Pavlos Loizou's Journey of Building Ask Wire From Cyprus to the World

The Interview:

What was the turning point that made you want to become an entrepreneur?

“My first job in 2004 was with CBRE in London, where I quickly realized I had a knack for challenging processes and proposing improvements. While most were content to follow procedures, I couldn’t help but try to make them better. That’s when it clicked, I was wired to build and solve, not just execute.

After a couple of years in London, I moved to Romania and worked in a rapidly developing market. It was there I saw how real estate infrastructure could be built from the ground up and how I could be the one to lay the foundation, not just work within it.”

What led you to start Ask Wire, and what problem did you aim to solve?

“The spark for Ask Wire came from frustration. After nearly a decade managing real estate assets tied to distressed loans particularly during Cyprus’s post-crisis cleanup. I realized we were constantly making decisions without the necessary data and we wasted countless hours and money chasing fragmented, outdated information.

Ask Wire was born from the belief that properly structuring data like ownership, transactions, risks, permits, and environmental exposure could make the sector more efficient, transparent, and fair. Real estate isn't just about prices and rents, it’s about insurance, energy, permits, sustainability (ESG), and management. These elements are all connected through data, and if you want to digitalize the sector, you must first make that data accessible and usable.”

What was your biggest early challenge, and what did you learn from it?

“One of my biggest early mistakes was underestimating the time it takes to gain traction in small B2B markets like Cyprus and Greece. These markets are relationship-driven, with long sales cycles, especially when targeting banks, insurers, or large investors.

The second mistake was hiring too quickly. In the early days, it’s tempting to hire fast, but the wrong hire can set you back months.”

What was your first breakthrough that gave you the confidence to go all in?

“There were two key moments. First, the founders of Hellas Direct came onboard, not just with capital, but with time. They held me accountable with weekly calls, pushed me through our WhatsApp group, and constantly raised the bar.

Then, Lars Rasmussen, co-founder of Google Maps, joined as an investor and mentor. His guidance helped us think globally on how to scale, simplify, and stay user-focused. With that kind of backing, I knew we had something worth fully committing to.”

How did you secure funding for Ask Wire, and what advice do you have for founders raising capital?

“We’ve raised €2.8 million, with over €700,000 coming from the founding team. Our backers include Lars Rasmussen, Hellas Direct, Founders Bridge, Ellinas Finance, and other angels. We also have support from Google’s Looker BI team, particularly in Romania for public sector integrations.

My advice to founders: don’t chase funding as the goal. I fell into that trap getting good at raising money while the product lagged behind. Focus on solving a real problem and improving your product each month. Investors will follow that.”

What are your goals for 2025?

“We’re focused on three key objectives for 2025:

1. Scale our auto-generated valuation reports, currently used by institutional clients, to a broader market.

2. Leverage generative AI to enhance deduplication, portfolio benchmarking, and trend analysis, enabling clients to get instant, actionable insights.

3. Launch retail-facing products, starting in Greece, with PriceMap giving individual investors access to market intelligence and valuation tools.

To support these goals, we’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdbase, open until early May, allowing anyone to back and benefit from our growth and so far we have raised €145,680, which is 146% of the minimum target.”

What impact do you hope to make through your work, beyond success?

“I’m not driven by money or visibility. I care about whether Ask Wire helps others reach their potential, whether that’s team members growing into leaders or clients making better decisions with our data.

If we can contribute to a real estate market that’s more transparent, fair, and efficient especially in regions like ours - that’s the impact I want to leave behind.”