TiVenture was born in 2016 from Agire Invest, the “investment arm” of the Fondazione Agire, the Innovation Agency of Ticino Canton that started investing in early innovative companies in 2012. Dr. Lorenzo Leoni was the founding CEO of Agire and Dr. Paolo Orsatti managed its investment activities. During the next 4 years, they invested in more than 15 early-stage companies and expanded the network of private and institutional co-investors that supported the growth of the companies.

Due to the success of these activities and to allow further expansion, in 2016 the Cantonal Bank of Ticino (BancaStato, www.bancastato.ch) created the Fondazione del Centenario and acquired 100% of Afire Invest changing the name into TiVenture. Since 2016 TiVenture operates as an independent early-stage technology investor, investing in Ticino-based companies, and collaborating with Agire, the State Government, the local Universities and contributing to the growth, diversification and innovation of the economy in the Ticino territory.

Today, TiVenture represents a success story: its companies are rapidly growing, with aggregate revenues exceeding CHF 17 Mio and a total number of employees exceeding 160 and demonstrate very well the potential for economic innovation of Ticino.