Thames Valley: American fintech company chooses Reading as UK base
US fintech Stash has landed in Reading, with a launch collaboration with ConnectTVT, the platform joining the dots for the digital and tech community in the Thames Valley. Stash chose Reading as its second global office location, expanding its product and engineering teams to help support their exponential growth.
Stash is a consumer banking and investing app enabling customers to seamlessly manage their money, build wealth, and learn as they go. Founded in 2015 by Brandon Krieg, CEO and Ed Robinson, president, of the New York-based app now has over 4 million users. Last year, it secured $73 million Series E funding to fuel its expansion.
The move was celebrated with a sold-out launch at ConnectTVT’s talent and event space, The Curious Lounge, supported by Henley Business School Entrepreneurship students interviewing Ed Robinson.
Digital tech leadership on the rise
Recent figures from Tech Nation show that the Thames Valley’s digital tech leadership is second only to London, with a gross value added (GVA) economy of £6.99 billion. It also has the second largest tech and digital workforce at 58,000 people, followed by Manchester with 31,000 and Bristol with 25,000.
Ed Robinson, pictured, said: “Before deciding on Reading as our second office location, we thoroughly analysed 20 different cities across the US and Europe to scope out where would be the best cultural fit, and which city would support our growing engineering and product needs. Reading, as an up-and-coming fintech hub in the UK, stood out to us as the prime location for our second office. It has an incredibly innovative tech scene, with an impressive and increasing engineering and product talent pool.”
A new home for Reading’s digital and creative community
The Curious Lounge opened in November 2019, as a breakthrough event, talent and work space for Reading’s tech and creative community in Reading. It is home to award-winning digital initiatives including the 50 Game Changers and the Festival of Digital Disruption as well as flagship programmes such as Digital Gum and Glug Reading.
Louize Clarke, founder of ConnectTVT and The Curious Lounge, commented: “Exciting high-growth startups like Stash are just what Reading needs if we’re going to stay ahead as a go-to talent hub for digital and tech. It’s a real vote of confidence for everything we’re working to build here at The Curious Lounge. Ed and the team completely get the importance of collaboration and investing in the eco-system too, to ensure that we foster a pool of skills, talent, and creativity for the long-term.”
Robinson added: “In NYC, we’re incredibly involved in the meet-up culture as part of our effort to bring brilliant minds, as well as new ideas and techniques, together in one space. The fluid conversations from different perspectives and backgrounds can provide great applicable insights for our teams. We’re excited to be working with The Curious Lounge and leveraging its communal space to bring together thought leaders across the industry and create a space for interesting conversations.”
