The Wise Mafia
Frustration is a powerful emotion. So powerful, that some of the main companies in the world are built upon it. Taavet Hinrikus, the first employee at Skype, was getting paid in euros but needed pounds to pay his bills in London. Meanwhile, Kristo Käärmann, working at Deloitte in London, was paid in pounds but had a mortgage in Estonia that required euros. Instead of letting banks take a cut every time they moved money, they built a simple workaround—exchanging currencies directly at the mid-market rate, skipping the hidden fees.
That simple workaround turned into Wise, a fintech giant that now moves over £25 billion across borders every quarter, saving customers £1.5 billion in bank fees. What started as a personal hack is now a global movement, with over 10 million users and a workforce of 5,500 shaking up the financial world.
The Wise Mafia
The Wise Mafia has founded 18 companies and raised $620M.
PS: Are you a Wise Mafia member interested in bringing your community together to invest in innovative ventures (and enjoy potential profits and other perks along the way)? Or perhaps you're part of another dynamic group that could be a fantastic source of startup investments?
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List of all the amazing companies covered:
- Plural
- World
- Upvest
- Plum Fintech
- Manual
- Lightyear
- Qatalog
- AtomicJar
- OwnHome
- Salv
- Betty Labs
- Arbonics
- Candu
- Uprise
- Rodeo
- Grünfin
- Cosmos Video
- Jitty
Plural
Founder: Taavet Hinriku
Wise Role: Chairman and co-founder
Capital Raised: $272.1M
Investors: —
Stage: Early Stage Venture, Late Stage Venture, Seed
Plural enables investors to manage and monitor their portfolios across multiple asset classes
World
Founder: Saturnin Pugnet
Wise Role: Software Engineer
Capital Raised: $244M
Investors: Khosla Ventures
Stage: Series C
World is a global non-profit organization focused on humanitarian aid and development projects.
Upvest
Founder: Juha Ristolainen
Wise Role: CTO TransferWise for Business
Capital Raised: $94.5M
Investors: Bessemer Venture Partners
Stage: Venture - Series Unknown
Upvest provides an investment API that allows businesses to offer investment products to their customers.
Plum Fintech
Founder: Victor Trokoudes
Wise Role: Head of International & Banking
Capital Raised: $74.9M
Investors: iGrow Venture Partners
Stage: Series B
Plum Fintech is a personal finance app that helps users manage their money through automated savings and investments.
Manual
Founder: George Pallis
Wise Role: Head of Growth
Capital Raised: $72.3M
Investors: FJ Labs
Stage: Venture - Series Unknown
Manual offers men's health products and services, focusing on wellness and personal care.
Lightyear
Founder: Martin Sokk, Mihkel Aamer
Wise Role: Head of Product, Engineering Lead
Capital Raised: $37.2M
Investors: Lightspeed Venture Partners
Stage: Series A
Lightyear is a commission-free investment platform that allows users to invest in global stocks and ETFs.
Qatalog
Founder: Tariq Rauf
Wise Role: Product & Eng Head, Growth
Capital Raised: $29.5M
Investors: Atomico
Stage: Series A
Qatalog is a work hub that centralizes tools, communication, and knowledge for teams to collaborate efficiently.
AtomicJar
Founder: Sergei Egorov
Wise Role: Software Developer
Capital Raised: $29.1M
Investors: Insight Partners
Stage: Series A
AtomicJar develops tools to create and manage test environments, improving oftware testing processes.
OwnHome
Founder: Tim Harley
Wise Role: Head of Middle East (Expansion)
Capital Raised: $25M
Investors: Global Founders Capital
Stage: Series A
OwnHome assists renters in transitioning to homeowners by providing support throughout the home-buying process.
Salv
Founder: Taavi Tamkivi, Jeff McClelland, Sergei Rumjantsev
Wise Role: Global Lead of Compliance, Lead, People Experience Team, Engineering Team Lead
Capital Raised: $12.5M
Investors: ff Venture Capital
Stage: Venture - Series Unknown
Salv offers anti-money laundering (AML) solutions to financial institutions to detect and prevent financial crimes.
Betty Labs
Founder: Howard Akumiah
Wise Role: Product Management Intern
Capital Raised: $9.3M
Investors: Lightspeed Venture Partners
Stage: Seed
Betty Labs develops social audio platforms, enhancing live audio experiences for users.
Arbonics
Founder: Lisett Luik
Wise Role: Marketing Intern
Capital Raised: $7.8M
Investors: Plural Platform
Stage: Seed
Arbonics provides tools for landowners to manage and monetize carbon credits through sustainable forestry practices.
Candu
Founder: Michele Riccardo Esposito
Wise Role: Product Manager - User Experience
Capital Raised: $7.5M
Investors: Two Sigma Ventures
Stage: Seed
Candu allows businesses to create and customize user interfaces without coding.
Uprise
Founder: Jessica Chen Riolfi
Wise Role: Head of Asia
Capital Raised: $4.7M
Investors: Hustle Fund
Stage: Seed
Uprise offers financial planning services, helping individuals manage their finances and plan for the future.
Rodeo
Founder: Nasir Jamal
Wise Role: Director Of Engineering
Capital Raised: $5.16M
Investors: LocalGlobe
Stage: Seed
Rodeo is a project management software designed for creative teams to streamline workflows and collaboration.
Grünfin
Founder: Alvar Lumberg, Triin Hertmann
Wise Role: Director of Engineering, Head of HR Operations
Capital Raised: $4.3M
Investors: Lemonade Stand
Stage: Seed
Grünfin was a sustainable investing platform. They ceased their operations last December.
Cosmos Video
Founder: Karan Baweja
Wise Role: Product Lead
Capital Raised: $2.6M
Investors: LocalGlobe
Stage: Seed
Cosmos Video is a virtual collaboration platform that provides customizable spaces for remote teams to work, socialize, and host events, enhancing the remote work experience.
Jitty
Founder: Graham Paterson
Wise Role: Product Manager
Capital Raised: $2M
Investors: Sequoia Capital
Stage: Pre-Seed
Jitty is an AI-powered property search platform that allows users to find homes based on specific criteria, such as proximity to schools or workplaces, and collaborate with others during the home-buying process.
