TechTalks@Cass: Money without borders – How TransferWise is taking on the banks
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TechTalks@Cass: Money without borders – How TransferWise is taking on the banks
TechTalks@Cass (in partnership with Thomson Reuters) are intimate, in-depth interviews with some of the UK’s most innovative and inspirational tech entrepreneurs. Meet them up close and personal at Cass Business School, with plenty of time for your questions.
Please arrive at 6 PM for a 6.30 PM start. Afterwards, we are off to a nearby pub to continue the conversation over a few drinks.
Tech Writer Matt Cowan Interviews Taavet Hinrikus, co-founder of TransferWise
We are super pleased to welcome Taavet Hinrikus, co-founder of TransferWise, the UK's hottest fintech start-up (we think so at least!). TransferWise helps customers send money abroad at a lower cost than ever before, by using a peer-to-peer “crowdsourced” model to get the best exchange rate. Their aim: To disrupt highstreet banking by offering an alternative to the mainstream banking system and expose hidden banking fees. Their slogan: "Bye Bye Banks!" According to Taavet, 30% of financial services will be done by new companies in a few years, and TransferWise fully intend to be one of them.
Founded in 2010, TransferWise has already been used by customers to move over £1bn, and the platform is growing fast! TransferWise now has offices in London and Tallinn, Estonia, and employs 112 people. They have just completed another successful funding round and attracted a total of $33m from investors such as Sir Richard Branson, and Peter Thiel and Max Levchin, the co-founders of PayPal.
TransferWise has won a whole bunch of awards and was named one of Europe’s 100 “hottest start-ups” in 2014 by Wired.
As per usual, all of this is happening around the corner: their London offices are on City Road... about 10 minutes walk away from Cass Business School!
Taavet Hinrikus is co-founder of TransferWise. Before that, he was Skype’s Director of Strategy until 2008, starting as its first-ever employee. He helped take the business from an idea on the back of a napkin to a multi-million user business.He also helps the startup community as an advisor and angel investor. His investments include Tweetdeck, Mendeley, OMGPOP, Betaworks, Farmeron and Teleportd among others. At TransferWise, Taavet looks after marketing and product development.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/taavet
LinkedIn: uk.linkedin.com/in/taavethinrikus/
Matt Cowan is the Director of Media at Nelson Bostock Communications. Previously the European Technology Correspondent for Reuters TV and contributing writer to Wired UK, Matt has interviewed many of the tech sector’s most influential figures. He’s a great storyteller and great at getting others to tell their story.
Join us and be inspired #casstechtalks
