# Taavet Hinrikus

> Taavet Hinrikus is an Estonian tech entrepreneur who became Skype's first employee, co-founded Wise (formerly TransferWise) in 2010 - growing it into Europe's largest fintech IPO via a 2021 direct listing at $11B - and now invests through Plural Platform alongside backing social initiatives like kood/Jõhvi coding school. One of Estonia's first billionaires, with a net worth around $1.35 billion, he is also a co-owner of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers.

- **Role:** Partner at Plural Platform
- **Organizations:** Plural Platform, Wise (co-founder, former CEO & Chairman), Taavet+Sten (co-founder), kood/Jõhvi (co-founder), Portland Trail Blazers (co-owner), Certific (co-founder), Founders Pledge (member)
- **From:** Tartu, Estonia
- **Nationality:** Estonian
- **Education:** Secondary education, Miina Härma Gymnasium, Did not complete (expelled twice for making no academic progress), Tallinn University of Technology, MBA (General Management), Co-president of INSEAD Entrepreneurship Club, INSEAD
- **Known for:** First employee at Skype - helped build from idea to hundreds of millions of users, Co-founded Wise, which processed $100B+ in transactions annually, Led Europe's first direct listing when Wise listed on the London Stock Exchange in July 2021

## Career timeline

- **1981** — Born in Tartu, Estonia
- **1999** — Graduated from Miina Härma Gymnasium
- **2002** — Became first employee at Skype, joining at its very beginning
- **2002-2009** — Served as Director of Strategy at Skype, helping scale from idea to hundreds of millions of users
- **2010** — Completed MBA at INSEAD; began planning what became Wise
- **2011** — Co-founded TransferWise (later Wise) with Kristo Käärmann in London
- **2011-2017** — Served as CEO of Wise, scaling the company globally
- **2017** — Wise turned profitable; Hinrikus stepped back from CEO role, became Chairman; began active angel investing
- **2021** — Co-founded kood/Jõhvi coding school in northeastern Estonia
- **2021** — Wise listed on London Stock Exchange via Europe's first direct listing at $11B valuation
- **2021** — Partnered with Sten Tamkivi to launch Taavet+Sten investment vehicle
- **2021** — Stepped down as Chairman of Wise in December
- **2022-present** — Joined Plural Platform as Partner, investing in ambitious European founders
- **2026** — Part of 'Rip City Rising' group co-owning Portland Trail Blazers NBA franchise

## Achievements

- First employee at Skype - helped build from idea to hundreds of millions of users
- Co-founded Wise, which processed $100B+ in transactions annually
- Led Europe's first direct listing when Wise listed on the London Stock Exchange in July 2021
- One of Estonia's first billionaires with an estimated net worth of ~$1.35 billion
- Ranked in the Sunday Times Rich List (197th in 2023, net worth £861 million)
- Angel investor in 100+ companies including Bolt, Veriff, Zego, Gideon Brothers
- Co-founded kood/Jõhvi, a tuition-free coding school expanding to multiple countries
- World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer
- Adviser to the Prime Minister of Estonia on digital agenda
- Co-owner of NBA team Portland Trail Blazers as part of 'Rip City Rising' group

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Confirmed as co-owner of Portland Trail Blazers NBA franchise as part of 'Rip City Rising' ownership group led by Tom Dundon
- **2024-01** — Active at Plural Platform backing early-stage European founders in health, climate, and enterprise
- **2023-06** — Ranked 197th on Sunday Times Rich List with net worth of £861 million
- **2022-06** — kood/Jõhvi coding school opened new building; school expanding internationally to Finland, Ukraine, Kenya
- **2021-12** — Stepped down as Chairman of Wise after the company's landmark 2021 direct listing

## Links

- Website: https://www.pluralplatform.com/team/taavet-hinrikus
- LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/taavethinrikus
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/taavet
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taavet/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/taavet-hinrikus
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-06