HD in HD Inside Revolut: How Nikolay Storonsky Built a $45B Fintech Empire
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Feb 28, 2025 
Nikolay Storonsky, CEO and Co-founder of Revolut, dives into his journey of building a $33B fintech empire. He reveals why ignoring traditional banking norms propelled Revolut’s success. Nik discusses his decision to stop relying on VCs even after raising $2 billion and how the company navigated the complexities of regulatory frameworks. He emphasizes that systems can be hacked and endurance is key, outlining lessons learned from early challenges and the importance of culture and metrics in driving efficiency within a fast-paced startup environment.
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Early Competitiveness
- Nikolay Storonsky, driven by competitiveness, learned to work hard at a young age to excel in math, physics, and swimming competitions.
- He won international economics Olympiads twice in his teens.
Dual Masters and Lehman
- Storonsky pursued physics at MIPT (Russia's MIT) but also got accepted into Russia's best economics school.
- He worked for Lehman Brothers while completing two master's degrees concurrently.
Witnessing Capitalism
- Storonsky witnessed the rise of capitalism in Russia after the USSR's collapse.
- This motivated him to pursue wealth, sparked by observing others' newfound prosperity and material possessions like cars.