Unicorn Podcast Episode 18 | Mikaal Abdulla | co-founder & CEO | 8 Securities
Our next guest on the Good Luck Club Podcast is Mikaal Abdulla, co-founder and CEO of Hong Kong-based mobile investing company, 8 Securities.
Mikaal and his business partner Mathias Helleu have been in the news lately, as 8 Securities was just acquired by SoFi, the SoftBank-backed consumer financial services platform based in the US. 8 Securities launched in 2012, and raised US$70 million in funding from investors including Velocity Capital, Route 66 Ventures and Nomura Asset Management.
We talk to Mikaal about his entrepreneurial journey, and his experience as a company man before taking the leap to building his own hugely successful start up. He shares insights on the difference between the Japan and Hong Kong markets, what made him risk it all to start a business of his own, as well as his unique take on luck.
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About Mikaal Abdulla
#fintech #startup #SoFi
8 was co-founded by Mathias Helleu and Mikaal Abdulla. Before 8, they built ETRADE’s international business in 15 countries spanning Greater China, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, Europe, and Canada. ETRADE was a pioneer of online investing in Hong Kong and the first to offer investors low-cost, flat-fee commissions.
Entrepreneurs at heart, these founders decided to build a totally new investing service to meet the needs of young customers. They saw traditional banks and brokers taking advantage of customers with complex and unaffordable products with high transaction fees and hidden costs. Aiming to solve this problem, 8 was born in 2012 with a promise of simple, transparent and affordable mobile investing solutions. The company now has tens of thousands of customers in over 50 countries. 8 has secured over US$60 million in venture capital and become one of the largest and fastest growing fintech companies in Asia.
➜ Connect to Mikaal Abdulla:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaalabdulla
- Twitter @mikaalabdulla
➜ Connect to 8 at: https://www.8securities.com
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About Simon Squibb
Simon is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, motivational speaker, and mentor. He has started 17 businesses, invested in over 65, and has mentored hundreds of founders. Having sold his award-winning insight-driven branding and digital agency, Fluid, to PwC, Simon now focuses on inspiring, motivating and guiding both budding and experienced entrepreneurs by sharing his personal experiences, insights, ideas and tips on his website simonsquibb.com and through his social channels.
➜ Subscribe to Simon Squibb's YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/YTsimonsquibb
Watch @ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/simonsquibb
Connect @ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsquibb/
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About The Good Luck Club
The Good Luck Club is a podcast and video series that focuses on the idea that luck is an ingredient that's absolutely necessary in order to have a successful life and business.
In each episode, we invite an entrepreneur or change-maker to share their journey to success. For most, it’s never a straightforward one, and there’s much inspiration and learnings in the struggles they’ve been through along the way. And, as our name suggests, we’ll also dive into their stories about luck; the good and the bad, and its role in success.