. We are working to find unique solutions in the infinite world of cloud computing – without compromise. We are self-determined and independent. As an international team, we offer our services to medium-sized and global customers. We find and implement agile and sophisticated code solutions by combining the best of enterprise IT and cloud computing. Despite being a recent entry to the market place, we possess a great deal of know-how and remarkable knowledge of the industry.

3. What’s your company culture like? What is that you want to represent?

Benjamin Hermann: Zoi is the abbreviation for Zero One Infinity – underpinning the essence of IT together with our ethos and drive. The definitive between 1 and 0 or yes or no, for example. We pride ourselves on clear decisions while also being aware that there is no time for standing still, and that there is no such thing as a standard solution. We have reset everything to zero in order to resurface again within our company. We can facilitate this reset within our customer base so that progress and success can be created moving forward. And that every idea can be the start of something big. That’s why we actively foster flat hierarchies and build on the competence of each individual.

4. What is your team like? How do you work?

Benjamin Hermann: We currently have two main locations in Germany and more are planned. Our main location in Stuttgart is closely linked to the successful medium-sized company structure of this region, including prominent international relationships. Our second location in Berlin enables us to be close to the digital generation. We call them “digital creatives” – a self-confident generation that handles digital opportunities creatively, intuitively, and holistically.

Our company growth is inextricably linked to cultural growth. Our team was already interdisciplinary at the time the company was founded. This is both a valuable position as well as a powerful resource for us because a tailor-made cloud solution includes our ability to accept very different points of view. In addition to classic IT techs, we also employ biologists, mathematicians, and physicists, with our team being rounded off by lateral entrants from the agency sphere. We are proud of the fact that we have employees who are able to as-

sume and apply an entrepreneurial mindset themselves. The development of the individual is very important to us, since we are striving for a continuously evolving development process and all want to be proactively ahead of the curve.

5. What kind of people are you looking for? Who’s the best match for your team?

Benjamin Hermann: We are looking for idealists, digital heroes, and visionaries who – just like us – believe in the potential of digitalization. We believe in people who enjoy delivering. Shipping beats perfection – this is one of our mottos. Just as in our technological outlook, our internal focus is on people and their development. Which is why we’re always on the lookout for exciting people to enrich our team. If you like finding solutions by trial and error and are looking for the freedom to develop personally and professionally, then you’ll discover that working at Zoi can be more than just a job.

Find out about our currently open positions on our career page: https://meet.zoi.de

6. What benefits and perks do you offer your employees? What’s the biggest plus of working for you?

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. That’s why 20 percent of your working time at Zoi is always available for creative technological and methodical experimentation. We enable our employees to working at their own pace to help shaping the success of our company. This works best in interdisciplinary teams, in direct contact with our customers, with working hours that are truly flexible – and team events that go beyond the bowling alley. Free Friday lunch and fruits, coffee and water are additional add-ons. But the most important part in my opinion is that everyone is encouraged to shape the company and to contribute equally to drive Zoi forward.