Technology companies are often introduced with stories about garages, two laptops and an unhealthy amount of coffee. The story of ZipZip.es is considerably more grounded. It emerged from years in business, real estate, digital projects and hundreds of ordinary moments when its founder found himself thinking: “This should be much easier.”
Edgar Skulte was born in Latvia, worked across several industries and eventually settled in Spain with his family. One of his children was born here. He speaks about Spain not as a market on an investor slide, but as the country in which he lives, works and raises his family.
We spoke about the thinking behind ZipZip.es, expatriate life, language, artificial intelligence, safety and one particularly persistent obsession: not wasting people’s time.
Before ZipZip.es, why Spain?
Edgar Skulte: For many years I dreamed of living somewhere with sun, the sea, palm trees and a climate where you do not spend half the year negotiating with winter. I considered different countries, but Spain felt closest to me.
At first, the climate attracts you. Then you begin to discover the people. I love the openness, the smiles and the Spanish ability to enjoy life without turning every small problem into a national emergency.
Over time, Spain stopped being simply the country I had moved to. It became home. I live here with my family and one of my children was born here. That also creates a responsibility: I want to contribute something useful to the country that has given us so much.
“You may arrive for the sun and the sea. You stay because of the people.”
Where did the idea for a new platform come from?
There was no cinematic moment when I woke up at three in the morning and shouted, “I have it.” It was an accumulation of experience.
Many years ago I worked for a company involved in technology projects. I later spent several years working in real estate and built businesses in other sectors. Throughout that time I was also a regular user of property portals, classifieds and service platforms.
I understand both sides. I know how companies think, but I also know what it feels like to be the person who simply wants to find an electrician, rent a home or publish a listing without first reading a thirty-page instruction manual.
When I moved to Spain, the problem became very visible. The country has an enormous international population. These are people who may not have been born in Spain but live here, own businesses, buy property, work, pay taxes or spend long periods in the country.
Most platforms were never genuinely designed around that audience.
Is that why you describe ZipZip.es as expat-friendly?
Yes, but that does not mean it is only for foreigners. We are beginning with the most obvious unmet need.
We live in Spain and, of course, people who move here should learn Spanish. It is a matter of respect and the best path to integration. But learning a language takes time. During that time, people still need housing, an accountant, a mechanic, a lawyer or somebody to repair a leaking pipe.
Many people understand important information more easily in their native language or in English. I see no reason to make their lives unnecessarily difficult.
We begin with that audience, but the long-term vision is broader. ZipZip.es should grow for Spanish users as well and become a shared market rather than a small expatriate island.
What role does language play inside the product?
Language cannot simply be a selector in the corner of the screen. It has to be built into the whole experience.
We are developing an internal chat with automatic message translation. One person can write in Spanish and the other can understand the message in English, or the other way around. Language should not prevent two people from completing a transaction.
We are also working on helping users discover professionals, services and listings through their preferred language. The platform should connect markets that currently exist beside one another without properly meeting.
ZipZip.es covers many categories. Is there a danger of trying to do too much?
Of course there is. But a person’s life is not divided into separate applications either.
Today you need a home. Tomorrow you need a car. Next week you need an accountant, a moving company or information about an administrative procedure.
We want to build useful infrastructure around real life: property, vehicles, employment, professional services, products and practical information about documentation, transport, taxes and public services.
You speak frequently about speed. Why?
Because time is probably the most expensive resource we have.
If somebody opens a platform to find a plumber, they should not have enough time to learn plumbing while searching. And when publishing a listing requires coffee, patience and a YouTube tutorial, the product has been designed badly.
We want people to find or publish something in seconds. Search, categories and publishing flows are all being built around that objective.
“When publishing a listing requires a manual, the problem is not the user. The problem is the platform.”
Where does artificial intelligence fit?
We are already developing AI functions, but we are not interested in adding artificial intelligence simply because everybody now puts those two letters into a presentation.
It has to provide practical value: understand what somebody is looking for, improve listing quality, detect risk, translate, organise information and shorten the route to a useful result.
If artificial intelligence saves no time and improves no safety, it is only technological decoration.
How does the internal currency work?
We created an internal infrastructure called ZZes Coin. Its purpose is to reward users who add value to the platform.
People can receive internal currency for quality listings and other useful actions. They can then use it for platform services, including promoting a listing.
Quality should have a tangible reward. We are not interested in filling the site with empty, duplicated or abandoned offers.
How are you approaching fraud?
It is one of our central priorities. Every marketplace attracts honest users and also people trying to exploit the system.
We have an internal listing-processing system. When an offer shows suspicious signals, it can be classified as high risk and sent for mandatory review.
No serious platform can promise zero risk. But it can continually improve detection, controls and response times.
Why use an animated character as the face of the brand?
Because we did not want to look like another excessively serious company using photographs of people shaking hands in front of an office building.
Zip represents speed, optimism and modernity. We solve important problems, but the brand does not have to feel cold or boring.
And honestly, a friendly character can sometimes explain a function better than three paragraphs of corporate language.
What stage has the project reached?
ZipZip.es has already attracted private investment and we are now developing the next stage of the platform.
We are working on artificial intelligence, translation, professional tools, safety, useful content and new services. But we are not rushing out to announce that we will conquer Spain tomorrow.
We are not entering the market aggressively. We want to solve a real need and prove that we can do it well.
What is the immediate objective?
To serve the real needs of international residents and expatriates living in Spain.
We want to give them a professional, modern, accessible and fast platform where they can find property, work, services, professionals and practical information without feeling lost.
Other growth scenarios will come later. First, we have to deliver properly on what we promise today.
What would success mean to you personally?
It would mean that everything I learned in business, technology, real estate and my own experience as a user had become something useful.
I moved to Spain looking for a better life for my family. I found a culture and people I genuinely came to love. If I can now contribute some value, make life easier for other people and build something that also benefits Spain, that will mean a great deal to me.
Skulte does not describe ZipZip.es as a finished application, but as infrastructure still taking shape. The proposition is easy to explain and difficult to execute: a person should be able to arrive in Spain, open one platform and begin to understand the country in front of them.