Tenity in Zurich
Tenity calls itself "a fintech innovation platform that backs early-stage founders" and works with banks, insurers and other corporates "at the convergence of fintech, AI, and digital assets". It started in Zurich in 2015 as an open innovation initiative at SIX, the operator of the Swiss stock exchange, and ran under the name F10 until 2023. It invests in startups and runs innovation programs for corporates from six hubs in Europe and Asia.
From F10 at SIX to Tenity
SIX opened its fintech incubator and accelerator in Zurich in 2015 and named it F10, after its first address at Förrlibuckstrasse 10. In February 2023 F10 became Tenity, and finews reported that SIX had sold its majority stake in a financing round to new investors, among them Five T Fintech and Synpulse, while the six managing partners bought in. SIX stayed on as an investor and strategic partner. Tenity's own history describes the same step as a spin-off from SIX with a management buy-out.
Tenity counts more than 1,600 startups supported and more than 65 institutional partners. It names SIX Group, UBS and Ripple as its global strategic partners, and Visa, Generali, Cembra and KB Financial Group among its investment and collaboration partners.
Venture capital and programs
Tenity works on two lines. The first is venture capital: 140 million US dollars under management, first tickets of 100,000 to 1.5 million dollars, and rounds from pre-seed to Series A in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Its portfolio holds more than 200 companies, two of them valued above one billion dollars.
The second line is innovation programs that corporates and governments commission. Examples on its site are the Visa Innovation Program Europe and HackZone by Allianz. For founders, Tenity states that some of its programs are free of equity while others come with an investment, and it lists more than 400 mentors. The Zurich hub also runs hackathons: SwissHacks, which Tenity calls Switzerland's leading government-backed fintech hackathon, and StableHacks, set up for institutional stablecoin solutions.
AI and digital assets in the Tenity portfolio
Tenity publishes two investment theses for financial services. For AI, it backs what it calls "the intelligence layer of financial services": the software beneath financial decisions that AI makes or prepares. For digital assets, it names four areas: regulatory technology such as KYC and AML infrastructure and digital identity; tokenization of credit, insurance risk, trade finance and real estate; on-chain finance with stablecoin payment rails, custody and treasury tools; and AI agents that work on blockchain systems.
Banks in Germany meet the same subjects under MiCA and the German supervisory rules. The pages on stablecoins for banks and stablecoin payments cover the European side.
Six hubs, with Zurich as the first
Tenity runs hubs in Zurich, London, Madrid, Istanbul, Singapore and Hong Kong. Zurich, where the company began, is the one closest to Germany and Austria, and its Zurich page describes a city that "eats, sleeps and breathes finance" and offers founders coworking inside the hub. The Swiss banking and crypto context around it is on fintech in Zurich and Crypto Valley.
Tenity also co-launched Swiss Fintech Week with Finanz und Wirtschaft Forum. The week gathers the Swiss fintech events in Zurich each June, and Tenity hosts its Startup Night, where the Swiss Fintech Awards are presented.
Upcoming fintech events in Switzerland
Is Tenity the same as F10?
Yes. F10 was the name of the incubator and accelerator that SIX started in Zurich, and it was renamed Tenity in 2023. Searches for "f10 fintech" or "f10 zurich" lead to the same company.
Does Tenity take equity?
It depends on the program. Tenity says some of its programs are free of equity and others involve an investment or a longer partnership, and each program page states its own terms. Its venture capital arm invests from pre-seed to Series A.
Where is Tenity based?
Tenity began in Zurich and has hubs in Zurich, London, Madrid, Istanbul, Singapore and Hong Kong. Its site lists no hub in Germany or Austria, so founders from those countries meet it in Zurich or at Swiss Fintech Week.
Tenity and Finance Loop
Finance Loop connects the finance, IT and AI communities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with events in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and Hamburg. Readers who want to reach German banks and asset managers can join as a member, sponsor a meetup or a webinar, or bring a group to Frankfurt as a delegation. Fintech growth and fintech marketing describe how Finance Loop helps with the German market.
Finance Loop is a professional network and has the goal of driving the adoption of emerging technologies in finance, such as AI, digital payments, cloud and blockchain solutions. Finance Loop helps its members build skills and personal networks in these fields: Investment & Digital Assets, Payments & Digital Money, Digital Infrastructure & Sovereignty, and Risk & Compliance.