Ali Niknam

Ali Niknam
Niknam in 2018
Born12 December 1982
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forFounder of bunq

Ali Niknam (born December 12, 1982) is a Dutch entrepreneur, book author, founder of TransIP, CEO and founder of bunq.[1][2][3]

Biography

[edit]

Ali Niknam was born in an Iranian family on December 12, 1982, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.[4][2] When Ali Niknam was 7 years old, the family moved to Gouda, Netherlands.[5]

Niknam graduated from secondary school at the Coornhert Gymnasium in Gouda and in 2007 received a bachelor's degree in technical informatics from the Delft University of Technology.[6][unreliable source?]

In 2003, during university years, Niknam founded TransIP, a company that specialized in domain name registration and web hosting.[4][7][8] In 2014, he handed over the management of the company and in 2019, after the merging with the Belgian company Combell, TransIP was renamed team.blue[9][10] where he remained a board member.[11]

In 2007, with his two partners, Niknam founded a data center company The Datacenter Group. As of 2018 he remained a shareholder in the company at least.[2]

In 2011, Niknam wrote a book called Ondernemers hebben nooit geluk (Entrepreneurs are never lucky) covering his entrepreneurship experience.[12][13][14]

In 2012, Niknam launched a mobile bank named bunq in which he invested €98.7 million.[15][16][17] In 2023, bunq was valued at €1.65bn after a new funding round.[18]

In 2022, together with Robert Vis and Joris Beckers, Niknam founded the People for People Foundation, which supported people affected by the Russian-Ukrainian war.[19][20]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Tucker, Charlotte (2020-04-23). ""We keep our business model flexible": Interview with bunq's founder Ali". EU-Startups. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  2. ^ a b c "Ali Niknam, de miljardair die grootbanken een hak wil zetten". tijd.be (in Dutch). 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  3. ^ AltFi (2023-07-18). "Bunq hits 9 million users in Europe, doubles deposits in four months". AltFi. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  4. ^ a b Fintech Futures (2019). "bunq: A bank build by coders". fintechfutures.com. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  5. ^ Gerhard (2021-11-11). "Bunq bank CEO Ali Niknam: ´Alleen met de allerbeste mensen kan ik Bunq bank internationaal op de kaart zetten´". Groeivoer (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  6. ^ "How bunq became one of Europe's leading challenger banks without raising a single cent". FinTech Global. 2020-05-06. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  7. ^ Clarke, Gina (2020-10-01). "The Financial Industry: Evolving Towards A Cash-Free Future". The Fintech Times. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  8. ^ Staff, Startup Info (2020-08-14). "Ali Niknam, the CEO of Bunq says feedback from their customers is what inspires their innovation". Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  9. ^ "Alles over Ali Niknam: oprichter van bunq en team.blue". Quote Net (in Dutch). 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  10. ^ Baird, Roger (2020-01-06). "Interview: Ali Niknam – The software mogul who spent €50m to build his own bank". LearnBonds.com. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  11. ^ "Team - Ali Niknam". team.blue. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  12. ^ Niknam, Ali (2011). Ondernemers hebben nooit geluk. Written Books. ASIN B00OQDHK8M.
  13. ^ Bronzwaer, Stijn (2023-06-30). "Ali Niknam, topman van onlinebank bunq, eist veel van zijn mensen: 'Wie hier niet presteert, kan maar beter gaan'". NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  14. ^ "Quote 500-sterren scoren bij allerlaatste Loey Awards: 'Flink ding wel'". Quote Net (in Dutch). 2022-09-28. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  15. ^ Berthoux, Pierre (2022-05-25). "Ali Niknam, fondateur et CEO de Bunq : " Pour une meilleure maturité sur l'openbanking, il faut favoriser l'uniformisation des banques européennes. "". Forbes France (in French). Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  16. ^ "Amsterdam-based challenger bank bunq turns five: 5 things you need to know about this fintech company | Silicon Canals". 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  17. ^ "Capitalflow acquired by Dutch fintech for undisclosed fee". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  18. ^ Gain, Vish (2023-07-24). "Dutch neobank Bunq raises fresh funding at €1.65bn valuation". Silicon Republic. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  19. ^ Miller, Gerald (2022). "Ali Niknam (Bunq) Started Aid Foundation Ukraine: 'You Can Make A Difference For Some People'". startupmafia.eu. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  20. ^ "MessageBird launches €8.92M NGO fund; joins Ali Niknam (bunq), Joris Beckers (Picnic) to help people affected by Russia-Ukraine war | Silicon Canals". 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
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