0TO9 emerges from stealth with plan to build 1,000 fintechs by 2045

Pan-European fintech venture builder and investor 0TO9 (Zero to Nine) launches out of stealth today with an ambitious goal —  to build 1,000 profitable fintechs by 2045. 

Its secret sauce? It operates under European financial services licences, allowing its portfolio companies to launch regulated financial products immediately. 

Combined with a powerhouse of industry professionals helping entrepreneurs navigate common market barriers such as complex EU regulations, high capital requirements, and lengthy licensing processes, it gives fintech startups a rare ability to scale faster and more securely across Europe.

I spoke to founder Oliver Hildebrandt and Partner and CEO Germany Jessica Holzbach to learn more. 

0TO9’s founding team packs ex-Penta, Spotify, EQT Ventures, and four-time CEO firepower

0TO9 is founded and headquartered in Stockholm with an office in Berlin. 

Founder Oliver Hildebrandt is a serial entrepreneur who sold his first fintech company at the age of 20 and has since founded four more, including the AI-powered financing platform Gilion (€40 million total equity raised) and the consumer credit platform Plus 1 (with 100 per cent YoY growth), has assembled some of Europe’s most accomplished fintech entrepreneurs to join him on this mission.

Jessica Holzbach is a two-time exited fintech founder and the youngest supervisory board member in German banking history).

The team also includes:

• CEO Tord Topsholm, who has served as CEO of four banks and driven successful exits like KKR; 
• CMO Siduri Poli, co-founder of startup factory Changers Hub and board member of state-owned VC Saminvest; and 
• Henrik Landgren, ex-Spotify VP Analytics and ex-EQT Ventures Partner, is serving on 0TO9’s board.

Hildebrandt admits he dropped out of school when he was 15 and has been an entrepreneur for more than half his life. 

“I’ve always loved building in the financial industry because it’s a bit slow and really needs innovation.“

Jessica Holzbach is a seasoned fintech entrepreneur and investor with a proven track record of founding, scaling, and successfully exiting two companies — Penta and Pile and experience as an active angel investor.

When she met Hildebrandt, they resonated on the same questions: how should the bank of the future look, and how can venture money be used productively in finance? That led them to join forces at 0TO9.

Get a licence from Day 1 

In comparison to incubators, accelerators and venture builders, Hildebrandt shared: 

“Our key differentiator is licences. It took me a decade in one of my companies to secure a license.

At 0TO9, founders get it on day one. That’s something you won’t find in incubators or accelerators.”

This is because 0TO9’s model is rooted in Founder Hildebrandt’s firsthand experience building Plus 1. During that decade-long process, he saw how complex regulatory frameworks and high capital requirements can put undue pressure on founders, with investors demanding impressive growth metrics too early in a company’s journey. Hildebrandt admits, 

“In building five fintech companies before, I’ve survived the hard path through licensing, regulation, and funding. At times, it nearly killed me."

 Nearly three-quarters of fintech startups fail within their first three years because of avoidable regulatory and compliance issues, according to a recent report by consulting firm Hare Strategy Group. 

This suggests regulation itself is not the problem; instead, the challenge for European fintech founders is navigating compliance processes without compromising growth, profitability, and speed of execution. 

Research from Carta suggests that many early-stage startups are forced to make cost-cutting moves, such as layoffs, to extend their capital runway and prioritise profitability at the expense of growth to satisfy impatient investors. 

Hildebrandt designed 0TO9 to resolve this tension between founders and investors by providing early-stage fintechs with a capital runway until they are profitable, access to deposit funding, full compliance and legal support, brand development, technology infrastructure, and advice on go-to-market strategies that help them break into the European market. 

Holzbach asserts that 0TO9 combines what they’ve learned:

“We help founders navigate compliance and licenses so that they can move faster. But equally important: we’re in it for the long run. 

This isn’t about a quick accelerator program and then goodbye.

We’re here for 20 years with the companies, and that’s something Oliver and I would have loved to have when we started our first ventures.”

1,000 fintech companies by 2045

The idea of building 1000 profitable fintechs in the next decade sounds overly ambitious — some would say delusional, but Hildebrandt asserts that “looking back 10 years, over 20,000 fintechs were created in Europe.

"After five years, only 10 per cent survived. After 10 years, just 1 per cent are still standing."

"By building the right platform, we believe survival rates can be much higher. Jessica and I are still young — we feel like we’ve only just started.

Setting this goal forces us to work day and night, push ourselves, and inspire more talent to quit their jobs and become founders.”

Holzbach speaks to the value of decentralisation:

“If you think about it, we don’t have to build 1,000 companies all at once. In the first years, we might only build 500. But by the 20th year, the growth will be exponential as hubs keep producing more companies.”

Part of the route to success involves establishing hubs across different countries, where startups can launch locally and then expand. Holzbach contends that innovation doesn’t happen through micromanagement or subsidiaries — it happens when entrepreneurs are trusted to build independently. 

0TO9 breaks cover with four fintechs already in market — two profitable within six months

Significantly, 0TO9 emerges from stealth with several strong businesses already in its portfolio, including:

• Fuels Capital: financing for entrepreneurs and investors, profitable after six months;
• NordKronan: financing for real estate projects and companies, profitable after six months;
• Flow & Partners: factory and business loans for SMEs, launching today; and 
• HUGO: AI-powered savings assistant, launching today.

0TO9 trades consultants for hands-on execution

In terms of founders, 0TO9 welcomes a mix that could include students, recent graduates, first-time entrepreneurs, seasoned industry experts, or even senior banking executives.

The common denominator is passion for building. 

The 0TO9 team sit in the same offices in Berlin and Sweden as the portfolio companies. According to Holzbach, the CMO works closely with their marketing team, and she and Oliver are essentially co-founders. 

“Unlike many programs where consultants give advice, we roll up our sleeves and execute alongside them.”

The team has spoken with hundreds of potential founders, even while in stealth, and Holzbach contends:

“The one thing they share is the desire to work independently and creatively. Often, they’re just one tiny step away from taking the leap.

That’s where we come in. If you have that, we’ll help with the missing piece: idea, team, compliance, or regulatory path.”

Hildebrandt advises prospective founders to “reach out. Don’t wait,” while Holzbach suggests that there are countless fintech problems still unsolved.

"Just because funding has slowed doesn’t mean the opportunities aren’t there.”