0TO9, a pan-European fintech venture builder and investor, has recently emerged from stealth mode with a bold goal: to launch and scale 1,000 profitable fintech companies by 2045. Founded in Stockholm, with an additional office in Berlin, 0TO9 aims to equip entrepreneurs with comprehensive legal, compliance, talent, technical, and funding support, allowing them to establish licensed financial companies in just months instead of years.
A report from Hare Strategy Group indicates that nearly 75% of fintech startups fail within their first three years due to avoidable regulatory and compliance challenges. To address this issue, five-time fintech founder Oliver Hildebrandt has gathered a team of entrepreneurs to transform this landscape and position Europe as the global hub for fintech. Notable team members include CEO Tord Topsholm, a seasoned leader with four CEO roles in major Nordic banks; partner and CEO for Germany Jessica Holzbach, a two-time exited fintech founder and the youngest supervisory board member in German banking history; and partner and CMO Siduri Poli, co-founder of startup factory Changers Hub and a member of the Saminvest VC board.
Research from Carta highlights that many early-stage startups often resort to cost-cutting measures like layoffs to extend their capital runway, balancing profitability with growth to appease impatient investors. Hildebrandt aims to alleviate this strain on startup founders by providing them with financial runway until they achieve profitability, alongside access to deposit funding, full compliance and legal assistance, brand development, technology infrastructure, and strategic market entry advice.
0TO9’s portfolio includes several promising enterprises, such as Fuels Capital, which offers financing solutions for entrepreneurs and investors; NordKronan, focused on real estate financing; SME lender Flow & Partners; and Hugo, an AI-driven savings assistant.
Hildebrandt emphasizes that the lengthy process of launching and growing fintechs hampers innovation. “Building a financial product takes months, and obtaining regulatory approval can drag on for years, leaving startups without a capital runway,” he states. “It’s disheartening to witness how these barriers crush entrepreneurial dreams.”
Jessica Holzbach adds, “Regulation isn’t the enemy; it safeguards consumers and ensures market integrity. The real challenge for fintech founders lies in navigating Europe’s intricate rules, which demands time, money, and energy. By centralizing this support for our portfolio founders, we enable them to focus on building a financial system that is continually improving, inclusive, and sustainable.”