Hiperpool aims to transform the careers of professionals in consulting, strategy, M&A and similar disciplines by matching them with relevant roles at leading firms across major international hubs. It was founded in 2015 by two former strategy consultants, Antonio Leone and Mohamad El Rafei. It is completely free and confidential for professionals searching for new opportunities.
What is Hiperpool?
Antonio Leone: It’s an exclusive online community and job-matching platform tailored to top-tier professionals with experience in strategy, consulting, M&A and similar disciplines.
There are two elements to our platform – job-matching and community. Every candidate who signs up tells us where they’re looking to take their career and we match them to relevant opportunities as soon as they become available. Then there is the wider community aspect where we offer other services to our members such as career advice, membership benefits and so forth. We’re really more than a pure job platform.
Why did you start Hiperpool and what problems does it solve?
Mohamad El Rafei: We both studied together at London Business School in 2011/2012 and then both went into consulting afterwards. I went to Bain & Company, and Toni went to Booz & Company, before they were acquired by PwC.
We started Hiperpool because we saw a gap in the market from our own experiences as both candidates and employers. Our friends and colleagues were either consultants or bankers and we saw that they had a particular type of situation where they were really busy, not actively looking for a job but always open to an opportunity. However, there was no real way for them to be aware of really exciting opportunities available to them on the market through the traditional channels.
When we think of these traditional channels, we think of professional networks like LinkedIn, existing job-portals – either exclusive or not, and recruitment agencies. All of these do a decent job separately, but none of them is a complete solution for both the candidates and the employers. Because candidates of the highest calibre are not actively searching for opportunities, employers are unable to engage with them. They don’t uncover the best talent and receive irrelevant applications.
We built a product that bridges that gap and helps companies find the best possible person, and professionals find the best possible opportunity.
Where do you see yourselves in the market?
AL: If you take a look at the continuum of recruitment services, on one hand you have job portals, such as LinkedIn, which generate high volume of applications, cost little and provide limited service. On the other end of the spectrum, you have recruitment agencies who offer high-level of service and are very much involved, but prices can be steep. We try to take the best of both worlds and place ourselves in the middle.
MER: We are trying to combine the benefits of a professional network and a high-end specialised executive search firm. For professionals, this means receiving tailored opportunities without the need to sift through thousands of job ads or entertain vague headhunter calls. For employers, this means quicker access to high-quality, pre-screened candidates who cannot be found via other channels.
What do the next few years hold in store for Hiperpool?
AL: We really see ourselves as becoming the leading community and career platform for this niche. If you are in consulting, banking or a similar industry, you have to be part of the Hiperpool community because it’s going to help you advance in your career with confidence.
MER: In the past three years we’ve been refining our product and our approach. We now understand our model much better and we believe our product is a winning product. Now it’s time to refine the features, grow the professional and employer base, and take it to the next level.
Looking for your next career move? Join Hiperpool and let the right opportunity find you – Visit: https://hiperpool.com/
