visionary leader...
We help entrepreneurs scale their company. This is as versatile as it sounds. Whangai adds value by providing advice and support on how to scale
Chris was born in Paris. His father is from Persia and his mother is Dutch. When Chris was four, his mother returned to the Netherlands with the children, to Buitenveldert near Amsterdam.
During his law studies he met the founder of BinckBank, Kalo Bagijn. What started on a whiteboard with the idea of creating “the easyjet of the stock brokerage”, grew into a listed fintech unicorn in just 8 years.
After this very special experience, it was time for relaxation, culture, sports and travel. Chris took a year off and traveled the world. From seeing animals in Africa to Thai boxing in Asia and from diving in the Maldives to gaining inspiration in Silicon Valley USA. The base is always the mountains, with the dogs...
It was during this trip that Chris discovered the cloud and when he returned from this trip in late 2008 he knew what he had to do. He founded fintech Ohpen.com in 2009, the first cloud core banking system ever built.
Chris registered as a director of Ohpen on April 6, 2009 and deregistered himself on April 6, 2019… Exactly ten years after founding the company and leading it as CEO, Chris resigned, sold his shares and founded Whangai.nl to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses.
Whether he acts as a board member, investor or business coach, it is the convergence of his creativity, dealmaking, business scaling knowledge into one cohesive combination that helps his clients and partners realize their ultimate business and personal dreams.
Chris lives in the mountains of Austria, with three cats and two dogs, Myza and Yucca. In his spare time he enjoys shark diving, skiing, yoga, meditation and martial arts
Follow his adventures and what he’s up to next on Instagram at:
“Throughout my career as a CEO, entrepreneur and investor, I have rarely worked with anyone who has impressed me greatly as an entrepreneur, negotiator and strategist. Except Chris Zadeh, who has proven to be very successful and capable in all these areas. Moreover, he keeps his word and is 100% reliable.”
“Chris has a unique combination of skills: on the one hand, he can think along with Technology down to the smallest level of detail. On the other hand, I have rarely met someone who can deliver such a persuasive sales pitch. There are many good Tech people and many good salespeople on this earth. However, you rarely find a combination of both in one person. Except with Chris...”
“I have known, mentored and worked with Chris for more than 20 years and for me it is a fact that if Chris is part of a deal, the deal will be better.”
“Chris is an enterprising and technically savvy sparring partner with whom you always break new ground.”
“I got to know Chris during our collaboration at Ohpen. His energy, creativity and sharpness make him a very valuable sparring partner and a nice guy to work with.”
“Chris never settles for mediocrity; his focus, curiosity and candor make him one of my favorite business partners.”
“I know Chris as one of the few individuals who combines vision, passion and rigorous execution. Chris is a true entrepreneur and his energy and curiosity are inspiring.”
“I have come to know Chris as a person who uses his energy and focus to believe, create and grow. His sharp and creative entrepreneurial thinking combined with his witty personality stand out. He continues where others stop and does not shy away from obstacles or barriers, he prefers to overcome them.”
“Chris is one of the best negotiators I have ever met and during my time as CEO of Temenos I have met many”
“Chris is literally the best 'warrior' you can have by your side.”
“Chris is a straightforward, down-to-earth guy. He has the unique quality of being an IT “master” with strong commercial and business acumen. Chris shares knowledge & experience, dares to challenge you and makes sure you get honest and direct feedback to improve your performance.”
“Chris is an authentic personality who knows how to connect strategic issues with practical implementation. This provides him with crucial knowledge to guide the transition to a new phase with new funders.”
