6 quick questions and answers with Tom Gatzen, co-founder of ideal flatmate
Originally published on CloudEmployee
Q: In simple terms, what does ideal flatmate do?
Tom: ideal flatmate is the first flat-sharing platform with an algorithm to pair flatmates up based on their lifestyle and living habits. Our mission is to help flat-sharers find suitable living partners and great homes.
Q: What problems do you seek to solve or address?
Tom: We are solving problems from both sides of the marketplace. For flat-hunters, we are providing a platform that allows them to filter out potential flatmates that they are going to be most compatible living with, which low them the frustration from flatmate arguments.
For landlords and property developers, we are helping them rent out their properties with suitable tenants who are more likely to live together for longer, therefore saving them money by reducing void periods. Our research found that people who find a flatmate through our matching report themselves to be twice as happy as people who found someone to live with via a different website.
Q: How is ideal flatmate funded?
Tom: Yes, we have raised two rounds of funding totalling £1.25 M. This has been mainly from High Net Worth individuals.
Q: What were you doing before you started ideal flatmate?
Tom: I had a range of careers in law, politics and financial PR. Although I enjoyed these roles and learnt a lot from them, I have found running my own startup far more exciting and challenging!
Q: What inspired you to start ideal flatmate?
Tom: We started the company based on the personal experience of Rob, my co-founder, and I. We met and lived together while studying and when looking for flatmates after leaving university, we soon realised the challenges of using existing websites to find compatible people to share a home with.
Q: What is the plan for the next 5 years? Where do see ideal flatmate going?
Tom: We are still at the start of our journey with ideal flatmate. We are on track to become the busiest flat-sharing site in the UK by the end of 2020 and we will then look to expand internationally.
