Resilient Bowpi
By: Mario Salazar
We know that our team is tough minded when we finish projects, overcome obstacles and constantly overachieve. We have continuously proven our strength and commitment to our mission, especially during this pandemic.
Bowpi had a unique beginning, led by the vision of our founders to modernize financial institutions through a Lending as a Service (LaaS) platform. Transforming financial companies has been our ambitious goal from the start, combining cutting edge technology, data driven strategy and a multidisciplinary team to provide an end-to-end solution for lenders.
Our dynamic team is constantly exposed to cognitive training, meditation and other brain hacks to become resilient and improve their lives while working in an innovative company. Along with the interesting activities and creative stimuli, comes a certainty that the future depends on consistently developing innovative solutions and bringing them to market. The products we develop require knowledge and coordination of many specialists such as mathematicians, psychologists, business intelligence analysts, project managers and product designers. We are fortunate to be have a talented team in a supportive environment and work with clients who shared our vision.
Shortly after our launch, we divided the team into groups where they were challenged to tackle our clients´ problems in an innovative and disruptive manner, disregarding budgets or deadlines. The challenge thrilled all of us, many working around the clock to find out-of-the box solutions which were later showcased to well-regarded personalities, including our family members, our clients, other business leaders and the rest of our team. Our clients were able to see a glimpse of the future, and our team was inspired to tackle further problems in an innovative manner.
The winning solutions were later developed and incorporated into our product offerings. The best-selling component of our platform was in fact originated in this hackathon, an algorithm to better predict consumer payment behavior. The hackathon is an example of our company´s inclusive culture where great ideas can come from anyone, and together we can continue to transform financial institutions around the world.
“The Bowpis” love to listen to music as they work, go for a brisk walk to lower cortisol and adrenaline levels and chat about particular challenges while heading to the coffee shop down the road. Bowpi was founded in 4° Norte. This area is considered Guatemala City´s startup hub, or as some call it “The Silicon Valley of Guatemala”. The office is surrounded by art studios, theatres, a university, novel restaurants and coffee shops, advertising agencies and entrepreneurs everywhere fashioning the future. Our facilities combine workstations with open spaces, areas for relaxation, dialog and creation, a ping pong table, among other amenities. This set-up showcases our commitment to accommodate the brain´s need for variety, entertainment, and bouts of certainty and enigma.
Every month we invite experts to lead discussions on important topics such as nutrition, meditation, sleep, exercise and more. During these Brain Hacks we make sure the experts cover the latest developments in the field. These sessions are often followed by discussions directed by our CEO, where best practices are shared on how to apply the techniques to our day-to-day. We are committed to science, research and to creating adaptable solutions not only for work but for life, motivating many of us to develop healthier habits and grow outside the workplace.
We believe that balancing exercise, sleep, meditation, good nutrition, and personal time, leads to a fuller life, better productivity for team members, and for Bowpi at large. This strategy has worked wonders, our team is sustainably energized and recharged, leading to zero employee-rotation and to satisfied clients.
When the pandemic hit, our team adapted quickly to create the necessary conditions to maintain our development cycles, communication channels and a unique company culture. To sustain our culture and brain-gym initiative, the team has created various activities, including online games, meditation, and coaching sessions. We have continued to meet every morning to plan our activities and on Friday evenings to celebrate our successes. Our productivity throughout the pandemic has increased, our team members have gone the extra mile to deliver projects on time, and once again we have proven to be a resilient Bowpi.
