#198: Thomas Vles - Founder and CEO of GoDutch - building from frustration, transparency in banking, vulnerability, and scaling fast without a marketing budget

About this episode

Thomas Vles discusses his journey as a serial entrepreneur and the innovative approach of his fintech platform GoDutch.

Thomas Vles is a serial entrepreneur with a background in e-commerce and startups. He first gained international attention in 2013 with Poopy Cat, a company built around sustainable disposable cardboard litter boxes and modular cat products. In 2015, to mark the UK launch, he cycled from Amsterdam to London with his two cats in a cargo bike, a stunt that drew media attention around the world. After selling Poopy Cat in 2017, he started investing in and advising startups through BlueBottle Ventures. He later spent a year as Managing Director of the Dutch Startup Association, before moving into fintech in 2021 as CEO of Tellow. From 2023 onwards, he served as Chief Revenue Officer at Shine, formerly known as Ageras. Since May 2024, he has been building GoDutch. It is not a traditional bank, but a fintech platform that aims to make business banking fairer by sharing part of its income with entrepreneurs, while also taking away much of the administrative hassle. Thomas first studied Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Amsterdam, before switching to Psychology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where he completed two master’s degrees. He is 41 years old, lives in Amsterdam, is…

People in this episode

Guest: Thomas Vles

Topics covered

• entrepreneurship
• fintech
• business banking
• scaling startups
• transparency in banking
• vulnerability
• marketing strategies

Keywords

• GoDutch
• Thomas Vles
• fintech
• business banking
• entrepreneurship
• scaling
• transparency
• marketing budget
• sustainable products
• startup advice

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: GoDutch, BlueBottle Ventures, Dutch Startup Association, Tellow, Shine

Books & works: The Daily Stoic

Places: Amsterdam, London

More episodes of Leaders in Finance Podcast

• Extra episode: Chris Lovett on his new book Relentless: The Power of Doing Less in a Workplace that Demands More · May 27, 2026 · 51 min
• #203: Duco van Lanschot - Founder van Duna - extreme transparantie, Marathon des Sables, Stripe-DNA, obsessie en discipline · May 20, 2026 · 1h 25m
• Extra episode: Martijn Gribnau (Quant, former Volksbank CEO) on why AI will fundamentally change banking · May 19, 2026 · 45 min
• Extra episode: Live from OWIN26 – Alberto Cuccu (Objectway) on scaling, solution design, and the real impact of AI in financial services · May 17, 2026 · 20 min
• Extra episode: Live from OWIN26 - Alexander Cassar (Objectway) on trust, AI, and scaling wealth management · May 13, 2026 · 11 min
• #202: Michael Jongeneel - CEO of FMO - win-win-win leadership, climate and inequality, vulnerability, reflection and purpose · May 11, 2026 · 1h 32m