The "Klarna Mafia" is one of Europe’s top tech mafia groups, made up of ex-Klarna talent who took what they learned and built some of the world’s most exciting companies. Among them is Jordan Olivas, who played a crucial role in Klarna’s enterprise retail and eCommerce growth. Today, as the founder of QisstPay/now Harvv, he leads a thriving Buy Now, Pay Later platform in Pakistan.

In this conversation, we explore Jordan’s journey at Klarna—what made the company's culture so fertile for leadership, and how his experience helped shape his entrepreneurial success. Klarna wasn’t just a fintech startup; it was a launchpad for innovators, creating an ecosystem where risk-taking, collaboration, and pushing the boundaries of what was possible became second nature.

Below we dive into the unique working environment that has produced some of the industry’s top visionaries and uncover what made Klarna a breeding ground for leaders like Jordan Olivas.

But First, the Klarna Mafia

Before we dive in, here’s a few stats on the Klarna Mafia.

Klarna alumni have spun out 62 startups, outpacing any other European fintech unicorn. This new wave of entrepreneurial talent is reshaping Europe’s tech landscape, almost like the PayPal Mafia which produced companies like Stripe, Tesla, OpenAI, YouTube, and LinkedIn. In fact, PayPal alumni collectively founded 354 companies, raising over $200 billion in funding.

Unicorn-Fueled Startup Creation in Europe

• 625 startups funded by former unicorn employees
• Klarna alumni lead with 62 alumni-led startups
• Revolut alumni have produced 49 new startups
• Wise and N26 tech mafias are at the forefront with around 33 alumni-founded startups each

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Early Days at Klarna: A Turning Point

Klarna was founded in 2005 in Stockholm by Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Niklas Adalberth, and Victor Jacobsson with the goal of transforming online payments. At a time when online shopping was plagued by fraud, Klarna introduced a simpler, safer solution—initially under the name Kreditor—that let consumers complete purchases without entering credit card details.

Though expansion across Europe was rapid, Klarna faced the challenge of building trust in a new, untested market. In 2010, they rebranded and launched the now-famous "buy now, pay later" model, which helped them gain millions of users and partnerships with major retailers. By 2017, Klarna became a bank, providing flexible, seamless payments to over 90 million consumers worldwide, despite early setbacks like unpaid invoices and user complaints.

Jordan’s entry into Klarna was a turning point in his career. The high-energy environment, combined with the pressure to innovate quickly, became the perfect breeding ground for people like him who were willing to push boundaries. It was here that he would work closely with top-tier talent, crafting strategies that would not only define Klarna's success but also shape the fintech industry.

Q: So when did you join Klarna, and how were things there back then?

Jordan Olivas: "I joined Klarna around mid-2018, so a few years after they had entered the U.S. market. By the time I came on board, Klarna had already made significant strides in Europe, but in the U.S., they were still struggling to gain real traction.

I was part of the batch of enterprise hires specifically for Klarna’s new 'Pay in 4' product, which was a big shift in the way we were positioning ourselves in the market. To give you an idea of how early it was in that journey, I actually owned the domain name 'payin4.com' back then—that's how new the concept was. I remember being there for the first transaction we processed for this product, so it was definitely a pivotal moment for Klarna in the U.S. market.

Even though I wasn’t part of the very first days of Klarna globally, I was still early in terms of Klarna's evolution into what people recognize it as today, especially when it comes to its U.S. presence. Klarna had this vision to dominate the 'Buy Now, Pay Later' space, but at the time, it was still figuring out how to make that happen on a larger scale, particularly in the U.S."

Q: What got you most excited to join Klarna, and what were you doing before?

Jordan Olivas: "Before I joined Klarna, I was already deep in the payments industry. I had been working at a company called Aura Software, which was a software development agency focused on payments. We worked with major names like FIServ and CardConnect.

What really attracted me to Klarna wasn’t the ‘Pay in 4’ product that I later worked on—it was their ‘Pay Later’ product. I thought it was a game-changer for eCommerce. The concept was that you could go through the checkout process without entering any card details at all. You’d simply choose ‘Pay Later,’ and Klarna would use the information you provided for billing and shipping to underwrite you as a consumer. It gave shoppers the ability to try out a product, like a pair of shoes, and not get charged for 30 days. It was a revolutionary concept at the time."

Q: When you joined Klarna, what early signs made you feel like the company was going to become as big and successful as it is today?

Jordan Olivas: "Outside of the big funding announcements, one of the key things that convinced me Klarna was going to be huge was the actual impact of the product itself. When you looked at the numbers and how the product performed, especially for retailers, it was clear there was something special."

Q: Were you already thinking about starting your own thing?

Jordan Olivas: While I was at Klarna, I wasn’t immediately thinking about starting my own thing, but the experience there definitely sparked ideas. After I left, I co-founded a small software development company in Pakistan, which was an interesting venture that allowed me to get my hands dirty in building something from the ground up. T

hat experience, coupled with the early startup vibe at Klarna, gave me a taste of what it’s like to be involved in something new and exciting. Eventually, that entrepreneurial itch led me to start QisstPay, which has grown into something much bigger - Harvv - than I initially envisioned. But that’s a story for another day!

Klarna's Culture and Influence

Klarna's culture has been a driving force behind its success and influence in the fintech world. The company’s decentralized structure allows small teams to operate independently, encouraging autonomy and accountability. This model enables Klarna to remain nimble and innovative as it scales globally, empowering employees to take ownership of their projects.

Under CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski’s leadership, long-term thinking and bold strategies, such as unique marketing campaigns, have helped build Klarna’s strong brand presence. Siemiatkowski fosters a creative and risk-taking environment, encouraging employees to push boundaries.

Q: What was the company culture like regarding entrepreneurship?

Jordan Olivas: "The culture at Klarna, especially during my time, was just wild. My first two weeks included onboarding in Sweden, and I happened to be there during their annual company-wide kickoff. I remember they shut down the streets for this huge costume party in Stockholm, and it wasn’t just some half-hearted event—people went all out. That kind of energy carried over into the work as well.

Klarna had already built a solid reputation, but the company was still riding the boom of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) becoming a major trend. The culture was infectious—it was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. We had this mentality of doing whatever it took to close deals, and it was just a land grab against competitors like Afterpay, Zip, Sezzle, and Affirm. We were fighting to make a name in the U.S. market, which at the time wasn’t as familiar with Klarna, even though everyone knew Afterpay. It was a constant underdog battle, and I loved that aspect of it.

When I started QisstPay, I wanted to bring that same energy and creativity I’d seen at Klarna into my own company. A lot of what we did early on was inspired by that playbook—everything from the product approach to the culture. Even our choice of pink branding was a nod to Klarna’s boldness. People in Pakistan would tell me to use more traditional colors like blue or green, but I insisted on pink, just like Klarna. It was about standing out and being unapologetically different."

Q: What are some of the key lessons or inspirations you took from your time at Klarna and applied to your startup?

Jordan Olivas: "One of the biggest things I took from Klarna was the results-driven mindset. At Klarna, it was always about getting things done—whatever the customer wanted, we made it happen. It was a very bold approach. I think that same mentality carried over into what we built at QisstPay and later at Harv.

At Klarna, we weren’t afraid to stand out, especially with the branding. It was all about being unapologetically bold, like using colors that made us distinct. I brought that into QisstPay, especially with the pink branding, even when people suggested more traditional colors for the region we were operating in.

Another big takeaway was the energy and passion behind just getting deals signed and moving fast. That excitement and focus on execution is something I’ve tried to instill in my own companies."

Q: The 'Klarna Mafia' has produced so many successful companies. What do you think makes Klarna’s culture so unique in fostering this kind of success?

Jordan Olivas: "What I noticed is that those who did well at Klarna and then went on to build their own companies had that same kind of passion. They had a bigger-picture vision for what they wanted to achieve, and they weren’t afraid to share it. It wasn’t just about the product they were building at the time—it was about where they wanted to take it in the next 12 or 24 months.

At Klarna, you were encouraged to take pride in what you were doing, to really own your brand, and not be afraid to tell people where you were going—even if you weren’t there yet. That’s something I’ve carried over into my own ventures."

Entrepreneurial Journey and Fundraising

When it comes to fundraising, Klarna’s influence is undeniable. The "Klarna Mafia," a group of former employees turned founders, has benefited from the credibility that comes with having Klarna on their resumes. Investors recognize the value of Klarna’s approach to innovation, and this has often opened doors for these entrepreneurs, helping them secure capital more easily. However, the journey is not without challenges. Founders quickly learn that while raising capital is critical, so is the ability to manage rejection and stay focused on the ultimate goal of building something meaningful.

Q: Do you think you would have been as successful as an entrepreneur if it weren't for your time at Klarna?

Jordan Olivas: "No, definitely not. It’s interesting because I didn’t necessarily pick up a lot of hard skills at Klarna, but I learned what it was like to operate in a hyper-scale startup environment. That exposure to such a fast-paced, growing company taught me a lot of qualitative things—things like understanding how to adapt quickly and thrive in an environment where everything moves fast.”

Q: Do you think having experience at Klarna had any impact on your ability to fundraise, and did you reference that experience during your raise?

Jordan Olivas: "Absolutely. Sometimes it felt like people only started talking to me because I had worked at Klarna. That’s just the reality of fundraising, especially back then when things were moving so fast. Having Klarna on my resume opened doors that might have been harder to access otherwise."

Q: When you started fundraising, did you approach any old colleagues to invest or bring on employees from your Klarna days?

Jordan Olivas: "Yeah, I did have a few former colleagues from Klarna who invested. But I was pretty cautious about not wanting to compete with Klarna directly. That’s actually one of the reasons I focused on building in Pakistan—it wasn’t competitive with anything Klarna was doing. It was more of an ethics thing for me.

Q: Was there any sort of infrastructure for ex-Klarna employees to invest in each other’s ventures or stay connected?

Jordan Olivas: "No, there wasn’t any formal infrastructure like that at Klarna. I know some VCs specifically target ex-employees from certain companies because they’ve seen success stories come out of those places, but within Klarna, there wasn’t a specific channel or system for that.

You do have tools like Mercury, which offers investor lists, or Visible, which is like a CRM for fundraising, and of course, platforms like Crunchbase can help you track companies and people in the space. But as for a dedicated system or channel for ex-Klarna employees to invest in one another’s ventures, nothing really comes to mind."

Where Are Klarna’s Former Employees Now?

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1. Ohad Samet - Former Chief Risk Officer at Klarna

Ohad Samet founded Signifyd, which provides fraud technology solutions for e-commerce. Signifyd has raised $409 million, supported by Menlo Ventures, and is at Series E.

2. Sven Brauer - Former VP of Product at Klarna

Sven Brauer founded MODIFI, a platform for business payments and trade management. The company has raised $338.6 million through debt financing, with Global Founders Capital as an investor.

3. Filip Polhem, Mikael Hussain, Sven Perkmann - Former Klarna Risk and Credit Analysts

They co-founded Anyfin, a smart finance app that helps people improve their finances. Anyfin has raised $138.1 million and is currently at Series C.

4. Sean Donovan - Former COO at Klarna, North America

Sean Donovan founded Finix, a payments platform, raising $126 million from investors like Lightspeed Venture Partners.

5. John Keatley - Former CFO at Klarna

John Keatley founded Scratch, which helps medical practices connect with clients, raising $68.1 million at Series C from Norwest Venture Partners.

6. Uri Nativ - Former VP of Engineering at Klarna Israel

Uri Nativ founded Torii, a SaaS management platform. The company raised $65 million from Global Founders Capital, reaching Series B.

7. Lena Hackelöer - Former Director of Marketing at Klarna

Lena Hackelöer founded Brite Payments, a provider of instant payments powered by open banking. The company raised $60 million from Dawn Capital at Series A.

More Than a Startup

For those fortunate enough to be part of its early days, like Jordan Olivas, Klarna was much more than a fintech startup—it was a place for creativity and leadership. Klarna's unique culture of empowerment, combined with its pursuit of redefining the eCommerce payment landscape, shaped not only the company’s success but also the futures of countless employees who went on to become influential entrepreneurs.

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