sunday: Christine De Wendel

Episode 266 of the Starting Small podcast, hosted by Cameron Nagle, titled "sunday: Christine De Wendel" was published on March 7, 2026 and runs 38 minutes.

March 7, 2026 ·38m · Starting Small

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Summary

Christine de Wendel spent more than a decade helping scale two of Europe’s biggest startup success stories — first at Zalando, then as COO of ManoMano. Both companies grew from early-stage startups into multi-billion-dollar businesses. But at 40 years old, with three kids and years of scale-up experience behind her, Christine decided it was time to build something of her own. That idea became sunday — a simple but powerful solution that lets diners pay their restaurant bill instantly by scanning a QR code. What started during the chaos of COVID quickly turned into one of the fastest-growing platforms in hospitality tech. Today, sunday processes billions in payments each year and is used by restaurants around the world — from independent spots to major dining groups like TAO, Boqueria, Bareburger, and La Pecora Bianca. In this episode, Christine shares the full story behind sunday: moving back to the U.S. after 15 years abroad, starting a company with a restaurant operator friend during the pandemic, raising $25M in just weeks, and building a company now processing billions in payments. Make sure to check them out at: https://sundayapp.com/ Check out my new book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4kRKGTX Watch our mini-doc - Starting Small: The Raw Truth Behind Entrepreneurship and the American Dream: https://youtu.be/eHuq93wIxs0?si=eDB-ycngvWNapRLO Visit Starting Small Media: https://startingsmallmedia.org/ Subscribe to exclusive Starting Small emails: https://startingsmallmedia.org/newsletter-signup Follow Starting Small: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startingsmallpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Startingsmallpod/?modal=admin_todo_tour LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/cameronnagle

Episode Description

But at 40 years old, with three kids and years of scale-up experience behind her, Christine decided it was time to build something of her own.

That idea became sunday — a simple but powerful solution that lets diners pay their restaurant bill instantly by scanning a QR code. What started during the chaos of COVID quickly turned into one of the fastest-growing platforms in hospitality tech.

Today, sunday processes billions in payments each year and is used by restaurants around the world — from independent spots to major dining groups like TAO, Boqueria, Bareburger, and La Pecora Bianca.

In this episode, Christine shares the full story behind sunday: moving back to the U.S. after 15 years abroad, starting a company with a restaurant operator friend during the pandemic, raising $25M in just weeks, and building a company now processing billions in payments.

Make sure to check them out at: https://sundayapp.com/

Check out my new book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4kRKGTX

Watch our mini-doc - Starting Small: The Raw Truth Behind Entrepreneurship and the American Dream: https://youtu.be/eHuq93wIxs0?si=eDB-ycngvWNapRLO

Visit Starting Small Media: https://startingsmallmedia.org/

Subscribe to exclusive Starting Small emails: https://startingsmallmedia.org/newsletter-signup

Follow Starting Small:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startingsmallpod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Startingsmallpod/?modal=admin_todo_tour

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/cameronnagle