Skip to main content

​
What this section is

Company pages document the operating entities James Varga has founded, co-founded, or holds significant roles in. They are the proof layer for the lived operating experience that informs the knowledge and frameworks documented elsewhere in this wiki. Company pages are distinct from project pages. A company is an operating entity with legal structure, staff, and market activity. A project is a bounded initiative that may sit inside a company or run independently of one. See also jamesvarga.com for the full profile.

​
Current companies

Closing Foundry is a GTM execution system for startups and scale-ups. It delivers the 5 Days to Scale sprint, Revenue Readiness Index, and Evidence Pack Builder frameworks to founders and revenue leaders. Programme participants have achieved 40 per cent win rate increases and 27 per cent sales cycle reductions. James Varga is the founder and operator. Website: closingfoundry.com H2C operates the world’s first global market and registry for Green Hydrogen Certificates. Launched from Edinburgh in October 2024, the platform enables green premiums and carbon removal rights of green hydrogen to be traded independently from the physical fuel — solving the financing gap that has kept 96 per cent of green hydrogen production projects at pre-construction phases. James Varga is the Chief Growth Officer. Website: h2c.org Wildfire Gin is a Scottish small-batch craft gin brand built around the theme of exploration. Products include the juniper-forward Madge Wildfire flagship, the blood orange and long pepper Merchant’s Flame, and the Cromlix Hotel collaboration. Scottish Gin Awards finalist. James Varga is a co-founder and shareholder. Website: wildfiregin.com Advisory captures structured advisory engagements across fintech GTM, open banking, AI in regulated markets, and Scotland ecosystem building. Operator-led, not consultant-led — advisory is secondary to active founder work.

​
Historical companies

DirectID (originally The ID Co.) was an open banking data and analytics company founded by James Varga in 2011. It built the UK’s first Authorised Account Information Service Provider (AISP) integration and pioneered the use of bank transaction data for identity verification, credit risk assessment, and financial inclusion. James was a founding member of FDATA, Innovate Finance, and Open Banking Excellence, and was part of the working group that lobbied the UK government for PSD2 legislation. The company secured a €9 million investment from Ingka Investments (IKEA) and served clients across financial services, lending, and insurance. James departed in January 2024 after 13 years. The company rebranded to Atto, shifting focus to credit scoring and predictive modelling. The experience of building DirectID is the primary source material for the open banking, fintech GTM, and procurement knowledge pages, and for the Lessons from a Fintech project. Money Dashboard was the UK’s leading personal finance management tool. James Varga was Chief Operating Officer. The company aggregated bank account data to give consumers visibility of their finances across multiple providers — an early application of the open banking principles that later became regulation. mrpayroll was a payroll and HR technology company. It preceded DirectID and provided foundational experience in building regulated-market software products and navigating the operational complexity of payroll compliance.
  • Projects — bounded initiatives, some of which operate within or alongside these companies
  • Roles — formal roles held outside of company ownership
  • Boards and Affiliations — industry body and governance roles
  • Lessons from a Fintech — project documenting DirectID operating experience
  • Talks — public speaking engagements