This is probably Scotland’s greatest ever technology story. How do you take a software app (for booking flights) and turn it from a startup to a $1.75 billion sale?   Shane Corstorphine played many C-suite roles at Skyscanner, including CFO, and explains clearly how they did it. Some of the lessons are not what you expect.   At the end in the section called ‘Ian and Chris’s Takeaway’, the hosts discuss the key lessons to learn from this remarkable interview.   Shane explains:   ▪️ The type of leadership team you will need ▪️ How employee share ownership can play a part ▪️ How you tackle international expansion on an incredibly rapid scale ▪️ How they attracted the greatest ever investor name from Silicon Valley - Sequoia ▪️ At the time this was the largest fundraise by a privately-owned UK tech company in history – but the record only lasted weeks   00:00 Welcome & hosts intro 00:01:07 Guest background: startup → banker; execution mindset 00:05:30 Joining early stage Skyscanner & founder vision 00:08:40 Execution v strategy; COO cadence & weekly reviews 00:11:00 Travel’s frequency problem & tracking PMF (product market fit) metrics (AARRR) 00:13:40 Sequoia joins: valuation, fundraising & dilution 00:16:30 Sponsor: NETS International 00:17:40 Equity that retains staff: options, buybacks & secondaries 00:23:08 Scale cultures: UK prudence vs US/China speed 00:28:45 Go to market playbook: test and learn 00:33:10 The exit (2016): sale process, buyer & lessons 00:36:00 Closing: What’s next and Key takeaways   Follow Shane Corstorphine:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanecorstorphine/ Blog – com/@shanecorstorphine/   Billionaire Business:   Website: billionairebusiness.net Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/billionaire-business-podcast/?viewAsMember=true   Buy the book “The Street-Smart MBA – Mastering Business Acumen Without Going to School” by Ian Fishwick   HARDBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B0FLD5Q8Z5/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title   PAPERBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B08735HP2W/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title   KINDLE https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without-ebook/dp/B08738NVS8/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2VOX3UKOWGT6R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jGqkZxFG3WEufxz7M-1iVgGElqr83rgD-VAM-9WLfXz4fii5xR10ZsWDNVlnOGAfLdZG4lksR0cCtaRyzjKlwxD8Gh4WKr2ZP8TuayLmYBiPqNWQi66IAM3QDfoxZeEa.ZUymM2LEtrzNGeYhyP9yoJQknWJe8w7LOx6GDaS6ano&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+street-smart+mba&qid=1755704706&sprefix=the+street-smart+mba%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-2   Sponsors for Series 1:   NETS International - https://nets-international.com