Taavet Hinrikus is an Estonian entrepreneur best known as co-founder of Wise, the international money transfer and financial services company. He was among the earliest employees at Skype, serving as the company's first employee and later as Director of Strategy, gaining formative experience in building cross-border technology businesses from Tallinn. He co-founded Wise in 2011 alongside Kristo Käärmann, after the two identified inefficiencies and hidden costs in traditional international bank transfers through personal experience. Under his involvement, Wise grew into one of Europe's most prominent fintech companies, eventually listing on the London Stock Exchange in 2021. Hinrikus has also been active as an investor and board member across the European startup ecosystem, and has served as a visible advocate for Estonian and broader European technology entrepreneurship.