104: Money Talks #23: European Startup Scaling and TransferWise in the Money

This week, Pete and Eoin take another look at the TikTok deal as a bellwether for change in how entrepreneurs outside the US look at the American market, a peek inside the now-profitable fintech unicorn TransferWise, the Nikola scam, the Yandex-Tinkoff tie-up, YCombinator’s acid test….and Cobra Kai!

Show Notes
Guest Profile

This episode is kindly sponsored by Ireland’s fintech and financial services recruitment specialists, Top Tier Recruitment. If you would like an intro to the team at Top Tier Recruitment, please click here.

For more episodes and our entire back catalog of show notes go to MoneyNeverSleeps.ie. For insights delivered to your inbox beyond the spoken word, subscribe to our MoneyNeverSleeps newsletter right here on Substack.

THIS WEEK’S STORIES:

What the US and China’s tussle over TikTok means for Europe (Sifted, Nicolas Colin - 23-Sep-20) - Revisiting a story we covered on episode 97: Microsoft Goes Tik Tok and Monzo on the Clock. But, Microsoft didn’t go TikTok, Oracle and Walmart did, and here’s a good overview of that deal from the Motley Fool. Pete and Eoin walk through rethinking the default go-to scaling strategy of European startup founders looking at the US as the holy grail.

TransferWise reports second year of profit, revenue almost doubles (CNBC, 10-Sep-20) - Pete and Eoin talk through a different way to think about a challenger fintech rather than just a better bank.

Russia’s Yandex Agrees $5.5Bln Deal For Tinkoff Bank (Moscow Times, 22-Sep-20)

Nikola saga hits three speculative areas at once: SPACs, Robinhood traders and electric vehicles (CNBC, 21-Sep-20)

Start-up co-founded by ex-Goldman trader is first fintech to complete takeover of a national bank (CNBC, 4-Sep-20)

Michael Seibel – Lessons from Thousands of Startups (Invest Like the Best, EP.190)

Strike First… and Chill: Cobra Kai Moves to Netflix (Ted Theodore Logan, Medium, 9-Jul-20)

Also, a special thank you goes out to Paul and Laura Smyth at Top Tier Recruitment for sticking with us as such supportive sponsors and friends!

For more episodes and our entire back catalog of show notes go to MoneyNeverSleeps.ie.