Kristo Kaarmann
Co-founder & CEO, TransferWise
TransferWise is the low cost and fair way of transferring money internationally. Using peer-to-peer technology and without any hidden fees, it makes sending money abroad up to eight times cheaper compared to using a bank. TransferWise customers send £800m every month using the platform, and it’s attracted $117m from investors such as world’s largest VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, Sir Richard Branson and Valar Ventures.
Prior to starting TransferWise, Kristo was a management consultant with Deloitte Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He worked with European banks and insurers to modernise their processes and systems. Stunned by their inefficiency, he teamed up with Taavet Hinrikus, then Skype's director of strategy, to develop an entirely new system for moving money across borders. Kristo was selected as one of the World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneers 2015.