findependent takes off – the key facts
- over 12,000 clients, of which 22% came from referrals
- of which 4,100 are new clients since the beginning of 2024
- over CHF 110 million in assets under management
- Top app rating: 4.7 stars in the App Store and 4.8 stars in the Play Store
- most cost-effective digital asset manager, according to Moneyland study
- fast support with communication at eye level
Our goal: to make investing the new way of saving with our simple and easy-to-understand app – accessible to all and a given for everyone.
Thanks to your support, we have already made great strides towards our goal. We are convinced that we can achieve and change even more if we make you co-owners of findependent.
What we have achieved in the last few years
2019
- Matthias founds findependent in June.
- Too many of his friends left their savings lying around unused in their bank accounts or used complicated, non-transparent bank products to invest and paid high, often hidden fees.
- The situation could not go on like this – it was time to change this with a simple, understandable and affordable ETF investment app.
2020
- findependent secures Hypothekarbank Lenzburg AG as a partner.
- Support from the first investors among friends and family
- We launch the beta version of the app (still with paper-based account registration).
2021
- findependent officially launches in February (now with fully digital account registration)
- We listen to your requests and launch a pure equity investment solution, as well as the option to put together a customized investment solution yourself.
- Roland Brack (live on the show) and Lukas Speiser (afterwards) invest in findependent on the TV start-up show “Die Höhle der Löwen”. Other investors are also involved.
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2022
- findependent receives CHF 1.2 million in a financing round led by Backbone Ventures in June.
- We reach our first milestone with 5,000 clients – our investment app is well received.
- We set up our own investment committee and bring renowned finance professor Thorsten Hens from the University of Zurich on board.
2023
- Our clients can now open additional investment goals directly in the app and therefore can also invest for a child. With this, we have realized the most frequently mentioned customer request. findependent is now being used to invest money for around 2,000 children and teenagers.
- findependent has been so well received that it was time to launch a version in English and French.
- At the end of the year, findependent receives the FINMA license as an asset manager - another sign of high quality.
2024
- findependent is growing faster than ever
- In spring, we reach the milestone of 10,000 clients and shortly afterwards we even exceed the CHF 100 million mark in assets under management (AuM) for our clients.
- In April and May, over 2,000 new clients join findependent.
Here's what's coming next
We have a lot more to come: We are raising new funds to expand our product, further develop the app and position ourselves for future growth. Register now without obligation and find out more under “DETAILS”.
Join our existing investors
Over the last 5 years, 3.5 million Swiss francs have been poured into findependent by our investors. However, findependent has always remained independent of a bank (no, the HBL is not invested) or other companies. The first investors were friends and families, followed by Roland Brack and Lukas Speiser as well as other private start-up investors and the investment company Backbone Ventures. However, around half of the company still belongs to the team around founder Matthias Bryner.
As our sponsors/investors are more convinced than ever of findependent and our development, they invested a further CHF 1 million last fall and another CHF 0.5 million this spring.
A survey among customers showed us that more than half of them would be interested in investing not only with findependent, but also in findependent. This is why we would now like to offer you the opportunity to become a co-owner of findependent. This way, you can participate in the future success of findependent. And you can do so at the same share value as our previous investors have previously paid.
Register on this platform now to get even more information, ask us questions and sign up for our live Q&A sessions on June 24 and 25.
You can then invest directly here starting July 1. First come, first served. We look forward to seeing you!
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Matthias Bryner
BiographyMatthias founded findependent in 2019. Before that, he completed an internship at neon, where he learned what it takes to run a successful fintech start-up, and from his work at Credit Suisse he knows what is important when it comes to fund and ETF selection. Matthias holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Zurich and a Master's degree in Banking & Finance from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). As founder, Matthias leads the findependent team and is also a member of the Investment Committee and the Board of Directors of findependent.
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Beat Müller
BiographyBeat has been with findependent since November 2020 and is responsible for its IT. After completing an apprenticeship as a computer scientist and a bachelor's degree at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, he worked in web development for over 10 years, including at a start-up and at SAP. Beat brings a lot of know-how and great all-rounder skills to the table, enabling us to continuously develop our IT and the app.
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Kay Foerschle
BiographyKay is in charge of marketing at findependent since March 2022. User centricity and customer empowerment are among the most important drivers for him. That's why he likes the vision of helping to create an investment app that contributes to financial literacy and makes users financially independent. Before findependent, Kay was responsible for marketing digital products at Comparis and was Head of Marketing and Communication at Moneypark. His knowledge of the wealth management business stems from his training as a financial planner (CFP) and financial analyst and asset manager (CIIA) at AZEK, as well as the 15 years he spent as a customer advisor in private banking.
-teamMemberFallback.webp "Tobias Hochstrasser")
Tobias Hochstrasser
BiographyTobias joined findependent in July 2022 and has been responsible for the investment management since then. Tobias prioritized financial markets in his studies and obtained his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Zurich and the University of Edinburgh respectively. Subsequently, he also passed the exams to become a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Over the last 10 years he has worked in asset management for two well-known financial service providers. He designed their investment strategy and managed the portfolios of wealthy private clients as well as those of numerous Swiss pension funds. Tobias is therefore ideally qualified to take responsibility for findependent's investment strategy as Chairman of the Investment Committee.
Roland Brack
BiographyRoland Brack has been an investor and advisor to findependent since our appearance on the TV start-up show “Die Höhle der Löwen” in 2021. As a successful e-commerce entrepreneur, he supports us in building our company with his many years of experience and his large network. As an active user, he also regularly provides feedback for an even better customer experience.
Lukas Speiser
BiographyLukas Speiser joined findependent as an investor together with Roland Brack in 2021. After successfully building and selling his own startup Amorana, Lukas is now helping to shape the strategic development of findependent as a board member.
Thorsten Hens
BiographyThorsten Hens is Professor and Deputy Head of the Institute for Banking and Finance at the University of Zurich. He holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Bonn and was a professor at the University of Bielefeld before coming to Zurich in 1999. His areas of expertise are evolutionary finance, behavioral finance, fintech and blockchain. At findependent, Prof. Hens is a member of the Investment Committee, which is responsible for strategic decisions on investment-specific issues.
Philipp Marti
BiographyIn his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors of findependent, Philipp Marti brings his many years of experience in the asset management and banking business to the table. Until 2018, he was Group CFO at VZ Vermögenszentrum, where he oversaw the IPO and the founding of VZ Depotbank, among other things. Philipp is now self-employed and, in addition to findependent, is a board member of various associations, including the Swiss Employers' Association.