Marta is a Polish-born serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder of international money transfer start-up Azimo, one of the fastest-growing fintech companies in the world. To date, it has raised over $70M from top VC firms and connected over 1 million customers to the platform.
In 2017 she stepped away from the company, founding Astarte Ventures FreeUp.io, which offers salary advance services to create everyday financial freedom and became the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the leading global GovTech venture PUBLIC.io in 2018.
Since December 2018, Marta has been Head of Google for Startups in the UK, where she and her team are on a mission to identify and support the next generation of founders on their journeys.
GFS now consists of over 50 co-working spaces and has accelerators in 125 countries, helping turn business dreams into a reality with a strong focus on inclusion and societal change.
Marta was recognised by Forbes as one of Europe’s 30 Under 30 for Finance in 2016, as Fortune Most Powerful Women Alumna in 2017 and as Evening Standard’s London’s Most Influential People in two consecutive years, 2017 and 2018. She holds a Masters in Organisational Psychology from Jagiellonian University in Poland and a Management degree from Columbia Business School.
Passionate about ‘tech for good’, diversity, equality and well-being, Marta will bring her expertise and trailblazing enthusiasm for socially-driven entrepreneurship to this exciting Startup Grind Scotland Virtual event with hosts Nick Murray and Jude Duncan.
1. Best piece of advice you’ve been given
‘First class strategy and second class execution always lose against second class strategy and first class execution.’ Best bit about it is that it gave me power over what I could control – execution with my team – rather than obsess over the 25 years of management consulting experience which I clearly didn’t have.
2. Worst piece of advice you’ve been given
‘The fact that you succeeded as a woman is proof that any woman can succeed’ This is incredibly dangerous as blinds us – and sadly blinded me for a while in the past – to the struggle of women who aren’t white, cis, well educated or fully able bodied. It also removes the responsibility from solving the systemic inequities and puts all the pressure on the individual to just take it and work extra hard to succeed despite all the challenges they might face.
3. What would you tell your younger self?
Steve Jobs was right – connecting the dots is possible, but only really works retrospectively. All of the times of personal and professional hardship, risks, hard work, travel, loneliness, hopes and dreams – it all starts making sense at some point and makes us more well rounded leaders and human beings.
4. What excites you most about the future of your industry?
As sustainability, diversity, equity and impact become critical to all organisations to keep their social licences to operate, we have the opportunity to truly start using tech and startups as a democratising factor in society. I really hope we’ll double down on companies that use technology to solve important global problems and are built by everyone and for everyone.
5. Who or what is your biggest inspiration?
I’m a massive fan of Arlan Hamilton – she’s authentic, punchy and truly inspiring. Her personal story as a homeless, queer Black woman in America who raised a VC fund and truly made the industry notice the stark inequities in tech is just incredible.
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