In this episode, I sit down with Aurimas Bakas, CEO and founder of Copla.

Aurimas Bakas is a serial fintech entrepreneur and chief executive with over two decades of experience building and scaling technology-driven businesses across Europe and globally. He is currently the co-founder of Copla, focusing on bridging the gap between cyber readiness and operational security in fintech.

Aurimas is best known for founding Paysolut, a banking technology company serving fintech scale-ups, which was successfully acquired by SumUp in 2021. His track record also includes multiple exits, such as DtecNet to MarkMonitor and Marguard to Prisync, alongside leadership roles in companies later acquired by Quaero Capital.

Earlier in his career, he played a key role in expanding international operations for Gaumina and scaling DtecNet into a global anti-piracy leader. His experience spans payments, data infrastructure, and enterprise software, complemented by executive education at UC Berkeley.

Want to stay up to date with the market? Here my newsletter and my podcast:

Linkedin: https://tinyurl.com/fintech-weekly

Substack: https://michelemattei.substack.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersinfintech

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6L6L7uj3IIYEHbBStLXi8M?si=fa10d8cefe2741aa

ApplePodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/builders/id1767562838?l=en-GB

Amazon:https://podcasters.amazon.com/podcasts/a1f92635-a50e-4a0c-ac96-7daa09c4e853

In this episode, I sit down with Michael Hurup Andersen, CEO and founder of Kompasbank.

Michael Hurup Andersen is a Danish fintech entrepreneur and seasoned financial markets professional, currently serving as Founder and co-CEO of kompasbank, a Copenhagen based fintech focused on empowering small and midsized enterprises with integrated financial and operational solutions.

Coming from a Master’s degree in Finance from Aarhus University and Mathematical Finance at the University of Oxford, he has over two decades of experience across banking, trading, and advisory, he has held senior roles at institutions including Alvarez & Marsal, where he advised on M&A and private equity transactions, and Deloitte UK, where he led large teams in banking treasury and risk management.

Earlier in his career, he built deep expertise in capital markets at Saxo Bank and Nordea Markets, specializing in FX options, asset and liability management, and global macro strategies.

Want to stay up to date with the market? Here my newsletter and my podcast:

Linkedin: https://tinyurl.com/fintech-weekly

Substack: https://michelemattei.substack.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersinfintech

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6L6L7uj3IIYEHbBStLXi8M?si=fa10d8cefe2741aa

ApplePodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/builders/id1767562838?l=en-GB
Amazon:https://podcasters.amazon.com/podcasts/a1f92635-a50e-4a0c-ac96-7daa09c4e853

In this episode, I sit down with Lucrezia Lucotti, partner at 360 Capital.

Lucrezia Lucotti is Partner at 360 Capital, where she focuses on Italian and Southern European dealflow across B2B and B2C software, deeptech and climate tech ventures. She oversees investments and portfolio management across the firm’s 360 Deeptech, Climate Tech and Series A funds, following a progression from Analyst to Investment Director before being appointed Partner in January 2024.

Over the past five years at 360 Capital, Lucrezia has built a strong track record in sourcing, executing and managing early and growth stage investments. Prior to venture capital, she worked at Roland Berger as a Business Analyst on due diligences and industrial plans across financial services, pharma and industrial machinery, and gained experience at Gartner and Accenture in consulting roles spanning TMT and financial services, including the design of a new internet banking experience for SMEs

A Bocconi graduate with a double degree from WU Vienna, Lucrezia combines analytical rigor with a deep interest in innovation and entrepreneurship, and has also served as Ambassador for Female Founders, supporting the next generation of European entrepreneurs.

Want to stay up to date with the market? Here my newsletter and my podcast:

Linkedin: https://tinyurl.com/fintech-weekly

Substack: https://michelemattei.substack.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersinfintech

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6L6L7uj3IIYEHbBStLXi8M?si=fa10d8cefe2741aa
ApplePodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/builders/id1767562838?l=en-GB

In this episode, I sit down with Ken Villum Klausen, CEO and founder of Lunar.

Ken Villum Klausen is a Danish entrepreneur and fintech founder best known as the Founder and CEO of Lunar, a digital banking platform he launched in 2015. Based in Copenhagen, he has spent more than a decade building Lunar with the ambition of rethinking banking from the ground up, focusing on transparency, simplicity, and technology driven user experiences.

Prior to Lunar, he founded and led Wallmob, a mobile commerce company that was later acquired by Visma, and previously held leadership roles at digital agency Inzeit. Earlier in his career, he worked for nearly five years at Bestseller, progressing from sales roles to Brand Manager and International Retail Manager. His background spans retail, e-commerce, online advertising, and financial technology.

Klausen has been recognised with several awards, including Berlingske Business Talent 100 and Founder of the Year in 2019, reflecting his influence on the Nordic fintech ecosystem and his role in challenging traditional banking models.

Want to stay up to date with the market? Here my newsletter and my podcast:

Linkedin: https://tinyurl.com/fintech-weekly

Substack: https://michelemattei.substack.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersinfintech

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6L6L7uj3IIYEHbBStLXi8M?si=fa10d8cefe2741aa

ApplePodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/builders/id1767562838?l=en-GB

In this episode, I sit down with Anil Stocker, CEO and founder of Kriya.

Anil Stocker is a UK fintech entrepreneur and investor, best known as the CEO and co-founder of Kriya, formerly MarketFinance. He founded the company in 2011 to provide UK businesses with frictionless access to B2B payments, credit and embedded finance, and has since overseen the deployment of more than £4 billion in credit through invoice finance, business loans and PayLater solutions.

Under his leadership, Kriya raised over £50 million in equity and more than £500 million in debt from institutions including Barclays UK, Northzone, Mouro Capital, Deutsche Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo and the British Business Bank, before being acquired by Allica Bank in October 2025.

Before founding Kriya, Stocker worked in private equity at Lehman Brothers and later at Cogent Partners, focusing on alternative investments and post-crisis portfolio restructuring. He holds a first-class degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge, is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Finance alumnus, and is an active angel investor across fintech, SaaS and climate-focused startups.

With him, we will discuss the ups and downs of launching a fintech company, but also how tricky it is to sell it to a big player, what is coming after an exit, and the difference between being an investor and a founder.

Want to stay up to date with the market? Here my newsletter and my podcast:

Linkedin: https://tinyurl.com/fintech-weekly

Substack: https://michelemattei.substack.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersinfintech

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6L6L7uj3IIYEHbBStLXi8M?si=fa10d8cefe2741aa

ApplePodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/builders/id1767562838?l=en-GB

In this episode, I sit down with Sir Gabriel Holbach, partner and CPO at 0to9.

Sir Gabriel Holbach is Partner & Chief Product Officer at 0TO9, where he helps founders turn early-stage ideas into scalable, user-centered fintech products. With over 13 years of experience in product design, UX strategy, and digital brand development across fintech, healthtech, and SaaS, he combines creative vision with operational precision.

Before joining 0TO9, Gabriel co-founded Penta (today Qonto), one of Europe’s leading SME-focused digital banks, where he led product design from MVP to 50,000+ users. He built and scaled design teams, managed agile squads, and developed a cohesive user journey from onboarding to dashboard through a reusable design system. Later, at Index Health, he led UX strategy and design systems, improving product–market fit to 68% and reducing customer acquisition costs by 66%.

0TO9 is a fintech venture builder and investor aiming to launch 1,000 profitable European fintechs by 2045. Founded in Sweden in 2025, the company provides entrepreneurs with capital, compliance, talent, technical, and operational support needed to start and scale licensed financial companies in months rather than years. 0TO9 operates under European financial services licences, allowing its portfolio companies to launch regulated financial products immediately.

Want to stay up to date with the market? Here my newsletter and my podcast:

Linkedin: https://tinyurl.com/fintech-weekly

Substack: https://michelemattei.substack.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersinfintech

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6L6L7uj3IIYEHbBStLXi8M?si=fa10d8cefe2741aa

ApplePodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/builders/id1767562838?l=en-GB