Having built and sold payment company Bibit to Royal Bank of Scotland, Pieter van der Does and Arnout Schuijff recognized that global digital commerce was hamstrung by patchwork legacy payment gateways and fragmented merchant acquirers.
They launched Adyen (meaning 'Start Over Again' in Surinamese) with a single, end-to-end unified technology platform connecting directly to credit card schemes worldwide. Operating with laser-like focus on unit economics and engineering perfection, Adyen listed on Euronext Amsterdam in a historic multi-billion-euro IPO without burning external venture debt.