Product&Growth Show

98 - Behind the $5B Fintech: Ivan Vasylchenko on Trade Republic’s Rise

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/

97 – From Babbel to MyTutor: Building Edtech That Works, with Geoff Stead (Former CPO, Babbel & MyTutor)

In Episode 97 of The Product and Growth Show, I spoke with Geoff Stead, former CPO at Babbel and MyTutor. We discussed consumer apps, the impact of GenAI, and what it takes to find a new role as a CPO. Tune in! What did we talk about? - Balancing product promises and growth in a consumer app - Building a product organization in a marketing-led consumer business - Most exciting product challenges at Babbel and MyTutor - Engagement ladders for consumer apps - Advice for CPOs looking for a new role Geoff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffstead/

96 - From Google to Mate Academy, VC-Backed Expansion for EdTechs with Roman Apostol

Last week, we sat down with Roman Apostol, co-founder of Mate Academy, to talk about business expansion, transitioning from a big corporation to a startup, and staying resilient. Here’s what we covered: - How did you transition from working at Google and Preply to joining Mate Academy? - What is the Income Share Agreement (ISA) model, and how does it work at Mate Academy? - Why did you decide to leave Google and move to Kyiv to work on Mate Academy? - How did you scale Mate Academy from a small offline bootcamp to a global online platform? - What were the biggest challenges in raising venture capital, and what objections did investors have? - How do you balance operational scalability with maintaining quality in EdTech? - What was the strategy behind expanding into new markets like Poland and Brazil? - How do you differentiate Mate Academy from other coding bootcamps and online education platforms? - What impact has the war in Ukraine had on running a business, and how do you maintain resilience? - What books, podcasts, or insights have influenced your approach to leadership and scaling a startup?

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/

94 - from ops led to product led, a non-traditional YC process, visualisation with Siddhi Mittal, co-founder at yhangry

Last week I had a chance to chat to Siddhi Mittal, a co-founder at yhangry (YC W22). Here is what we discussed: - Transitioning from a high six-figure trading job to entrepreneurship - A non-traditional YC process - Transitioning from an ops-led to a product-led organization - Startup stagnation as a near-death experience - Why generic advice never works - Running fundraising as a discovery process - Why the B2B2C angle is important for raising funds as a marketplace business - How AI changes marketplace businesses - The power of visualization for founders Siddhi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddhimittal23/