You are a serial entrepreneur (last startup exited to SumUp) — how have prior exits changed how you’re building Copla?

The Paysolut journey and exit to SumUp were transformative.

First, the problem Copla is solving became clear during those years. Our customers were licensed financial institutions, and we saw that many treated ICT compliance and cybersecurity too lightly despite the risks—that was alarming.

Second, as founders, we are much sharper and more focused. Two of the Paysolut founders are now building Copla, and we operate with a clearer playbook: we prioritize better, make decisions earlier, and execute in parallel.

Finally, we handle uncertainty very differently. We react to setbacks with more perspective and less emotion. Building a company is still complex—but the nature of the complexity is now something we understand and navigate far better.

You rebranded from CyberUpgrade to Copla — what is the new message and brand?

We started by solving a cybersecurity problem, but over time we realized that, in most organizations, compliance is what actually drives cybersecurity behavior.

That insight led to Copla—a compliance platform that bridges the gap between “on-paper” compliance and real operational cyber resilience. The new brand reflects a broader and more accurate mission: helping organizations turn regulatory requirements into meaningful, continuous security practices.

A lot of founders talk about “product–market fit” but can’t point to the exact moment. Can you?

Many founders describe product–market fit as a feeling rather than a discrete event. In my experience, it’s sometimes a moment, but more often it’s a phase shift you recognize in hindsight.

The clearest signal is when demand starts pulling the product out of you rather than you pushing it into the market. As someone with a sales background, I notice it when selling suddenly becomes easier than expected, usage accelerates naturally, and word-of-mouth starts driving growth without deliberate effort. That shift—from push to pull—is the closest thing to a definable moment of product–market fit.

Europe is often seen as over-regulated and slow to innovate. Given Copla’s focus, is this a feature or a bug?

ICT compliance has only recently started to be taken seriously in practice. For a long time, there was an “elephant in the room”: organizations would complete checklist compliance on paper and assume they were secure.

That is changing. We are now in the early stages of learning how to apply ICT compliance in a real, operational way. From my perspective, this shift is necessary and positive. Strong, well-implemented compliance frameworks are a foundation for trust and resilience in the financial system—and ultimately they enable, rather than hinder, sustainable innovation.

‍