BETBY has expanded its presence in Barcelona with a new office in Poblenou, marking another step in the supplier’s international growth journey. Since first establishing a presence in the city in 2023, the company has grown from just over 100 employees to around 400, reflecting its evolution into a Tier 1 B2B sportsbook provider.

5 Star iGaming Media spoke with Inna Zhilyakova-Oganesyan, VP of People at BETBY, about why Barcelona has become such an important location for the supplier, how the new office supports its people and culture, and what it takes to scale a team sustainably in one of Europe’s most competitive technology hubs.

BETBY already had a presence in Barcelona, but has now expanded into a new location. Why was this the right moment to take that step?

I think the timing says a lot about how our Barcelona journey has developed.

When we first opened in the city in 2023, it started quite modestly, with a small group of people working from a coworking space. At that stage, Barcelona was already attractive to us, but it was still very much an early step. Since then, the city has become one of our key talent hubs.

What changed is that Barcelona started to play a bigger role for BETBY naturally. It became attractive for internal moves, then we began hiring more locally, and over time it became clear that we needed a stronger, more permanent base there.

So this expansion is not something that happened overnight. It reflects the growth of the team, the growth of the company, and our confidence in Barcelona as a long-term location for BETBY.

Poblenou also fits us very well. It has this strong international tech community, a very modern business environment and an energy that matches our culture. For a company like BETBY, which is very innovation-driven, that matters. We wanted to be in a place where our people could feel connected to the wider tech ecosystem, not isolated from it.

The new office is obviously about creating more space, but projects like this usually have a bigger purpose. What did you want the Barcelona office to achieve for the team?

Of course, space was only part of the need. When a team grows, you need the right environment to support that. But for us, the office was never only about desks, meeting rooms or capacity.

The idea was to create a place where people genuinely enjoy spending time together.

That may sound simple, but it is very important. After the last few years, many companies are still trying to understand what the office should mean. For me, the answer is not forcing people into a building. It is creating an environment where collaboration feels natural, where people want to meet, exchange ideas and build stronger relationships.

We wanted the Barcelona office to reflect the way BETBY works: modern, welcoming, open and people-first. It should support creativity, but also make everyday work easier. It should also help teams collaborate across functions, not just sit next to each other.

There is also an emotional side to it. A physical office can give people a stronger sense of belonging. It shows that the company is investing in them and in their future. For a fast-growing international company, that feeling of connection becomes increasingly important.

The iGaming industry is highly competitive when it comes to talent, especially because the pool of experienced professionals is relatively limited. How does a stronger presence in Barcelona help BETBY attract and retain people?

The talent market in iGaming is very competitive, and everyone knows that. There are not unlimited numbers of experienced sportsbook professionals available, so companies cannot rely only on hiring people who already come from the industry.

That is one of the reasons Barcelona is so valuable to us. The city gives access to a much wider talent pool, including people from technology, product, data, engineering, AI, fintech and other digital sectors. For many roles, that broader experience can be extremely relevant.

Instead of looking only for someone who has already worked in iGaming, we look for people who can learn fast, solve complex problems and bring a fresh perspective. In some cases, coming from outside the industry can actually be an advantage, because people are not limited by how things have always been done.

When it comes to retention, that is a different challenge, and for me it comes down to the full employee experience. A great office helps, of course, because it strengthens the employer brand and creates a better environment. But people stay because they feel they can grow, have impact and enjoy the people they work with.

At BETBY, we try to combine meaningful work, flexibility, development opportunities and a collaborative culture. People want to know that their work matters, they want to see that they are not just filling a position but contributing to something that is moving forward. That is what we need to protect as we scale.

BETBY has grown from a startup in 2018 into a company of more than 400 employees. From a people perspective, what are the biggest pain points when a company scales that quickly?

The biggest challenge is keeping alignment and speed as the company grows.

In a startup, alignment can happen very naturally. People sit close to each other, decisions are made quickly, and everyone knows what is happening because the company is small. But when you grow to hundreds of employees across different locations, that does not happen automatically anymore.

You need clearer communication, stronger managers, better processes and more structure. At the same time, you cannot become too heavy or bureaucratic, because that would kill the speed and energy that helped the company grow in the first place. That balance is probably the hardest part.

Another pain point is mindset: people need to adapt as the company changes. What worked when the team was small may not work when the business is bigger, more complex and serving more partners. Roles become more specialised, expectations become higher and leadership becomes more important at every level.

For us, the focus today is less on hiring fast and more on scaling sustainably. Growth is not only about adding more people, you need to make sure the organisation can support that growth properly.

When BETBY hires today, what kind of people fit the company best?

We look for people who take ownership, that is one of the most important qualities for us. Technical skills matter, of course. Experience matters. But in a company like BETBY, people also need to be comfortable with responsibility, change and complex problems.

We value people who are curious, adaptable and willing to learn. The sportsbook industry moves quickly, and technology moves quickly as well, so you need people who do not wait for perfect conditions before they act.

A “can-do” mindset is very important for us. Not in the sense of saying yes to everything, but in the sense of looking for solutions instead of only pointing out problems.

Teamwork also matters a lot. As the company grows, no one succeeds alone. The best people are those who can contribute strongly in their own area but also understand how their work affects other teams.

And then there is cultural contribution. We do not want everyone to be the same, because that would not be healthy. But we do want people who add to the culture in a positive way: people who bring energy, responsibility, honesty and ambition.

Looking ahead, what will be the biggest people challenge for BETBY as the company continues to scale?

For me, the biggest challenge is preserving our entrepreneurial culture while becoming a much larger organisation.

That is easy to say, but difficult to do. As companies grow, they naturally need more systems, more processes and more structure. The risk is that you add those things in a way that slows people down or makes the company feel less personal.

So the question is: how do we build the systems we need without losing the mindset that made BETBY successful?

Leadership development will be a big part of that. As teams grow, managers become even more important because they are the people who keep teams aligned, motivated and connected to the company’s goals. We need leaders who can scale teams, maintain high standards and still create an environment where people feel trusted.

Another challenge is keeping culture consistent across locations. We are becoming more international, and that is a strength, but it also means we need to be more intentional about communication, values and employee experience.

I think the work starts now. You cannot wait until the company is much bigger and then try to fix culture later, you have to build the right foundations while you are growing.

That is why projects like the new Barcelona office matter: because they give BETBY the space, structure and energy to keep growing in the right way.