Scaling from startup to £70M+ funding in 16 months with Paul Anthony, Co-founder of Primer & Colossal

Technical founder reveals the infrastructure insight that built a £70M fintech

Primer's co-founder Paul Anthony explains the core technical insight that led him to start the company - recognizing that businesses needed to build payment infrastructure to connect multiple payment providers for optimal customer experience. He emphasizes how technical insights, rather than market opportunities, drive his entrepreneurial decisions.

We're never just operating a business - we're always building product

Paul Anthony explains Primer's core philosophy that distinguishes them from traditional businesses. He emphasizes that even as they scale, the company maintains a culture of continuous product development rather than shifting into pure operational mode.

So I'm I'm pretty sure I hired at least the first 30 or so people in in in the company. And the answer is is is, first of all, you just have to you have to not compromise on on the right on the right...

How Primer employees grew careers 5x faster than anywhere else

Paul Anthony explains his philosophy on accelerating career development at Primer, sharing how team members advanced their careers five times faster through concentrated knowledge and experience. He reflects on lessons from his early days as a first employee who became CTO, discussing his evolving approach to hiring and talent development.

Autonomy isn't a benefit, it's a requirement for exceptional teams

Paul Anthony explains why autonomy should be treated as a fundamental requirement rather than a perk when building high-performing teams. He argues that companies lose valuable opportunities when team members don't fully utilize their decision-making freedom.

Building a 'Webflow for commerce' with personalized buyer journeys

Paul Anthony explains Colossal's vision to create an open commerce platform that integrates best-in-class tools to build personalized shopping experiences. He contrasts this approach with traditional payment-focused solutions, describing it as 'Webflow for commerce' that enables custom storefronts with higher scaling potential than current incumbent platforms.