More startups are being spun out of Klarna than any other European fintech unicorn
LONDON — More startups are being spun out of Swedish digital payments firm Klarna than any other financial technology unicorn in Europe, according to a new report from venture capital firm Accel.
Accel's "Fintech Founder Factory" report shows that alumni from Klarna have gone on to create a total of 62 new startups, including the likes of Swedish lending technology firm Anyfin, regulatory compliance platform Bits Technology and AI-powered coding platform Pretzel AI.
That is more than any other venture-backed fintech startup worth $1 billion or more in the region.
This includes the digital banking app Revolut, whose former employees have founded 49 startups. It also includes money transfer app Wise and online-only bank N26, where ex-staff at both firms have started 33 companies each, according to Accel's data.
Accel labels these companies "founder factories," on the basis that they have become breeding grounds for talent that often go on to establish their own firms.
"We now have a very long list of large, durable, successful companies in Europe across the different ecosystems — including London, Berlin and Stockholm — that have been generating interesting outcomes," Luca Bocchio, partner at Accel, told CNBC.
Out of 98 venture-backed fintech unicorns in Europe and Israel, 82 have produced 635 new tech-enabled startups, according to Accel's report, which was published Tuesday ahead of a fintech event the firm is hosting in London Wednesday.
The data also factors in fintech unicorns based in Israel. However, most of the biggest fintech founder factories come from Europe.
Klarna has attracted headlines in recent months due to commentary from the buy now, pay later giant's founder and CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, about using