The Swedish business newspaper Dagens industri interviews Oliver Hildebrandt and the launch of 0TO9 in an article published on 5 September 2025. The piece sets out why Hildebrandt started a venture builder for financial services and what he hopes to achieve across Europe.
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Why fintech is harder than it needs to be

Hildebrandt tells Dagens industri that financial innovation is "far too important to be as difficult as it is". In his view, the great majority of fintech start-ups do not survive their first years, and the cause is rarely a lack of talent, energy or ideas. It is that the process in the industry is so drawn out and complex.

His own experience shapes that view. Hildebrandt co-founded the lender Gilion, formerly Ark Kapital, where he was also CEO, and earlier founded the consumer credit company Plus 1, formerly Nstart. Plus 1 had several near-death experiences, he says, mainly because of the time it took to apply for the right licences and regulatory approvals. "If I could have launched Plus 1 on our platform, it would have taken a few years to build the company instead of a decade," he says.
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How the model works

0TO9 invests in selected companies in exchange for an ownership stake. The 0TO9 team then supports each company with key processes, from compliance and licences to recruitment and marketing. Hildebrandt describes this as a venture builder model.

He tells the newspaper that capital has become harder to obtain and that barriers to entry are high. In his description, portfolio companies can draw on 0TO9's licences and its access to deposits from the market, which lets them offer market-rate terms from the start. These are Hildebrandt's own statements about the model, as reported by Dagens industri.

Dagens industri names Fuels, a lender for entrepreneurs, among the first companies on the platform. Hildebrandt says Fuels reached profitability six months after its start, largely thanks to the platform.

"It is unique that these companies can get going so quickly and distribute their product almost immediately," he says.

The article also lists the team around him, including CEO Tord Topsholm, previously CEO of four banks, and Jessica Holzbach, who is responsible for the German business. Henrik Landgren, formerly of Spotify and EQT, sits on the board.
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A target of 1,000 companies by 2045

Hildebrandt's stated aim is to build 1,000 fintech companies in Europe by 2045. He says the hubs across Europe are meant to stand on their own, and that the distribution power of the platform makes the timeframe realistic. The first hub is in Berlin, with expansion in the Nordics expected. Hildebrandt tells Dagens industri that "hundreds of enquiries" have arrived from companies in Sweden and abroad.
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Read the full article

The full profile written by Tom Turula is available, in Swedish, on the Dagens industri website.