First, I need to say that it is not just me. There are more than twenty of us at Starling now and we will grow to more than seventy by the end of the year. So if you like what we are doing and would like to be part of it, please look at our careers page. We are a diverse group of very talented engineers, bankers, accountants and customer-centric marketeers. We are united by our values and beliefs that technology and innovation can improve your financial health and relief from financial anxiety is a human need that the banking industry has exploited for its own benefit for too long.
I often say that Starling will tell you whether you have enough money to the end of the week, month, year or to the end your life. As a child growing up in industrial South Wales during the 70’s, it was very evident that for many people financial hardship was just around the corner. Then and now, people deal with this in many different ways, from the “over-thinking mental accounting” types on one hand, to the “don’t open the envelope” types at the other extreme. I must admit that I have always worried about money and would have taken the “entrepreneurial” leap much earlier in my career if I could have been a bit more “carefree” about my own personal cash flow.
So back to the question, why Starling, why now, why us. We believe that technology has transformed our lives in so many different ways, whether it is about how you enjoy music or how you shop. However, many of us are still stressed by the everyday management of money. I have written a lot about the opportunities of technology, changes in regulation (PSD2) and how the incumbents banks can’t change.
So what’s next at Starling? Well we are now gearing up for the next stage of our development. We are interested in hearing from you if you have a passion for the psychology of money, artificial intelligence (AI) and data science. If you put these things together you probably guess where we are heading. We are on a mission to change our relationship with money. If you want to join us then take a look at our careers page.