In Episode 98 of The Product and Growth Show, I sat down with Ivan Vasylchenko, tech entrepreneur and former COO of Trade Republic. Ivan joined the company when it was still called Neon Trading and helped scale it to over 10 million customers across 17 European countries with a $5B valuation. We talked about conviction in early-stage startups, scaling under extreme pressure during COVID, and what founders often get wrong about fintech growth stories.
What did we talk about?
- How Ivan went from finance consulting and hackathons to joining Trade Republic in its earliest days
- The dodgy beginnings of “Neon Trading” and why conviction mattered more than optics
- Building product-market fit through stock market games and waiting lists
- Foundational decisions that shaped Trade Republic: licensing, building tech in-house, and compliance
- Scaling from 10 to nearly 200 people during COVID and surviving explosive customer demand
- Why fintech growth isn’t just “breaking things fast” but about stamina and regulation
- Ivan’s current projects at the intersection of AI and fintech
Ivan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-vasylchenko/
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In Episode 98 of The Product and Growth Show, I sat down with Ivan Vasylchenko, tech entrepreneur and former COO of Trade Republic. Ivan joined the company when it was still called Neon Trading and helped scale it to over 10 million customers across 17 European countries with a $5B valuation. We talked about conviction in early-stage startups, scaling under extreme pressure during COVID, and what founders often get wrong about fintech growth stories.
What did we talk about?
- How Ivan went from finance consulting and hackathons to joining Trade Republic in its earliest days
- The dodgy beginnings of “Neon Trading” and why conviction mattered more than optics
- Building product-market fit through stock market games and waiting lists
- Foundational decisions that shaped Trade Republic: licensing, building tech in-house, and compliance
- Scaling from 10 to nearly 200 people during COVID and surviving explosive customer demand
- Why fintech growth isn’t just “breaking things fast” but about stamina and regulation
- Ivan’s current projects at the intersection of AI and fintech
Ivan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-vasylchenko/
95 - From Product to Portfolio: Operator's Guide in Navigating Equity & Angel Investing with Mike Oliinyk, Montonio
Product&Growth Show
46 minutes 56 seconds
9 months ago
95 - From Product to Portfolio: Operator's Guide in Navigating Equity & Angel Investing with Mike Oliinyk, Montonio
Last weekend, we sat down with Mike to discuss his impressive product career (ex-Uber, Wise, Wolt) and talk about his experience in angel investing in early-stage startups.
Here's what we discussed:
- How Mike has chosen companies in his product career
- Picking a first product role today
- Job-hopping and when to leave a role quickly
- Did Mike expect Wise and Volt to grow so big?
- Wolt’s acquisition by DoorDash and post-merger changes
- Negotiating equity vs. salary in startup roles
- Growing a product career in a slowing market
- Why more operators become angel investors
- Mike’s worst investment and key lessons
- How Mike evaluates startups before investing
Follow Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeproduct/
Product&Growth Show
In Episode 98 of The Product and Growth Show, I sat down with Ivan Vasylchenko, tech entrepreneur and former COO of Trade Republic. Ivan joined the company when it was still called Neon Trading and helped scale it to over 10 million customers across 17 European countries with a $5B valuation. We talked about conviction in early-stage startups, scaling under extreme pressure during COVID, and what founders often get wrong about fintech growth stories.
What did we talk about?
- How Ivan went from finance consulting and hackathons to joining Trade Republic in its earliest days
- The dodgy beginnings of “Neon Trading” and why conviction mattered more than optics
- Building product-market fit through stock market games and waiting lists
- Foundational decisions that shaped Trade Republic: licensing, building tech in-house, and compliance
- Scaling from 10 to nearly 200 people during COVID and surviving explosive customer demand
- Why fintech growth isn’t just “breaking things fast” but about stamina and regulation
- Ivan’s current projects at the intersection of AI and fintech
Ivan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-vasylchenko/
