Adyen co-founder: Europe does not need more ambition. It needs to stop hiding it

Thijn Lamers is Co-Founder and President, Noah.

In 2018, the company I helped build, Adyen, went public in Amsterdam, becoming Europe’s most valuable fintech at the time. I joined in 2007 as employee number 009. I would have preferred 007, but that position had already been taken.

Over the next 11 years, I watched Adyen grow from an ambitious startup into a global payments leader. It remains one of the achievements I am most proud of, and I remain deeply grateful to the team that made it possible.

After that, I stepped away. I travelled, joined boards, invested in companies, and spent more time on hobbies (still not great at Tennis) But eventually, I realised I missed building. I missed the energy of creating something from an idea. I missed working alongside ambitious people chasing a difficult goal. Most of all, I missed the sense that a small group of people could change an industry.

Then, in March 2024, I met my co-founder, Shah Ramezani. When you know, you know. What struck me immediately was his energy, conviction, and belief that stablecoins could fundamentally improve how money moves around the world.  A little over a year later, we launched Noah........

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