PitchIt Podcast #21: Martin Sokk and Mihkel Aamer of Lightyear

In episode 21 I talk with Martin Sokk and Mihkel Aamer of Lightyear.

Lightyear is a simple and approachable way to invest your money globally without unnecessary barriers and fees. We saw a huge influx of retail investors over the past 18 months and not all markets around the world are in the same place when it come to technology and access.

Lightyear is looking to help UK-based retail investors gain access to US markets. Martin, Mihkel, and I discuss why they decided to start with U.S. markets, the impact of a Robinhood on their business, and how it increased awareness for trading, their future roadmap, raising money, and a whole lot more. I hope you enjoy the show.

In this podcast you will learn:

  • Martin & Mihkel’s founder story
  • What they learned from Transferwise
  • How complicated & expensive trading is for UK consumers today
  • Robinhood has had an overall positive impact on their business
  • The pandemic helped accelerate interest in global and crypto markets
  • ETF penetration in EU is quite low
  • How Lightyear is trying to navigate different cultures, currencies and more
  • How they plan to make money
  • How they partnered with the right investors interested in solving this problem
  • And more…

This episode was sponsored by Zendesk, a service-first CRM company that builds software designed to improve customer relationships. Qualifying startups get Zendesk free for 6 months.

Download a PDF transcription of Podcast No. 21 Martin Sokk and Mihkel Aamer

  • Todd Anderson

    Todd is the host of PitchIt: the fintech startups podcast, a weekly interview show featuring emerging fintech founders and leading venture capitalists. He is responsible for leading the content team which covers fintech through daily & weekly email newsletters, editorial, virtual events, and in-person conferences. He has been covering fintech, banking, and venture capital for more than 15 years, including speaking regularly at industry events.