Starling founder Anne Boden offloads stake at slashed £1.7bn valuation

Starling founder has offloaded her remaining stake in the UK fintech at a valuation far below the price the firm was targeting in its latest secondary share sale. Anne Boden has sold her remaining 2.7 per cent stake in Starling as she begins work on a new AI project. She sold the stake at a valuation of just £1.7bn, according to Sky News, marking a far cry from the £4bn Starling sought in a secondary share sale last year. City AM revealed earlier this year that Boden, who launched Starling in 2014 after stints at Allied Irish Bank (AIB) and Lloyds, had reduced her stake to 2.7 per cent from 4.3 per cent before the sale. The fintech founder departed Starling as chief executive in May 2023, with reports later stating the latter’s exit followed a clash with investors over fund manager Jupiter’s decision to sell its stake at a below-valuation price the year prior. Boden’s decision to step down came after she decided her position as a chief executive was being unduly influenced