The Real Profit Engine, Information Fast Food, and the Power of Early Believers

Welcome back to Inside 25/8 Fintech. This week, we are looking at the realities of investing and building - from the unseen profit engines of fintech ecosystems to the dangers of "Information Fast Food," and finally, a founder's reflection from the road on the power of early conviction.

The Real Profit Engine: Most investors miss the real profit engine behind online brokers. A single listed online broker generated around €1.3B in net profit over just four years. That shows what is possible when fintech infrastructure scales across markets. At SKYTRADERS, we believe the bigger opportunity is not building just one company, but a regulated trading ecosystem. By combining prop trading, a hedge fund, and proprietary fintech infrastructure across jurisdictions like LU, AT, US, CY, PL, and HK, we are building for long-term growth. Our seed round is still open as we continue to scale this ecosystem with the right visionary partners.

The Danger of Information Fast Food: One viral headline hits, and thousands jump in without a risk plan. I’ve seen this pattern repeat in both bull markets and panics. Our feeds look like knowledge, but much of it is what I call in my book "Information Fast Food." It is fast, emotional, and easy to consume, but very costly when real money and conviction sit behind the click. Building risk systems taught me that speed is not understanding. We must treat information like nutrition: less sugar, more substance; less urgency, more depth. Deep work and risk management always beat quick certainty.

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The Power of Early Believers: This mindset of deep conviction reminded me of a story while sitting in an Uber with my wife Nadine in Barcelona. On October 15, 2010, Uber raised a $1.25M angel round from just 28 investors. Now, I cannot use the app without thinking about that. It changes the picture from just a mobility product to a company that once desperately needed a small group of people to believe in it early on. You start with a ride, but then you see the conviction behind the first capital and the first risk. That is where products become truly interesting—when you see how the story started.

Thank you to all the early believers on our journey. Stay tuned for more updates from the engine room.

Your Thomas