Light Frame, a Swiss financial technology company developing core banking and portfolio management software for wealth management institutions, has raised $5.1 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round. The financing will support continued development of its cloud-native platform, expansion of implementation capabilities, and growth across private banking and wealth management markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The round was led by Fortino Ventures, with participation from Sidekick Partners, Tenity, Chamaeleon, and Altair Capital.
Existing investors Rogue Venture Partners, New Stack Ventures, and Studio Alpha also participated.
Founded in 2024 and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, Light Frame develops technology intended to replace or modernize legacy software systems used by private banks and wealth managers.
The company’s platform combines core banking functionality, investment management capabilities, automation tools, and an architecture designed to support AI applications.
Many financial institutions continue operating core systems developed decades ago.
These platforms can be expensive to maintain and difficult to modify, particularly when organizations need to introduce new services or integrate modern software.
Legacy systems can also create operational challenges involving fragmented information, manual processes, and lengthy implementation schedules.
Light Frame is seeking to address these issues through a modular, cloud-native technology platform.
Its architecture uses application programming interfaces to connect systems and support integration with other financial technologies.
The company’s software is designed specifically for private banking and wealth management operations rather than being adapted from general-purpose banking infrastructure.
The platform includes capabilities supporting banking transactions, investment portfolios, and other functions used by financial institutions serving affluent and high-net-worth clients.
Light Frame has also incorporated AI functionality into its technology.
These capabilities are intended to automate complex workflows, improve employee productivity, and support more sophisticated client services.
The company believes that modern infrastructure is necessary for financial institutions to take full advantage of advances in AI.
Its approach emphasizes the combination of automation and advanced technology with security, operational resilience, and the reliability required in regulated financial services.
A central component of Light Frame’s strategy is its modular design.
Institutions can choose to replace individual components of their existing technology infrastructure or implement the broader platform.
This flexibility is intended to reduce the complexity and risk associated with large technology modernization projects.
It may also allow banks and wealth managers to adopt new capabilities without replacing every existing system at once.
Light Frame reports growing institutional adoption across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
The company’s technology is already supporting live customer operations as it expands its commercial presence.
Its founding team brings experience developing technology within a regulated banking environment.
Co-Founder and CEO Schuyler Weiss previously founded and served as CEO of Alpian, Switzerland’s first cloud-native private bank.
Co-Founder Mathieu Clément previously served as Alpian’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Information Officer.
The founding team also includes technologists Philippe Kernevez and Gregory Bataille.
Their experience includes developing and operating banking infrastructure while navigating regulatory requirements and the practical challenges of financial technology implementation.
Light Frame believes this background provides an advantage when working with institutions that require a high level of security and reliability from their technology providers.
Fortino Ventures, the lead investor, identified the founding team’s banking experience and technical expertise as important factors supporting its investment.
The new financing will help Light Frame expand its development, implementation, and commercial operations.
The company intends to increase its capacity to onboard financial institutions while continuing to enhance its core banking and portfolio management platform.
Its initial expansion efforts will remain focused on the EMEA region.
The investment reflects continued demand for technologies that allow financial institutions to modernize operations while incorporating AI and automation into their existing workflows.
By combining modern software architecture with experience operating regulated financial institutions, Light Frame aims to provide a technology foundation for the next generation of private banking and wealth management services.
KEY QUOTES:
“Light Frame delivers foundational technology with the sophistication institutions require. AI is redefining what technology can deliver, but the realization of its potential in the Wealth industry is dependent on the underlying infrastructure. The architecture must be designed around this future, without compromising the security, resilience and trust fundamental to banking. In Fortino and our broader investor group, we have found partners who share our ambition to build that foundation for the next generation of wealth management.”
Schuyler Weiss, Co-Founder And CEO Of Light Frame
“We are excited to back a team that is exceptionally credible in this space. Schuyler and the team have run a regulated Swiss bank on the kind of infrastructure they are now replacing. Few founders in wealth technology have lived the problem this closely, and fewer still have the technical depth to solve it. For a bank, moving sensitive data and live operations onto a new platform is an act of trust, and this team has earned the right to ask for it.”
Hugh Phelan, Investment Manager At Fortino Ventures
