Björn Goß came into entrepreneurship as many do – with an idea ready to disrupt the way customers do business.
The year was 2011 and Björn had just finished his bachelor’s degree at the University of Mannheim in Germany. He and his friend David Handlos were exploring what the next chapter of their life might look like and spitballing ideas for their own venture.
“David’s girlfriend had the problem of carrying around 20 different plastic cards which was pretty clunky. All people were talking about in relation to mobile wallets were payments. We said ‘Well actually it should be way beyond pure payments and focus on the whole shopping journey including loyalty cards, coupons, gift cards, mobile payments and more,’” says Björn.
It was then that the early vision for Stocard – an app that allows users to declutter their wallets by organizing all their loyalty cards into one central location – was created.
Fast forward 12 years and 70 million users and Björn’s startup has become one of Europe’s most used apps. The company was acquired in a €140 million deal by Klarna in 2021.
In a global keynote for Founders Network on January 16, 2024, Björn will detail the story of how he built a successful fintech company and his tips for finding product-market fit.
His keynote will cover:
Opening Remarks @ 9:30am PT
Join us for opening remarks with Dina Fattom, Member Success Manager at Founders Network, to get the latest updates from the Network and opportunities for getting involved.
Keynote Speaker @ 9:40am PT
Björn Goß is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Stocard. Before starting Stocard, Björn worked for McKinsey & Company and discontinued his PhD studies to start Stocard. Björn holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mannheim.
Stage-Based Roundtables @ 10:30am PT
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About Founders Network:
Founded in 2011, Founders Network offers lifelong peer mentorship to over 600 tech startup founders globally. Our platform, programs and high-touch service facilitate authentic experience sharing, warm introductions and long-term professional relationships. Additional benefits include over $500k in startup discounts and promotion to 2,000 newsletter readers. Members are located in San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, London and other tech hubs. Each month our Membership Committee admits a new cohort of full-time tech founders who are nominated by an existing member. Learn more about us here
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