Interview with MD Dr. Carolin Gabor

Dr. Carolin Gabor is the newest addition to the FinLeap Management team. As the new Managing Director, she will be responsible for venture development and growth. She will support the already launched companies from their strategic decisions to a possible exit. Before joining FinLeap, Carolin spent ten years working for Boston Consulting Group. Afterwards, she became the CEO of Toptarif.de and later held the CEO position of autohaus24.de GmbH. In addition, she is a member of the Women’s Council of HypoVereinsbank which supports promising female entrepreneurs through mentoring.

Today, we will interview Carolin on joining FinLeap, the ventures’ growth needs, and ladies in the Fintech world.

FinLeap.com: What was the idea behind joining FinLeap and what impact will you have on the company?

Carolin: I was introduced to FinLeap by one of the members on the advisory board with whom I met a couple of years ago. I can possibly make a difference at FinLeap, because the company will have its first woman on the management team. I think I have a good sense of whether people like the work here and whether they can personally grow through the company. I will also bring extensive expertise to the FinLeap family as I have been responsible for ventures before and have pushed them to excel. I have learned a lot, especially by making mistakes before. This experience might help our ventures to avoid similar mistakes early on.

FinLeap.com: What do you think is unique about FinLeap?

Carolin: The mix of people at FinLeap makes it really special. Here, we have real digital natives, entrepreneurial mindsets, and industry experts that are hungry to innovate the financial industry and are all working together towards that common goal.

FinLeap.com: How does FinLeap differ from your past experiences?

Carolin: The people here are more performance driven and more eager to learn new things. The overall thinking at the company involves the bigger picture. Also, the office atmosphere is incredible as Finleap provides the best for the team.

FinLeap.com: What’s the best way to provide for all the ventures’ growth needs?

Carolin: When you lead people, the best leadership style is to do it individually, dependent on the person, his or her job and growth needs. The same way goes for the ventures, because every one of them has different challenges ranging from business models to products to way of operation.

FinLeap.com: How do you plan on providing for the growth of the ventures and FinLeap?

Carolin: It is all about doing the right things with the right focus. I aim to not get lost in the tremendous amount of possible improvements, but focus on the top three tasks that can really bring businesses forward.

FinLeap.com: What do you think gives FinLeap the edge in the competitive market?

Carolin: FinLeap’s approach of having a portfolio and building companies is very different from the classic Fintech startup. Because of the amount of knowledge from industry experts, the access to talent and money, we are really able to change business models and help ventures be faster than their competitors. FinLeap works to prevent the startups from doing the first ten errors in the beginning and survive the first hardest months. In addition, the incredible shared knowledge between ventures pushes them forward. Right now, Savedo and Clark are advising each other on performance excellence in TV advertising – you do not see something like this in our competitive market.

FinLeap.com: As the only woman on the FinLeap Management team, how do you plan to help women in the tech world?

Carolin: I have joined Christine Kiefer, Managing Director of Pair Finance, in her Fintech Ladies initiative. The first dinner has already been hosted and great women in the Fintech industry got to talk and know each other. In the near future, we will be having another dinner with a larger range of Fintech women that aims to begin cooperation between banks and Fintechs. Women will get to know others, inspire each other and do business together. Of course, I am very happy that we have the support of FinLeap. My position enables me to advocate for women in the Fintech industry, so I am thinking about creating a Fintech Ladies Europe initiative.

FinLeap.com: How do you plan on keeping up with the changing Fintech trends?

Carolin: I plan on reading and talking to people. I have to keep my curiosity up and try to be as informed as possible, so I can support the strategic decision-making of our ventures.

FinLeap.com: What is some advice you can offer other Fintechs?

Carolin: Found with us!