Blerim Zeqiri, CEO of Radix
The majority of time, startups don’t take on the challenge of expanding into other countries. It’s not a consideration, or perhaps it’s just fear of the unknown or unfamiliar but faced with a tough problem of getting data to customers in an hour, Blerim Zeqiri, CEO of Radix changed his perspective to find an unexpected solution.
Radix was started because Blerim was working in real estate and saw there was a huge need for data on the market. He created the first fully web-based business intelligence solution. Radix is the preeminent market survey platform offering actionable data and analytical tools to the multifamily industry to better understand the competitive environment from a property level up to a portfolio or investment level. Radix.com
Getting data to his West Coast clients in an hour was his goal in order to provide clients more value and differentiate the platform in the industry. But the question was how to make this happen in 1 hour? The first trouble shooting session on solving this was the idea of having a team on the East Coast to provide a 3-hour window to collect the data and deliver it to the opposite coast. The problem? No one on the East Coast wanted to work for minimum wage. Blerim pivoted and changed his perspective on how to arrive at the question, “What if we went WAY east to get 6 hours ahead?”
“The country where I came from had a lot of talent there,” Blerim stated. As it turns out, tremendous talent was in Kosovo which, compared to other countries, has one of the youngest median ages, highest internet penetration rates, and people eager to work who can also speak English fluently.
Half of the work force in Kosovo is U.S. educated with degrees from prominent universities. The current generation in Kosovo has been raised watching U.S. culture and pop culture. They aren’t afraid to say, “I have this idea and why don’t you try it out.” Radix is enabling them to rise up, challenge, and the sky is the limit to grow and be part of the company.
Radix does not consider the Kosovo team as outsourcing. There is no U.S. and Kosovo team distinction, and Zeqiri says emphatically, they are “one team.”
Radix also invests in the Kosovo-based team’s professional development. Onboarding is done by pairing a new employee with the best experts in the U.S. for the first 3 months then continues through trainings, hackathons, and competitions.
The outcome for the customers? Clients were impressed and commented on how “you must have worked overnight” Balim’s response, “yes, we did!”
Blerim Zeqiri says it has been an incredible success story.
What’s in store for 2023? Radix anticipates hiring 50 more people next year.
The success shows in the willingness to change perspectives, being courageous to try something different, and building a powerful well-connected team. Go Radix!
Thank you to our sponsors the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations (PCFR) and Melikian Center for their participation, and for the bridge they are building to Kosovo. Visit https://pcfraz.org/ to see all the incredible work PCFR and its Director, Tina Waddingham is doing to grow Arizona’s prominence globally.
