TRAILBLAZER
A move to London In 2004 , aged 20 and in search of new challenges and work experience in a financial industry hub , Storonsky moved to London . His bold approach and impressive academic background served him well , and within weeks , he started his first job in finance as a trader – first for Lehman Brothers and then later , after the 2007 economic crash and fall of the investment giant , with Credit Suisse .
The hours were long and brutal , but for highly ambitious Storonsky , they left a lasting impression and shaped his work ethic . And in 2015 , he left Credit Suisse to launch Revolut – which , at the time , echoed the new digital neobank startups emerging within Asia .
Tough work ethic His determination to succeed was evident from the hours he put into the venture on a daily basis , often spending 18 hours a day at the startup ’ s coalface . He expected the same level of commitment from his team , which ultimately led to conflict and complaints about the work culture in the early days of Revolut .
He was once quoted as saying : “ I can ’ t see how work-life balance will help you build a start-up . Either you ’ re all in , you ’ re focused and you spend time on it , or you have little chance to survive .”
Wired Magazine even published an internal email from Storonsky warning that those who underperformed would be “ fired without any negotiations ”, cementing a somewhat tyrannical reputation .
Damage limitation As a result of the damning report , Storonsky worked hard to reverse the reputation held by Revolut in the marketplace . While he has in the past argued that running a startup is not for the fainthearted , his zeal has matured and the company recently introduced an equity participation plan for its now 2,200 employees , who have seen their stakes skyrocket following the most recent valuation .
In 2021 , a Series E funding round led by Japan ’ s SoftBank and Tiger Global
20 September 2022