Name: Gurhan Kiziloz
Position: CEO & Founder
Company: Lanistar
Company Website: https://iamlanistar.com/
Tell us about Lanistar
Lanistar is a brand new, hassle-free banking alternative that’s going to revolutionise the world of personal finance. Unlike other institutions, we’re placing the customer at the heart of every single thing that we do, and we’re providing the safest, securest and simplest financial product available anywhere on the market.
We’re not just here to challenge the status quo, we’re here to completely takeover, instituting a completely new way for our customers to think about and manage their money. This won’t be easy, and we’ll need to take on the leaders in the marketplace, but we’re determined to do this to make our vision of improving the nation’s financial wellbeing a reality.
What’s the story behind Lanistar, why did you start the company?
The idea from Lanistar stems from my personal dissatisfaction with the UK’s banking sector, and specifically, the products that we have been given to manage our finances.
If you were to track the progress of most businesses over the past decade or so, you’d clearly be able to see the development of several new products and strategies, as company’s adapted to serve the needs and demands of the modern consumer. The rapid development of technology has acted as a catalyst in this respect – think about it, could a company like Uber have existed if smartphone usage hadn’t become ubiquitous?
However, the financial sector hasn’t seen anywhere near the same type of revolution, and the types of products on offer have essentially remained the same for hundreds and hundreds of years. For far too long now, contemporary banking providers have treated their customers as nothing more than a statistic on their balance sheet, remaining ignorant of their needs. As such, we’re providing a product which will hand power back to the consumer, giving them a personalised experience, set up for simple use in day to day life.
How would you describe your approach to doing business?
I’ve always been a self-starter, and I’m incredibly lucky to come from a family of successful businesspeople. I started one of my first business ventures all the way back in primary school – I used to sell dinner tickets, using the profit to buy Pokemon cards, which I then used to sell on for extra revenue! Even though this is obviously a long way away from the type of business that I conduct today, there’s lessons that I still keep with me to this day, chiefly that there’s always an opportunity if you’re providing a product that the customers want.
I’d also describe myself as an innovator, and we try to imbue this into everything we do at Lanistar. I once listened in on a business seminar featuring Sheldon Adelson, and he talked about the importance of breaking the status-quo in business. This is exactly what we’re trying to do with our product, bringing a completely new way of managing money to the market.
What advice would you give to yourself when you were just starting out?
Persistence will always beat resistance. There will be times when you’ll be faced with a massive problem, and it will look appealing to give up. It’s in times like these where visualisation is incredibly important. Visualise your end goal, where you see yourself in the future, and channel this into your current life. This will give you the power to push through and keep going.
How do you think the fintech sector will develop in the future?
We will continue to see customers demanding 24/7 access and increasingly frictionless services, and this will likely grow as we see a retrenchment from physical premises in favour of new technologies like AI powered chatbots and automated authentication; slick customer service is critical. Furthermore, as the penetration rate of mobile devices increase, customer expectations surrounding UX will continue to rise. Finally, as we move toward becoming a cashless society, consumers will continue to look for newer ways of making payments, that bring marked improvements to their lives.
What’s your ambition for Lanistar?
To become a unicorn with a valuation of at least £1 Billion! I know it’s a lofty goal, but I believe that you need to set your sights high to achieve success!
