From Bootcamp to Building Europe’s Next Big Platform: How Le Wagon Impacted a Founder’s Journey

Meet Alex Weiss, the 29-year-old founder who’s revolutionizing how young professionals find housing across Europe with ‘flatsforfriendz’ – and how a coding bootcamp became the foundation of his entrepreneurial success.

Our Web Development Bootcamp has recently evolved into the AI Software Development Bootcamp to better meet the needs of learners and the industry. If you want to find out more, click here.

 

The Unexpected Beginning

Alex Weiss didn’t set out to become a developer. When he enrolled in Le Wagon’s web development bootcamp (batches 398 and 399) in April 2020, his goal was different from most of his classmates.

“My goal was not to become a developer, actually,” Alex explains. “It was rather to build this bridge between business opportunity and product. I wanted to understand how this world works, to speak the [tech] language[s], and be able to anticipate and estimate development times.”

What happened next surprised even Alex himself – he started flatsforfriendz while still in the bootcamp, launching what would become a seven-person company serving young professionals across Europe. **

From Instagram Page to European Platform

Flatsforfriendz began as something beautifully simple: an Instagram page. Using Le Wagon’s pragmatic problem-solving approach, Alex started by leveraging existing infrastructure rather than building complex technology from scratch.

“What actually helped me at Le Wagon was this mentality towards being pragmatic to solve your problem,” he reflects. “It doesn’t need to be high-tech from the first point.”

The Instagram page grew organically, with Alex reposting thousands of stories over five years while he completed his master’s studies and worked at various startups. But the real transformation came when he decided to build a proper product.

🚀 Not from a tech background? Neither was Alex. Le Wagon is designed for career switchers and future founders. Learn how it works.

The Technical Foundation That Mattered

While Alex may not have become a full-time developer, his Le Wagon experience proved invaluable when it came time to scale. Understanding the technical landscape helped him make crucial decisions about product development, team building, and working with agencies.

“Even though you don’t end up coding yourself, it’s super interesting how you start to think in code, or you start to think in back-end, front-end,” Alex explains. “The thought process becomes more technical, which really helps guide your product decisions.”

This technical literacy became essential when Alex partnered with Sonic, a top European agency, to build the flatsforfriendz app. Having the vocabulary and understanding to communicate effectively with developers made the six-month development process much smoother.

🧠 Want to think like a developer, even if you’re not coding daily? Le Wagon helps you become tech fluent. Explore the curriculum.

Building a Team That Works

Today, flatsforfriendz operates with a lean but mighty team of seven: two full-time engineers, one working student engineer, one social media working student, one growth intern, one founder’s associate developing into product management, and Alex himself.

What Alex is most proud of is how well the team works together. “We have a really collaborative culture,” he shares. “Everyone pitches in, communicates openly, and supports each other — it makes all the difference.”

The European Vision

Flatsforfriendz isn’t just another housing platform – it’s positioning itself as the European solution to a fragmented market. “The European rental market is so huge, so large, so much untapped potential,” Alex explains. “We have a lot of national players with national brands, and I think that needs to change.”

The platform specifically targets young professionals who move frequently – for semester abroad programs, internships, and career opportunities. By building a verified community and network, Alex sees potential for expansion into other verticals like ride-sharing and ticket reselling.

Lessons for Future Founders

Alex’s advice for current bootcamp students and aspiring founders is both practical and personal:

• Be nice to everyone: “People are going to meet two, three, four times in their lives in interesting constellations. The Le Wagon community is strong, and you never know who might become a close friend or future collaborator.”
• Have a clear goal: “Really depends on what your goal is. I focused heavily on becoming a Figma pro and understanding how to interview consumers, because tech follows product and product follows user problems.”
• Think beyond coding: “For business people doing Le Wagon with similar goals – don’t only try to become best at coding, but also try to understand the journey to build a product, which is not only coding.”

🎯 Inspired by Alex’s journey? Start building your product with the skills you’ll gain at Le Wagon. Apply now or speak with an advisor.

The Road Ahead

Looking forward, Alex has ambitious but grounded plans. The immediate focus is expanding flatsforfriendz across Europe while building a sustainable, profitable company with a great culture. The longer-term vision involves leveraging their verified community for other verticals – essentially becoming the trusted network for young professionals’ various needs across Europe.

“I want to build a great company,” Alex says. “By great, it doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to make 100 billion. It should be profitable and work well, but especially, everyone should be happy.”

The Le Wagon Impact

Alex’s story demonstrates how coding bootcamps can serve different purposes for different people. While some graduates become full-time developers, others like Alex use the technical foundation to become better founders, product managers, and business leaders.

The key insight? Understanding technology isn’t just about writing code – it’s about thinking systematically, solving problems pragmatically, and building bridges between business needs and technical solutions. Becoming tech-fluent.

For Alex, Le Wagon wasn’t just about learning to code – it was about learning to think like a builder. And that mindset has proven invaluable in building flatsforfriendz into a platform that’s reshaping how young professionals find housing across Europe.

Start Your Own Journey with Le Wagon

Whether you want to become a developer, product manager, or tech-savvy founder, Le Wagon can help you build the skills to make it happen.

👉 See upcoming bootcamp dates
👉 Read more alumni stories
👉 Download the bootcamp syllabus

Flatsforfriendz is currently expanding across European markets. To learn more about their platform or join their community, visit their website, follow their journey on social media or check out their app.