Thomas Plantenga on taking Vinted from near bankruptcy to a €5 billion valuation

Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Thomas Plantenga, the CEO of Vinted - Europe’s largest secondhand marketplace and Lithuania’s first-ever unicorn. What started as a small Lithuanian startup in 2008 has evolved into a fast-growth business with millions of users, 2,000+ employees and a €5 billion valuation. In today’s conversation, Thomas shares the ins and outs of his journey with Vinted, how it became such a global success, the biggest leadership lessons he learnt along the way and what’s next for the business with the launch of Vinted Ventures. If you’re a founder or operator navigating scaleup challenges, this episode is a masterclass in turnaround strategy, culture building and leading with humility. 📚Episode Chapters: ➡️ Early years & the call that changed everything [07:30] ➡️ Realising Vinted was in trouble [16:00] ➡️ Spotting the first signs of growth [20:00] ➡️ The hardest leadership lessons [23:00] ➡️ The art of hiring at scale & psychological safety [27:00] ➡️ Launching Vinted Ventures [36:40] 🔍 Find out more: ✨ Connect with Thomas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-p-19651414/?originalSubdomain=lt ✨ More about Vinted: https://www.vinted.co.uk/ ⭐ Enjoyed this episode? ⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices