Interview With Jan Hauser, CEO of Applifting

Applifting is a software and product development studio. We help both startups and big companies validate, design, and build meaningful solutions that improve the world around us and bring value to our clients’ customers. Our greatest focus is on FinTech and MedTech, but we have broad experience ranging from consumer apps to complex backend systems.

What Made You Want To Work In The Web And App Development Space?

Web and mobile apps can have enormous positive influence on our society. Our priority is to maximize this impact by creating software with a purpose. We seek projects that help their users, and we validate the products we work on to make sure that the problem we are solving is real. This is how we make sure we don’t waste our time and our client’s resources on projects that would not succeed.

What Made You Set Up Applifting? What Need In The Sector Did It Fill?

We created Applifting as a company driven by values rather than performance metrics and managerial goals. These values are shared by everyone who works with us. Together with our wide range of experts, this enables us to be a proper partner for our clients—to combat vendor lock-in and other unethical business practices.

What Developments In Web And App Development Excite You? What Do You Think Is Going To Be The Next Significant Trend? Are There Any Trends In This Space That Concern You?

The most exciting turn in the last few years is how the focus of software (and product) development moves toward a user-centred design approach. We firmly believe that this is the right way to think about products and that this switch benefits both providers and customers. Technologically speaking, another thrilling development is the current trend of making every day apps smarter, both by making AI-based suggestions to users, and through simplification and automation of various cross-system integrations. This of course disregards the currently hyped crypto-world, which is a topic of its own (as well as the rise of metaverses).

Some Sources Say That There Is A Skill And Staff Shortage In This Sector. How Do You Recruit Your Staff And How Do You Motivate Them To Stay?

The lack of quality people hit our sector hard, but our excellent company culture brings us new colleagues anyway. To prepare for the next generation of experts, we also work closely with students, offering them internships and junior positions with firm mentoring. And the mentoring is not exclusive to juniors, every Applifter has a mentor, who makes sure they improve their skills and grow as a person. Another tool in our inventory is our transparency, especially in the context of salary and its increase. Together with our freedom, flexibility, and commitment to great craftsmanship, these are the main motivators for Applifers to stay part of our family.

What Does The Future Hold For Applifting? What Are Your Aims For The Company?

Apart from our ever-improving culture and growing family of satisfied clients, we are focusing our efforts on MedTech by establishing partnerships with some of the greatest players in the industry. While we expect most of our impact to come from this field, we are still looking for new clients and interesting opportunities in other areas as well.