✨ Philip ✨

Hi Philip, as a member of your team, we meet daily. However, for those who don't know: who are you and what is your role at HelloBetter?

I am Philip, the Co-Founder of HelloBetter. As COO, I am responsible for Operations, Finance, People Management, Regulatory Affairs, and Legal matters. My role within our organization is to equip each team with the essential resources, tools, processes, and operating principles. This approach empowers them to effectively achieve our business goals. I hold a degree in Technology Management from TU Munich, and I have worked for BMW in Munich, Beijing, and New York. I'm also a father to two young children and am based in Hamburg.

As one of the founders, how did you join the team?

I joined HelloBetter in early 2019 as a member of the Founding Team. I knew Hannes from way back when the two of us were working in the Education space. When I met the existing team of HelloBetter, Hanne, Elena & David, I was immediately hooked. Their passion for patients, the academic rigor with which they approached this topic, their experience, and simply their humility inspired me.

What’s one thing you’ve learned here that you didn’t expect when you joined?

Phew, it's difficult to distill this down to one lesson. We expanded our team from 15 in 2019 to 150 today, launched our platform during the lockdown in 2020, released six prescription DTx products, served patients in the US and Europe, and hired employees in 10 different countries. We also raised 25 million Euros. I think I have never faced as many challenges like I did in the past few years, and for that, I am incredibly grateful.

Three words to describe the HelloBetter team: Ambitious, curious and passionate.

🥕

Favorite office snack? Always have my box of Apples and carrots with me :)

What’s your favourite aspect of working at HelloBetter?

My role is never boring. It constantly brings new challenges, allowing me to learn new things. We have cultivated an atmosphere where learning is valued. We set high standards for ourselves, yet allow everyone the benefit of the doubt. We permit people to make mistakes, reflect, and improve. I appreciate this openness.

You are my manager :) Candidates often ask if we have flat hierarchies at HelloBetter. What's your view on that?

In my opinion, our 150-person organization maintains a relatively flat structure. We give each leader considerable responsibility and freedom to operate in their own way. Particularly in our C-Level group, each individual takes full ownership without being micromanaged, while maintaining a high level of transparency that enforces accountability. However, we have identified a few bottlenecks in our organization and are planning to expand our leadership team both internally and externally.

How do you embrace HelloBetter’s remote-first culture: are you a remote bird or an office tiger?

Office tiger, for sure. But appreciate the possibility to work from home - where I have a two year old co-worker who loves joining me for All-Hands and team calls.

In the spirit of remote work, describe your ideal workspace setup.

I really do not care that much. But one thing I can hardly go without anymore is a big (!) screen. Makes reporting, working with large sheets much easier.

Can you be flexible with your working time in your team? How does your work schedule look like?

I have a two-year-old and a seven-month-old at home. Balancing my roles as a father, partner, and co-founder of HelloBetter can be challenging. My day usually starts with a morning Kita run, and I'm in the office by 8:30 at the latest. I leave between 6 and 6:30 in the evening, go home, put my son to bed, and have dinner. I've significantly reduced my travel due to my children. It's not easy, but it's incredibly helpful that most members of the management team also have at least one child at home. Their understanding is invaluable.

Our marketing designer, György, draws inspiration from the people around him. Out of curiosity, do you think you were the inspiration for this illustration?

Haha, if so, I feel very honoured!

If you could switch roles with anyone in the HelloBetter team for a day, who would it be and why?

It's tough to choose, but I'd probably say:

1. Patient Support & Therapeutic Services: These teams assist our patients from their initial research on our website to the completion of our courses. Reading about how our products positively transform individuals' lives is incredibly uplifting.
2. Sales Team: Our sales team, spread across Germany, interacts daily with one of our thousand prescribers. These conversations are invaluable for refining our products to meet the needs of patients and prescribers.
3. Data Team: Spending a day with one of our Data Scientists or ML Engineers would be awe-inspiring. It's truly impressive to see what we can already achieve today, and the potential of what's to come is mind-blowing!

What is your favourite Slack channel?

User Feedback: If you've had a tough day at work, I recommend browsing through this channel to understand the impact our work has on people's lives. My team and I are more behind the scenes and less directly connected with patients. However, reading through the feedback, you get a sense of why we are truly doing all of this.

If HelloBetter had a club for your favourite hobby, what would it be and what activities would it involve?

We actually go running during the lunch break every Friday. I am super grateful for this opportunity because for me it's hard to incorporate sports outside of work with small kids at home. So combining work and sport is awesome.

Who should I interview next in your opinion and why?

I would suggest to speak to our Data Team to get some insights into the future!

Conclusion

Thank you, Philip, for being the first C-level executive to step into the spotlight! We hope our other co-founders will follow suit. Philip leads the operations team, which includes people, legal matters, regulatory affairs, and finance. If you're interested in joining us, check out our team pages and open positions!

Legal Team

Finance Team

People Team

Operations Team