Some of the UK’s most important fintech start-up players – Starling Bank, Curve and GoCardless are set to raise more money.
According to ‘well-placed sources’, Starling has hired independent financial advisor Rothschild Co. with the aim of raising a new £200 million round, TechCrunch reported.
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Until now, Starling has raised £363m, including a £100m grant from the RBS competition fund.
Starling has about 1.9 million customers – 280,000 of which are business accounts held by sole traders and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with women filling 40% of the senior roles in the company.
Boden has also told TechCrunch that her ultimate aim is to get to an initial public offering. “I didn’t do all this to sell out to a big bank,” she told me. “I’ve got my sights on an IPO. I’d very much like to do that”.
In a recent interview for Guardian, Boden happily admits her work takes up her whole life. “People talk about ‘work-life balance’,” she says. “I only have work – and I enjoy every minute of it.” She doesn’t cook (“I have no interest whatsoever”) and hasn’t married (“one of these days, I’ll write a book about men and dating!”). She has no children. “I never decided not to have children; as with many people, it just didn’t happen,” she says.
“I think it’s important to focus on what you have rather than what you don’t. I’ve had a great career. I’ve done lots of stuff. I’m proud of what we’ve built. I wish I could help more women understand that you don’t have to conform to the stereotype to be happy, to be successful. But I’ve been extremely lucky. I had a childhood that was loving and supportive, but with no pressure to be anyone different.”
