Coalition Capital Boosts Team with Mario Shiliashki and Robert Kraal as Advisors

As we approach the new year, Coalition Capital is thrilled to welcome Mario Shiliashki and Robert Kraal as its senior advisors, bolstering our expertise in the finance, commerce, and work sectors. This addition underscores our dedication to an approach founded on robust thesis development, profound domain expertise, and an extensive network of enterprise and corporate relationships that stand to enrich our portfolio. Their partnership with us isn’t new; Mario and Robert have been our trusted partners in the industry for a significant period, bringing with them a wealth of experience and a proven track record in the global fintech, payments and commerce spaces. Robert Kraal's career spans over two decades in online payments, marked by his instrumental role in building Adyen's global acquiring and processing service and now as co-founder of Silverflow and chairman at Volt.io. Mario's extensive background as CEO of PayU Global and his leadership roles at MasterCard and PayPal have given him a unique global perspective on fintech growth and innovation. In their roles as senior advisors, they will significantly enhance our ability to source and evaluate promising investment opportunities, collaborate with founders, and take on meaningful board positions. Their appointments signal our unwavering commitment to excellence and growth. We look forward to the value they will bring to our firm and our partners. For more on their impressive careers and how they will contribute to Coalition Capital's future, please see their detailed profiles below. Welcome to the Future of Coalition Capital!

Robert Kraal is a payments veteran with over 20 years of experience in online payments. After completing his degree in Geophysics, he started his career at Bibit, the first global Payment Service Provider (PSP) which was acquired by RBS/Worldpay. At RBS/Worldpay he went on to lead account management, before moving on to Google Netherlands. He joined Adyen in 2010 in the role of COO, where he was responsible for building and running the global acquiring and processing service. As Co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer of Silverflow, Robert is responsible for maintaining relationships with the card schemes, acquirers, PSPs and regulators. Kyang was amongst the first institutional investors into Silverflow and Naspers/Prosus’ PayU (led by Mario) was their first strategic partner. Besides Silverflow, Robert is chairman of the non-executive board @ Volt.io. Robert also is an active investor in payment infrastructure, some of his investments include volt.io, Sentinels, Phos, Dimebox and many others.

Mario Shiliashki brings a wealth of experience in payments and fintech from across the world. As an independent non-executive director, he serves on the boards of Crown Agents Bank, CAB Payments Holdings PLC, and Fingerprint Cards AB. His tenure as CEO of PayU Global Payments, Naspers/Prosus' online payments and fintech division, was marked by a tenfold increase in revenue and a pivot to double digit profitability, delivering exceptional shareholder value. With teams across Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, Mario has a proven record of bolstering businesses in high-growth markets. During his time at PayU, he worked closely with Coalition partners Kyang and Seb in exploring and capitalizing on new investment opportunities. This followed his role at MasterCard, where he led global eCommerce and cross-border trade initiatives, before launching and commercialising MasterCard’s first open API developer platform. Before Mastercard, Mario drove PayPal's expansion into Asia, building the business from the ground up across Southeast Asia, India, Japan and Korea. He was one of the initial members of PayPal's International team, helping launch and grow PayPal in the UK and across Europe. In his early career, Mario was a Consultant at Bain & Company in London and worked as an Equities Analyst at Goldman Sachs in New York. He is a Harvard Business School MBA graduate, holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance and Economics from Bryant University, and has completed INSEAD's International Directors Programme. Mario continues to engage with the startup ecosystem, actively investing and sometimes partnering with Coalition in ventures like Hawk.ai, among others.