10 Things You Didn’t Know About Greg Karpovsky

Greg Karpovsky is the chairman and founder of Stenn International, a financial services company that serves customers all over the world. He also has more than 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur. Here are ten things about him that you may not know.

1. He Is Based In London

Stenn is headquartered in London and so this is where Karpovsky is also based. The headquarters of Stenn are not in the main financial district as you may expect. This can be seen as another example of how Karpovsky and Stenn like to do things a little differently. They are still near enough to the City for it to be convenient, but they do not feel they need to be right in the middle of things. The office space that they do have is in close proximity to other similar businesses.

2. He Left Russia After The Annexing Of Crimea

He was born in Russia, but has not lived in the country for several years. He has not returned to the country since Russia annexed Crimea. Stenn have also committed to not doing any business with companies that work to benefit Russia in light of the war with Ukraine, as he explained to Techcrunch. This was not really a difficult decision to make because it has been several years since Karpovsky lived in Russia, and he does not feel any real ties to the country. He has spent many years working in other European countries.

3. The First Company He Founded Was Eurokommerz

His first company which he founded and ran was Eurokommerz. He made a real success of this business and it is where he picked up a lot of skills that still serve him well today. The company is still trading today, although Karpovsky no longer has any involvement with the running of the business. Eurokommerz became a market leader under Karpovsky’s leadership and at the time he left, the company had more than $2 billion in assets. The purpose of the company was to build profitable relationships between companies in Western Europe and those in Eastern Europe who may have traditionally struggled to break into western markets.

4. He Also Founded A Charity Crowdfunding Platform

Another of Karpovsky’s previous projects before Stenn was a charity crowdfunding platform. The platform was called OtCLICKnis and provided him with an opportunity to put the skills and knowledge he had to good use. The platform made it easier for charities to raise money for their cause using crowdfunding. Charities could use it for general fundraising, or for raising money for a specific purpose. It became a popular app for charities operating across Europe.

5. He Is Able To Speak French

As well as speaking English and Russian, he is also fluent in French. This is an achievement he must be proud of as he has listed it on his LinkedIn profile. He has spent some time working in Europe in the past, and so having another language under his belt would have been an advantage. French is a language that is used by several other countries all over the world, and so it is a useful language to know. All of the companies that he has been involved in have operated in other countries as well as the one they are based in.

6. He Founded Stenn Alongside Andrey Polevoy

Stenn was founded by Karpovsky alongside Andrey Polevoy. Both men continue to serve on the board of Stenn together. Polevoy also lives in London which gives him the chance to be quite hands on with the business. Before founding Stenn he has been a director of several other businesses and has worked in Luxembourg and Malta. The two men work well together and it is a partnership which has benefited Stenn very well so far.

7. Owler Have Given Him A CEO Approval Rating Of 90/100

His CEO approval rating on Owler is 90/100. This shows that he is well respected by his colleagues. It can sometimes be difficult running a company that you have founded when people have different ideas to you. You want to maintain your authority while not becoming unapproachable. Many of his colleagues have described him as supportive and easy to work with, so he must be getting the balance right.

8. He Believes That Stenn Can Continue To Grow As A Company

Although Stenn have already achieved a lot in the time that they have been in business, he still feels that there is more that they can do. This ambition can be seen in the partnerships they have made with other financial institutions such as Barclay’s Bank and Citi Group. They have also recently started working with US firm, Centerbridge. One of the main reasons that this partnership came about was because both businesses saw the potential for growth in the other.

9. He Has Overseen $6 Billion Of Transactions As CEO Of Stenn

Since Stenn was founded in 2015 it has processed $6 billion in transactions to date. This has helped thousands of businesses manage their cashflow. As CEO it is Karpovsky’s responsibility to ensure that Stenn can continue to help more businesses in this way. Although he probably does not get involved in the day to day administrative work, he needs to ensure that his employees have all the tools and skills they need to operate efficiently.

10. He Has Been Influenced By Richard Branson

He lists Richard Branson as one of the people he is influenced by. This is likely to be because of his entrepreneurial qualities. Karpovsky has been involved with several businesses throughout his career, but this is nothing compared to the 400 that Branson has worked with. One of Richard Branson’s most admirable qualities is that he is not afraid to take a chance on opportunities that others may walk away from. This is a quality that Karpovsky shares as he is constantly looking to innovate the way financial companies work through the use of technology.