Digital visionary. “The most amazing digitization is how it can drive transparency and be a force for democracy. But Sweden has some left, for example when it comes to talking about where their tax money within the community goes, “says Sebastian Siemiatkovski at Klarna.
Klarna is about to enter the US and hope to dig gold. Digital technology has met with the CEO and co-founder Sebastian Siemiatkowski opening for an IPO and talk about broadening the micro payments.
From acclaimed startups and success story in class with Skype and Spotify to spat fakturakrängare. The past year has seen large swings for Klarna.
It was in an acclaimed series of articles in the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet last spring as it emerged that many are sincerely cursed the invoice mailings from Klarna. That it was not just about a scandalous newspaper confirmed during conversations with friends and acquaintances, many say they are angry reminder invoices which they perceive as unjust.
But Sebastian Siemiatkowskis way to answer the criticism was also featured – he took direct the ball, even in the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet exchange forum.
To Klarna want to invoice the soup behind them is obvious when Digital Technology meets Sebastian Siemiatkowski in the new headquarters of Skandia completely rebuilt old house on Sveavägen in Stockholm, close to Haymarket. In fact, Klarna just want to acknowledge that it is a fakturahanterare.
– We deal primarily with payment solutions. Three years ago it was 100 percent bill, but since then there has been a dramatic change, says Sebastian Siemiatkowski.
Klarna want to become a leader in payment solutions for e-commerce. Almost three years ago launched Klarna Checkout. After various childhood diseases are now the part for more than half of Klarna volumes. It’s just the beginning.
– We want Klarna Checkout shall be a seal of quality for e-retailers. As the “Intel inside” on computers, we want it to be “Powered by Klarna.”
The next step is to extend payment solutions further. Sebastian Siemiatkowski sees new opportunities in the troubled newspaper industry. It is a sector that is struggling to find new business models in a world where competition from digital services and digital entertainment makes it tougher to get the economy. The newspaper industry as a whole has not yet found a really good digital model, but experimenting with such different forms of pay walls.
The next step may be micro payments of items. Klarna has partnered with Bonnier and Dagens Nyheter.
– We believe that WTP is, but it must be as simple as possible. You just need to click a plus next to the article as it is ready.
When will it?
– Soon, next year.
Klarna’s largest customer has been Hut – Sweden’s answer to Amazon. But Hut has abandoned Klarna for a completely custom payment solution – Qliro.
– It is strange to me. It is not their core business and if they spread out thinly on too many different things, the risk is that they lose the core business as well Amazon will enter Sweden. There are two to three times the size of The Hut.
– For our own part, I am pigs afraid to spread the forces too thin. We should invest in lace and be the best at what we do.
When we meet Sebastian Siemiatkowski in the conference room early Monday morning, he is a little worn and slightly jetlagged after a trip to the United States. The launch of Klarna there is of course a big deal and it should take place in March 2015.
– I was at a trade show in Las Vegas and in Sweden we have a very focused on what’s happening over there. But I discovered that it is not as creative as I thought. On the contrary, there is a huge herd mentality. In this way, it is nice to Stockholm – here it is less talk and more workshop.
Sweden and Scandinavia is still greatest for Klarna, but that will change soon.
– If the three years, I hope that the US market is the largest. More in the near term, it is not long until Germany is greatest for us.
Another major issue is whether Klarna will go the same fate as many of their hot Swedish startups colleagues – be bought as Mojang or introduced the stock market as King?
– I’m worried quarterly economy and now that we are entering the US it costs money. Then it’s nice to be privately owned.
– Meanwhile, we have stock options to our employees. Sometime maybe people want to sell. For that reason, a listing reasonable, said Sebastian Siemiatkowski.
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