Kustom’s rise: Growth fueled by ownership and collaboration

Kustom approached us at a pivotal moment in their journey: transforming Klarna Checkout into an independent company. They faced the challenge of rapidly scaling from a small team to nearly 90 people in just three months.

Kustom is a fintech company offering one of Europe’s leading checkout solutions. With the most efficient and customizable product on the market, they help merchants tailor their checkout to fit their shoppers’ needs. By combining innovative and scalable features, Kustom ensures high conversion rates and drives business growth.

Today, Kustom supports 24,000 connected merchants with sales in over 170 countries.

Kim Westerlund, Chief People & Operations Officer at Kustom, and Sorena Kazemi, Senior Recruitment Lead at Mpya Digital.

We met Kim Westerlund, Kustom’s Chief People & Operations Officer, at their central Stockholm office. In the middle of a busy day packed with back-to-back meetings, she shared insights into the company’s scaling process.

“Our recruitment speed has been exceptional,” Kim says. “Almost everyone on the team has been handpicked — through referrals, our existing networks, and trusted recruitment partners like Sorena Kazemi at Mpya Digital. It’s been a highly targeted process, and one we’re extremely proud of.”

The majority of their hires have fintech backgrounds and are drawn by the opportunity to reshape a strong product within a fast-moving company. “For many, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Kim notes.

Balancing growth with adaptability

Kustom’s rapid growth has presented exciting opportunities to tackle new challenges, and Kim emphasizes the importance of embracing change.

“Defining roles isn’t a static process. As our understanding of product development and merchant needs evolves, so do our hiring strategies,” Kim explains. Regularly reassessing competencies ensures the right people are in place to address challenges and opportunities effectively.

“The key takeaway is the importance of being ready to pivot quickly when necessary,” she explains. Balancing speed and productivity while onboarding new team members can also be challenging. This adaptability allows teams to make decisions independently, meet ambitious deadlines, and stay aligned with overarching goals.

Kim Westerlund, Chief People & Operations Officer at Kustom.

Fostering ownership through culture and leadership

Transparency, self-management, and inclusion are central to Kustom’s culture, guiding how the company operates.

“At Kustom, we rely on a Single Source of Truth: a comprehensive hub for all documentation and project management,” Kim explains. Easy access to documentation and progress tracking fosters trust and ensures a shared understanding of the company’s direction.

“We want every employee, regardless of their role, to see how their work ties into the bigger picture,” she shares.

Cross-functional collaboration is encouraged at Kustom, with employees stepping outside their direct roles to gain new perspectives. Recently, teams who don’t typically interact with merchants — such as operations and engineering — visited a beauty retailer’s warehouse to see how their work impacts the merchant’s operations.

“Understanding our merchants and their challenges helps us align as one team working toward shared goals,” Kim says.