Christine de Wendel spent more than a decade helping scale two of Europe’s biggest startup success stories — first at Zalando, then as COO of ManoMano. Both companies grew from early-stage startups into multi-billion-dollar businesses.
But at 40 years old, with three kids and years of scale-up experience behind her, Christine decided it was time to build something of her own.
That idea became sunday — a simple but powerful solution that lets diners pay their restaurant bill instantly by scanning a QR code. What started during the chaos of COVID quickly turned into one of the fastest-growing platforms in hospitality tech.
Today, sunday processes billions in payments each year and is used by restaurants around the world — from independent spots to major dining groups like TAO, Boqueria, Bareburger, and La Pecora Bianca.
In this episode, Christine shares the full story behind sunday: moving back to the U.S. after 15 years abroad, starting a company with a restaurant operator friend during the pandemic, raising $25M in just weeks, and building a company now processing billions in payments.
Make sure to check them out at: https://sundayapp.com/
Check out my new book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4kRKGTX
Watch our mini-doc - Starting Small: The Raw Truth Behind Entrepreneurship and the American Dream: https://youtu.be/eHuq93wIxs0?si=eDB-ycngvWNapRLO
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