Wikipedia

Ali Niknam

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

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

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, the Netherlands.[5]

Niknam graduated from secondary school at the Coornhert Gymnasium in Gouda in 2007, receiving 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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