Social and copytrading platform provider Ayondo replaces top management.
LeapRate Exclusive…. LeapRate has learned that Manuel Heyden has resigned from the the company he co-founded and headed as CEO, Ayondo. Based in Germany, Ayondo provides social and copytrading trading platforms to FX brokers such as AvaFX (a member of LeapRate’s Approved List).
Heyden will be replaced as CEO by Alexander Surminski, the company’s CMO, who joined Ayondo last year from ABN Amro in Frankfurt. Another ABM Amro alum, Thomas Winkler will also become more involved in the company — Winkler is now a partner with Swiss VC NextGFI, an investor in Ayondo. NextGFI knows the Forex sector quite well, it is also an investor in Oanda.
Manuel Heyden’s brother Dom Heyden will stay with Ayondo, as its CIO.
We understand that Heyden was pressured to leave by Ayondo’s major outside investor, NextGFI. [Ed: See clarification comment below]. Ayondo showed much promise and innovation when it was launched several years ago, becoming a true pioneer in social trading and copytrading. But the company struggled to translate that early innovation into business success, being overtaken in the sector by newer entrants such as Tradeo and Leverate’s Sirix platform.
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