LATAM in GERMANY — Wilson Campero
LATAM in Germany is a new interview series and section, especially designed to highlight the EMERGE21 platform, both aiming to support Argentinian, Chilean, & overall LATAM founders and startups to strive their scaling into new markets, with a focus of having Hessen and Germany as an entrance point into Germany, Europe and the world.
Frankfurt Valley as a Media Partner, will highlight different leaders and founders, whose stories and records should inspire and motivate other LATAM stakeholders to join us.
Today, we bring to our virtual stage Wilson Campero — managing director of Qytera Software Testing Solutions GmbH, that previously was able to gain experience at various large international corporations such as Capgemini, Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Bank, SAP, SQS and 1 & 1 Ionos, and now lead to the “ entrepreneurial life he has always dreamed of.
Dear Wilson, you studied in Berlin, you are now based in Frankfurt, but could you let your reader know what your roots are? Where are you actually from?
Pedro, thank you very much for the invitation and the opportunity to participate in this interview.
I’m originally from Santa Cruz in Bolivia. When I was 17 years old, and right after finishing my school-leaving certificate, I came to Germany and studied Business Informatics in Berlin.
What brought you to Frankfurt — Hessen?
I’ve been living and working in Hesse for 14 years now but I have more in common with Hesse than just my work. I found the love of my life in Frankfurt and my three children were born there.
What are you currently working on? Do you think our region is the perfect spot for you right now?
I am the Managing Director of Qytera Software Testing Solutions GmbH. We are the market leader in test automation using open source tools.
We are currently working on our new Machine Learning project in the area of load and performance testing in software development for web applications.
Current performance issues concerning the accessibility of immunisation centres in terms of booking appointments, learning platforms and school portals, and video conferencing demonstrate the urgency of the issue.
For this purpose, Qytera has developed a new product called QLoad Testing. The product will be used, for example, in the upcoming federal elections in Baden-Württemberg.
Frankfurt is an ideal location for us because it is a financial metropolis, has an excellent infrastructure and universities and is characterised by a highly dynamic environment.
How much have you been involved in Innovation and Entrepreneurship locally and globally?
Qytera helps IT companies accelerate their digitisation projects — with continuous, automated testing. We have the privilege of managing digitisation projects together with our customers.
My vision for Qytera is to always keep my finger on the pulse and to adapt new technologies and methods for quality assurance.
This year, I completed a two-year entrepreneur training course, as part of which I worked very intensively together with eleven other entrepreneurs from Germany and Switzerland. Working on new ideas with like-minded people is not only a great experience but also a chance to grow personally.
With a multicultural background — how was your experience and things you overcame to be where you are today?
I was lucky enough to come to Germany when I was 17. For me, rediscovering the new old continent :-) was a real adventure. Latin American culture (music, literature, food) is very popular, especially in Germany. Now in summer, for example, Latino hits are often heard on the radio and when I speak Spanish to my kids, people smile and try to say a few words in Spanish too. This all made it much easier for me when it came to settling in here. Although you still have to get used to the high hurdles of German bureaucracy — even more so as an entrepreneur!
If you could mix the best of both worlds, what would be the top skills you would mix from both sides of the Ocean (LATAM and Germany)?
No question — German discipline with Latin American flexibility. This is the perfect combination!
Here, children are taught a sense of discipline from the day they are born. My daughters have been going to music and dance lessons since they were three years old. They chose these back then and have now been going to their respective classes several times a week for 5 years now. Week in, week out. Growing up in Bolivia, this would have been unimaginable.
This teaches them discipline, continuity and stamina — all very important qualities for the working world at a later stage.
However, crises (such as the current Corona crisis) have shown us that it is of great advantage and, even essential for survival, to be able to deviate from your own “rigid” concept and to be able to flexibly adapt to new ways of doing things. In Latin America, you learn from an early age to be flexible, adaptable and more willing to take risks on a daily basis — not just in Corona times.
Can you share some tips or stories with other LATAM Founders that are about to take the leap to start business in Germany-Europe?
Entrepreneurship is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Gut decisions are good, but structure and planning are more important! It’s also hugely important to have systems in place in terms of sales, marketing and recruiting so that success remains repeatable and scalable.
It all comes down to having the right team! We currently have a seven-step hiring process to find and attract the right people.
Health, exercise, balance and fulfilling relationships are incredibly important.
I only work with people who are a real pleasure to work with, and this applies to both employees and clients.
Today, I don’t just want to be a successful entrepreneur, but also a happy one.
To close the interview, we invite all our readers to discover the initiative fromAHK Argentina — Cámara de Industria y Comercio Argentino-Alemana together with Mainstage Incubator and Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH:
https://www.argentinavalley.com/
Join us on the 20th for the Pitch day — tickets here: https://www.airmeet.com/e/c8c7d3c0-dbfd-11eb-9a99-ab8bbdcc284b
