What if investing stopped feeling intimidating — and started feeling human, guided, and actually designed for how people live today? In this episode of the Scouting for Growth Podcast, Sabine VanderLinden sits down with Axel Thibon, founder of Wizest, a next-generation investment platform reimagining how everyday people access the stock market. The premise is deceptively simple: pair novice investors with proven financial experts, and let technology do the heavy lifting — transparently, compliantly, and at scale. Axel’s journey explains the conviction behind the model. Trained as a mechanical engineer at Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi, he worked on electric vehicle components before confronting a personal frustration many share: investing felt opaque, exclusionary, and poorly supported — especially for those without large sums or financial training. That frustration took him into banking, where he spent over six years leading M&A and integration projects, launching a digital bank from scratch, and driving large-scale transformation across institutions ranging from $300M to $15B. Wizest is where all of that experience converges. The problem Wizest tackles is structural. Traditional wealth platforms impose minimum investment barriers, assume financial literacy, and hide decision-making behind jargon. Low-cost trading apps remove fees — but not confusion. As Axel puts it, access alone isn’t empowerment. Wizest changes how investing happens, not just where. Here’s how it works: a Wizest user builds a team of financial experts with a single click, instantly copying each expert’s portfolio. Instead of managing individual stocks, users manage their team — adjusting exposure by choosing experts whose strategies, values, and track records they trust. From day one, the experience is personal: users meet people first, not products. Experts share their profiles, philosophies, and decisions in a feed that explains the “why” behind every move. This design delivers practical value. Investors with $2,000, $5,000, or $10,000 can access diversified expertise typically reserved for the top 1%. The platform removes intimidation, increases transparency, and builds confidence through learning-by-doing. And crucially, it’s built to institutional standards — secure, compliant, and integrated — because, as Axel notes, this isn’t a lemonade stand. Wizest’s growth strategy reflects changing consumer behavior. Beyond individual users, the platform is forming corporate partnerships, offering Wizest memberships to employees as a benefit that sits between savings accounts and private wealth management. It’s a timely response to a workforce seeking financial wellbeing without complexity — and a model with clear global potential. Axel’s advice to investors is refreshingly grounded: make investing personal. Define your goals, choose your approach, and stick to the plan. Markets move. Headlines shout. Over a century, the pattern holds: volatility is normal; discipline wins. This episode is essential listening for: FinTech leaders redesigning wealth access Employers exploring financial wellbeing benefits Investors building inclusive, trust-based platforms Anyone who wants investing to feel less scary — and more smart As Axel makes clear, democratising finance isn’t about dumbing it down. It’s about bringing expertise closer, making decisions visible, and giving people the confidence to start — and stay invested.