Stark Bank, however, has a much more earthly mission than saving humanity from supervillains: to offer a modern and technological bank to the country's "unicorns" (startups valued at $ 1 billion).
For this, the Brazilian Stark has gathered names that Marvel's Stark would love to have around. The company announced this Monday, 11, that it received a check for $45 million in a round led by Ribbit Capital, an American company specializing in fintechs - SEA Capital, Lachy Groom and K5 Global also participated.
Rafael Stark has a list of 300 clients, which includes Fifth Floor and Loft
However, another name stands out in the list of investors: Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. The second richest man in the world participated in the round through his personal investment company, Bezos Expeditions. It is the first time that the fund participates in an investment in Brazil, in Latin America it had already invested in NotCo, the Chilean plant-based food unicorn.
"I asked the Expeditions people if the donation also entitles me to space travel through Blue Origin," Stark jokes, referring to Bezos' space exploration venture. On a more serious note, he explains to Stadium why the contribution from the founder of Amazon and the other funds is important. "We need the best partners to meet the challenge we have: to be the premier bank for large companies, including unicorns and traditional names in digital transformation."
In the executive's words, there is a feeling that Stark Bank wants to be a kind of "Nubank of large companies," a tech institution that wants to shake up the dominance of "banks." Stark, however, explains the differences: "For individuals or small businesses, the customer wants to do everything on the app and have a seamless experience. In a large enterprise, the customer doesn't want 'a few clicks.' You want control and scalability."
The corporate card, for example, allows spending limits by currency, country, establishment and frequency of transactions, the funds can even be linked to cost centers.
Besides the card, the bank offers products such as Boleto and Pix billing management, customized payment approval flow, and payroll. With the contribution, the company is expected to offer financial products such as investments and lines of credit.
"As the startup ecosystem grows and traditional companies undergo digital transformation, the demand for financial products and customized solutions grows. There is a great opportunity for Stark," says Bruno Diniz, innovation expert and partner at Spiralem Consulting.
"Although traditional names like Itaú BBA and BTG Digital are eyeing this segment, the solutions are not ready. For startups, which do not have a large infrastructure, it is easier to move in this direction," he says.
Investors also seem to see opportunities. The new investment comes just four months after a $13 million check, attended by the founders of Dropbox, Rappi, Wildlife and Slack. "In the last three years we have tripled revenue and trading volume. We were being chased by several global funds," he says of the checks in the aftermath. The goal this year is to grow tenfold.
Stark Bank, however, has a much more earthly mission than saving humanity from supervillains: to offer a modern and technological bank to the country's "unicorns" (startups valued at $ 1 billion).
For this, the Brazilian Stark has gathered names that Marvel's Stark would love to have around. The company announced this Monday, 11, that it received a check for $45 million in a round led by Ribbit Capital, an American company specializing in fintechs - SEA Capital, Lachy Groom and K5 Global also participated.
Rafael Stark has a list of 300 clients, which includes Fifth Floor and Loft
However, another name stands out in the list of investors: Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. The second richest man in the world participated in the round through his personal investment company, Bezos Expeditions. It is the first time that the fund participates in an investment in Brazil, in Latin America it had already invested in NotCo, the Chilean plant-based food unicorn.
"I asked the Expeditions people if the donation also entitles me to space travel through Blue Origin," Stark jokes, referring to Bezos' space exploration venture. On a more serious note, he explains to Stadium why the contribution from the founder of Amazon and the other funds is important. "We need the best partners to meet the challenge we have: to be the premier bank for large companies, including unicorns and traditional names in digital transformation."
In the executive's words, there is a feeling that Stark Bank wants to be a kind of "Nubank of large companies," a tech institution that wants to shake up the dominance of "banks." Stark, however, explains the differences: "For individuals or small businesses, the customer wants to do everything on the app and have a seamless experience. In a large enterprise, the customer doesn't want 'a few clicks.' You want control and scalability."
The corporate card, for example, allows spending limits by currency, country, establishment and frequency of transactions, the funds can even be linked to cost centers.
Besides the card, the bank offers products such as Boleto and Pix billing management, customized payment approval flow, and payroll. With the contribution, the company is expected to offer financial products such as investments and lines of credit.
"As the startup ecosystem grows and traditional companies undergo digital transformation, the demand for financial products and customized solutions grows. There is a great opportunity for Stark," says Bruno Diniz, innovation expert and partner at Spiralem Consulting.
"Although traditional names like Itaú BBA and BTG Digital are eyeing this segment, the solutions are not ready. For startups, which do not have a large infrastructure, it is easier to move in this direction," he says.
Investors also seem to see opportunities. The new investment comes just four months after a $13 million check, attended by the founders of Dropbox, Rappi, Wildlife and Slack. "In the last three years we have tripled revenue and trading volume. We were being chased by several global funds," he says of the checks in the aftermath. The goal this year is to grow tenfold.