Taavet Hinrikus is one of Europe's most influential tech figures. As the very first employee at Skype, he learned firsthand how to scale a disruptive global product. He then co-founded Wise, a fintech giant that took on the banking industry with a mission of transparency and fairness, fundamentally changing how money moves across borders. Now, as an investor, he is focused on building the next generation of world-changing companies from Europe.

His learnings are a masterclass in mission-driven entrepreneurship, viral growth, and building a global company from day one.

On Founding Wise & The Mission

  1. "We started Wise out of personal frustration." The company was born from a real problem he and his co-founder, Kristo Käärmann, faced moving money between London and Estonia. This is the most authentic origin for a startup. (Source: Wired)
  2. "Money is simple, but the banks have made it complicated and expensive." This was the core insight that drove the mission to build a transparent and cheap alternative.
  3. "Our mission is to make money borderless – instant, convenient, transparent, and eventually free." This clear, ambitious mission has been Wise's North Star from the beginning. (Source: Wise Mission)
  4. "We are a mission-driven company. If we’re not cheaper, we don’t deserve to exist." The mission is not just a slogan; it is a direct and measurable business objective. (Source: The Guardian)
  5. "We call what we are doing a quiet revolution." The goal was never just to build a company, but to fundamentally change the financial industry for the better. (Source: Forbes)
  6. "Transparency is the core of our brand." While banks hide their fees in the exchange rate, Wise's radical approach was to show customers exactly what they were paying.
  7. "Solving your own problem is a great way to start a company because you are the first user." You intuitively understand the product and the pain point you are solving.
  8. "The 'hidden fee' was our enemy." Having a clear, identifiable villain (the banks' unfair fees) is a powerful way to rally a team and a community of users.
  9. "Trust is the currency of finance." To convince people to send their money through a new, unknown service, building trust was the single most important challenge.
  10. "We didn't set out to build a billion-dollar company. We set out to solve a problem." The valuation was a byproduct of successfully executing on the mission.

On Building a Product & Growth

  1. "The key learning from Skype was that it's possible for a product to spread by word of mouth." This was the foundational belief behind Wise's growth strategy, focusing on product experience over paid marketing. (Source: Slush)
  2. "Our North Star metric was our Net Promoter Score (NPS)." Instead of vanity metrics, they focused obsessively on whether their users would recommend the service to friends. A high NPS is a leading indicator of viral growth. (Source: Nudgr)
  3. "Let your customers do the marketing for you." If you build a product that is 10x better than the alternative, your users will become your most passionate and effective sales team.
  4. "Growth for us has always been about the product." Every team at Wise was focused on making the product faster, cheaper, and more convenient, knowing that these improvements would directly fuel growth.
  5. "Regulation is not a barrier; it's a moat." While getting licensed is difficult and expensive, once you have done it, it creates a significant competitive advantage and barrier to entry for others.
  6. "Focus on the one metric that matters." For Wise, in the early days, it was simply the volume of money being transferred. This focused the entire company on a single, clear goal.
  7. "Don't be afraid of a big, regulated industry. It's often where the biggest problems and opportunities lie."
  8. "A 10x better product is the best marketing." This was the simple formula: make the service so much better than the banks that people couldn't help but talk about it.
  9. "We used PR stunts not just for attention, but to educate people about the hidden fees." Their famous stunts, like "naked people in the streets," were designed to highlight the issue of transparency in finance. (Source: Campaign)
  10. "Be very clear about what you are, and what you are not." Wise was relentlessly focused on international money transfers for years, avoiding the temptation to become a full-service bank too early.

On Company Culture & Leadership

  1. "We operate with autonomous, independent teams." This is a core part of Wise's culture. Small teams are given a specific metric to improve and the freedom to figure out how to do it. (Source: Sifted)
  2. "My job as CEO is mostly to get out of the way." The leader's role is to hire smart people, give them a clear mission, and then empower them to execute.
  3. "Hire people who are passionate about the mission." Skills can be taught, but genuine passion for the problem you are solving is intrinsic and will drive people through the tough times.
  4. "We have a 'no bullshit' culture." This means a commitment to transparency, direct feedback, and focusing on data and results, not politics.
  5. "Every team is its own startup." This mindset fosters a sense of ownership, speed, and accountability within each team.
  6. "You need a co-founder." The entrepreneurial journey is an emotional rollercoaster, and having a co-founder to share the highs and lows with is incredibly important. His partnership with Kristo is a testament to this.
  7. "Transparency isn't just for customers; it's for your team." Wise is known for being radically transparent internally, sharing key metrics and financials with all employees.
  8. "A leader's job is to repeat the mission and vision over and over again." You might get tired of saying it, but it's crucial for keeping the entire organization aligned.
  9. "Don't hire brilliant jerks." Cultural fit and the ability to work collaboratively are just as important as individual brilliance.
  10. "The culture you set with your first 10 employees will define the company for years to come."

On the Future of European Tech & Investing

  1. "The next generation of world-changing companies can and will be born in Europe." This is the core thesis behind his new venture firm, Plural. Europe has the talent; it just needs the ambition and the right kind of capital. (Source: Plural Platform)
  2. "The best investors are those who have been operators." Plural's model is "Operators & Investors," believing that founders are best served by investors who have actually built companies themselves. (Source: Sifted)
  3. "We want to invest in companies solving 'GDP-level problems'." The focus at Plural is on deep, systemic challenges in areas like climate, health, and the future of democracy, where technology can have a massive impact. (Source: Plural Platform)
  4. "Europe has a structural advantage in building global companies from day one." Unlike the US, most European countries have small domestic markets, which forces founders to think internationally from the very beginning.
  5. "We are looking for the unusual, the unordinary, the weird." As an investor, he is looking for founders with a unique, non-consensus view of the world.
  6. "The role of a VC is to be the 'first believer' and to provide the 'scar tissue' – the lessons learned from our own mistakes."
  7. "Silicon Valley is a mindset, not a location." Europe can build its own version of this mindset, focused on ambition, speed, and paying it forward.
  8. "My most valuable contribution as an investor is not money, it's my experience from Skype and Wise."
  9. "We need more ambition in Europe. We need to be more comfortable with failure."
  10. "The single biggest determinant of a startup's success is the founder." This is why his investment thesis, both as an angel and at Plural, is so founder-centric.

On Entrepreneurship & Personal Philosophy

  1. "Just start. Don't overthink it." Many would-be entrepreneurs get stuck in analysis paralysis. The only way to learn is by doing.
  2. "Skype taught me that a small team from a small country in Europe could build a product used by hundreds of millions of people." This experience gave him the confidence and ambition to start Wise.
  3. "Being an entrepreneur is not a job, it's a lifestyle." It requires an obsessive level of commitment and passion.
  4. "The hardest part of the journey is the first step."
  5. "You don't need to be in Silicon Valley to build a global company." Skype and Wise are two of the best examples of this.
  6. "The biggest advantage you have as a startup is speed." You can move faster and take risks that large incumbents cannot.
  7. "Stay humble. There is always someone smarter than you."
  8. "Read a lot. It's the cheapest way to learn from the best minds in the world."
  9. "The journey of a startup is a series of 'oh shit' moments." Resilience and the ability to solve problems under immense pressure are essential.
  10. "When you have some success, it's your duty to pay it forward." His work as an angel investor and now with Plural is his way of helping the next generation of European founders. (Source: His active role in the European tech ecosystem)