Raised in Geneva, Guillaume Pousaz studied mathematical engineering at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne before finding his way to California. Checkout, which he started in 2012, works with companies like Netflix, Pizza Hut and Sony. But his focus is on Europe and the Middle East and especially on businesses with high transaction volume. Collection The high rating is no surprise: it collects fees for purchases made through its services, and e-commerce is booming.
Checkout has not been immune to the downturn in tech markets that has plagued other fintech companies. It was also expanding into crypto before the price crash and multiple institutional failures hit the industry. (Checkout worked with porn and gambling sites in its early days, but has “completely exited adult content,” a spokesperson told Bloomberg News.) However, Pousaz, who is valued at $14 billion, is now a major investor in fintech startups across Europe.
