ScaleApp Podcasts – Scale Up Ecosystems

ScaleApp podcasts are chock-full of content and interviews with successful scalers that inspire companies and instill regions with insight and motivation. If you are a company with serious growth aspirations or want to learn about the secrets of scaling, the ScaleApp podcasts are for you.

What does it take to build a global fintech platform from a small Greek city — and end up powering banks and fintechs across Europe and the Middle East?

Enter Natech, headquartered in Ioannina, Greece. Founded in 2003, Natech builds core banking systems, digital channels, and regulatory technology for financial institutions — primarily smaller, agile banks that need to move fast. Their front-to-back platform deploys in 90 days, future-proofing banks so they can focus on what they do best: serving their clients.

Thanasis shares the full story — from bootstrapped beginnings with personal capital and zero VC ecosystem in Greece, to $35M raised, $11.5M in 2025 revenue, and a bold target of $18M in 2026. With ~200 people across 6 countries, Natech has quietly become a serious global player.

A centerpiece of the conversation is Snappi — Natech's neobank joint venture with Piraeus Bank, one of Greece's largest financial institutions. The story of how a 50-person startup convinced a banking giant to co-found a digital bank is a masterclass in trust, speed, and commitment. Snappi has already onboarded 75,000 customers in under six months, targeting 300,000 by year end, and is now AI-first.

Thanasis also reflects on the culture that built Natech — forged in part by Greece's financial crisis, and defined by a simple but powerful mantra:

”Please test your ideas. You may think better than everybody else. Don't be afraid.”

And his advice to any founder starting out?

”Never settle, never be afraid. It will be a really bumpy road.”

Key themes in this episode:

Building a global fintech from a peripheral city — and making it a competitive advantage
The 'future-proof' value proposition: why banks can't just build once
How trust closed the Snappi deal
Culture born from crisis — adversity as competitive DNA
Bootstrapping for 17 years before raising outside capital

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