Successful fintech founders lacked the perfect scaleup hub, so they built it themselves

The startup ecosystem wasn’t replaced by a hacienda in southern Spain when the founders of Clearhaus and Quickpay sold their companies to German Unzer in 2021. Instead, they put on their gloves and threw themselves into a new project: to create the most remarkable community for tech entrepreneurs in Aarhus, where they wanted to work themselves every day.

It took a lot of elbow grease. When they took over the architect-designed building, it was far from the sparkling community that POP2 is today. In fact, Director Ulrikke Skov Kejser wasn’t exactly thrilled with the project when she first saw it.

“I remember thinking: This is without me. You’ve lost your minds. But then Claus (Methmann, founder and CEO of Clearhaus ed.) called a few weeks later: We did it. Aren’t you in after all?” she remembers smiling.

About POP2:

– POP2 is founded with one goal in mind: to provide everything people need to help their businesses grow.

– The community emphasises being a premium experience for entrepreneurs. The architect-designed building offers a high-quality setting, free access to meeting and conference facilities, and lunch prepared by POP2’s chefs.

– POP2 has a total area of 9,500 m2 and can house 400-500 employees. Today, the residents are primarily tech scaleups, but soon, a number of new rooms and desk rentals will open for smaller startups.

– POP2 is an abbreviation for P. O. Pedersens Vej 2, which is the address of the community.

Read more at www.pop2aarhus.dk

Developed like a startup

Over three years, the 9,500 square meters north of Aarhus have been refurbished to the highest standards. The details of the Friis Moltke architecture have been given space, the interior design has been carefully selected and the coffee kitchen has a large barista machine while three chefs are responsible for lunch in the canteen every day.

It didn’t all happen at once following a master plan. In the best startup style, POP2 has been built bit by bit, and companies and employees have significantly influenced the finished result as they have moved in.

“We moved in first with Quickpay and Clearhaus. Anyday got some of the next offices, and they had a big say in how they wanted it – it all had to be refurbished anyway,” says Kejser and adds.

“We’re not real estate developers, so we’ve treated the whole thing like a startup we’re constantly developing.”

A community for senior entrepreneurs

Next-generation fintech comets from Aarhus, like Anyday and Vibrant, were the first tenants in POP2. Since then, a wider range of tech entrepreneurs have arrived, all with big ambitions in common. At POP2, they can use the experience in the building, the location and the premium experience to attract the right profiles for the growth journey.

“We actually wanted to find a building outside Ringgaden because we know that most people eventually have children and move out of the city. With this location, we can save them 20 minutes of transportation, which is a clear advantage,” says Kejser.

The concentration of tech scaleups in-house also means that sparring can be about anything from Series A investments to product testing. Over the coffee machine, on the house’s Slack channel and at biannual dinner events for founders in the house where they can help each other on the growth journey over red wine and good food. And this has resulted in several concrete collaborations across the board.

“We make sure that the framework is in place. That is what you buy into with us, so you only have to focus on building your business,” says Kejser.

Meet the residents of POP2:

“POP2’s concept and location is perfect for us – we can fully focus on building our business because everything else is taken care of. It makes it easier to grow and develop.”

– Kasper Krog, CEO Founder, Vibrant

“In POP2, we have found a unique environment where sparring with other companies is a natural part of everyday life. It’s invaluable to be able to share knowledge and experiences with like-minded people who understand the challenges we face.”

– Jonas Overgaard, CEO Founder, Anyday

“POP2 allows us to focus 100% on our work as all the facilities are top-notch. From a world-class canteen to a padel court and gym, we have everything we need – and our employees really appreciate that. In addition, the environment is filled with exciting companies on growth journeys that we can spar with and be inspired by.”

– Malte Vittrup, CEO Founder, Hakio

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