David Rolls

Leaving behind his 12-year corporate and investment banking career, David moved to the US in 2015 to study for his MBA at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), before embarking on a new technology-focused career. After his MBA, he worked at Amazon’s HQ in Seattle driving new business growth in grocery delivery and financial products, before switching full-time to startups with a focus on democratising finance in e-commerce and global payments.

What are your best memories of BGS?

The endless possibilities that seemed within my reach during my time at BGS, a disciplined yet fun environment which suited me really well, and of course the Great Hall which still has a mystical spell on me 25 years on.

Can you remember any teachers at BGS who had an impact on you?

Paul Whitehouse and the Design Technology staff for nurturing my creativity and fascination with nascent technology. On a different note, Dr. Rosser [Physics] for challenging and introducing some rigour to my work ethic. Needless to say, there are many other teachers that also stick in my mind.

product for e-commerce sellers. There is still lots to do – and it is not certain it will work out – but the momentum and energy levels are notably higher than at large companies I have worked at!

Could you have chosen another path and what might that have been?

I try not to dwell on paths I chose not to pursue, but I do wish I paid a bit more attention to what was going in front of me with the dot.com revolution while I was a Mathematics undergrad student at Imperial College in the late 90s. In retrospect, I wish I took some coding electives and tried to incorporate tech-driven solutions earlier in my career.

What has been the most significant highlight of your career?

Taking the leap to go back to school aged 35. I figured I had 30 or more years of working life ahead of me, but it was difficult to leave a lucrative career for what felt like the great unknown. MIT’s motto is mens et manus (“mind and hand” in Latin) which embodies the idea of education for practical application; something any BGS student or alumni can relate to. During my time there I focused on finance, data analytics and entrepreneurship. It gave me the tools I needed to understand and manage all facets of a business, and the support network to try, fail, and get back up and do it all again.

concept that interests you and where you recognise a gap in the market.

What’s next for you?

I am spending more and more time immersed in blockchain technology and Web3 [vision of a decentralised Web] startups. I see huge potential for blockchain to solve the big problems that exist in our global financial system, but the industry is going through a tough time at the moment! In the next couple of years I expect to work in Web3 full-time. My family and I are settled in the USA for now, but we are open to relocating for the right opportunity.

What motivates you?

Working on new ideas with openminded and genuine people. I struggle with bureaucracy and office politics, and I strongly value the culture and collaborative spirit of any company or team that I work with. I am most motivated when solving problems for groups who have little or no access to our financial system. In my career so far I have been fortunate to launch innovative financial products for companies, governments and consumers. I would like to double down on building consumer products.

How do you relax?

We live in a small city surrounded by mountains. During the summer I take several camping trips where I have zero mobile reception. Spending a few nights exposed to the elements, swimming in the ocean and cooking on an open fire with our growing family helps me to switch off.

Tell

us

about Storfund and why the change in career direction?

Working in big tech [Amazon] was a great learning experience, but it is difficult for large companies to move quickly and be innovative in new domains. I realised that I needed to move fast and break things to have the biggest potential impact in financial services. Storfund is several years into building a global financial

What is the best thing about working and living in the USA?

There is a sense of urgency to build and grow here which is different to anywhere else I have visited. Plus, the amount of seed capital [to fund the initial stage of a new company] that is around is immense. There really is no excuse not to get started on an idea or business

I also like to hike with my dog for a similar – albeit shorter – experience.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Achieve at least one new thing each day, however small. Read a whitepaper, write a line of code, and say yes more often without overthinking it. There are very few decisions which cannot be undone! Oh, and buy Bitcoin in 2013 ��