DZ
DefZone.Net

Kien thuc cong nghe & giai tri

Wiki Article

Thomas Vles

Nguồn dữ liệu từ Wikipedia, hiển thị bởi DefZone.Net

Xem trên WikipediaBài ngẫu nhiên khác

Thomas Vles
Born (1985-01-15) January 15, 1985 (age 41)
OccupationsEntrepreneur, investor
Known forFounder of Poopy Cat, BlueBottle Ventures and GoDutch

Thomas Vles (born 15 January 1985) is a Dutch entrepreneur and investor. He founded the pet-product company Poopy Cat, early-stage investment firm BlueBottle Ventures and the business-banking platform GoDutch. He has also served in leadership roles at Tellow, Shine (previously Ageras) and the Dutch Startup Association.[1][2][3][4]

Career

[edit]

In 2013, Vles founded Poopy Cat, a company selling disposable cardboard litter boxes and modular play products for cats. The business received media coverage in several international outlets and expanded into multiple markets. Poopy Cat was sold to a pet-care company in 2017.[3][2]

Following the sale of Poopy Cat, Vles founded BlueBottle Ventures, investing in consumer goods and financial-technology startups. He later served as managing director of the Dutch Startup Association.[2]

In 2021, he became chief executive officer of Tellow, an invoicing and bookkeeping platform that originated at Rabobank and was subsequently acquired by Ageras (now Shine) where Thomas became Chief Revenue Officer, heading all commercial and operational teams across Europe and the United States. [3] Shine was later sold for €1 billion in 2025.[4][5]

In 2024, Vles founded GoDutch, a financial-technology company providing business accounts and financial tools for small and medium-sized enterprises.[6] The company got pre-seed funding from founders and executives from Knab, Bunq, and Goldman Sachs in 2025.[7] Later in the same year, they raised €3,6 million in seed investment from institutional investors.[8] The company has reported reaching more than 12,500 users within its first year, processing over 1,5 billion annually.[9][10][11]

Public appearances and media

[edit]

Vles regularly lectures at universities and frequently speaks in interviews and public forums on entrepreneurship and financial technology. A blog on his failed startup wedoido about quitting early and avoiding bankruptcy received Dutch national coverage from NOS, Telegraaf and Volkskrant.[12] He appeared as a guest on the podcast Dutch Dragons in October 2025 and writes on digital-business topics.[13][14][15]

Awards and recognition

[edit]

Poopy Cat received startup-industry recognition in the early 2010s.[2] GoDutch won the Dutch section of the Mastercard Fintech awards in 2024 and advanced to the European final at the Digital Finance Summit and recognized as a Rising Star by Deloitte Fast50.[16][11] GoDutch has also been listed in national innovation-award programmes in the Netherlands.[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Moederbedrijf van Pets Place neemt Poopy Cat over". FD.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d "Dutch Startup Changemakers: Thomas Vles". Leapfunder Blog. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Thomas Vles verkocht ooit kattenbakken, nu valt hij banken aan met GoDutch". MT/Sprout (in Dutch). 14 June 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "Surviving the Startup Climb with Thomas Vles – Founder of GoDutch". TeamPCN Podcast. 28 May 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  5. ^ "Cegid acquires Shine for new European SMB platform". FinTech Futures. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Met GoDutch heeft het mkb er een nieuwe bank bij". FD.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Neobank GoDutch haalt €1,2 miljoen op: 'Zes ton met één berichtje in de nieuwsbrief'". Quote Net (in Dutch). 14 May 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Fintech GoDutch haalt groeikapitaal op, start vergunningsproces DNB". FD.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  9. ^ "Over ons". GoDutch (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  10. ^ "About GoDutch". GoDutch. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Over ons – our milestones". GoDutch. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  12. ^ "Oproep van KvK aan ondernemers in onzekerheid: overweeg tijdig te stoppen". nos.nl (in Dutch). 13 September 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  13. ^ "Thomas Vles (GoDutch): Van kartonnen kattenbak tot digitale bank". Apple Podcasts (in Dutch). 15 October 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  14. ^ "Thomas Vles – author archive". Frankwatching (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  15. ^ "This story is exactly why I started GoDutch". LinkedIn. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  16. ^ "Thomas Vles – Founder, GoDutch". Digital Finance Conference. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
[edit]