According to Swiss news outlet Finews, Geneva-based Cigno has secured CHF 1.5 million in seed funding from a group of operators in consulting, finance, and technology, as it works on developing AI infrastructure for consulting firms serving financial services clients in Switzerland and across Europe.
The round includes Lino Finini, former Group COO of Swissquote, Pasha Bakhtiar, former Group CEO of Reyl Intesa Sanpaolo and co-founder of Alpian Bank, Niresh Rajah, former Group CDO of Danske Bank, Arnaud Denis, former Group CEO of MeDirect, Hazem Mulhim, founder and CEO of Eastnets, and former Credit Suisse executive Martin Mende.
Founded by Philippe Reynier, Nicolas Lagrèze and Vahan Avetisyan, Cigno is developing a platform that automates the consulting workflow from research and data gathering to structured recommendations. The company says its system is built around a proprietary reasoning model and specialised agents, with a sovereign-by-design setup that includes European hosting, full client data isolation and compliance infrastructure.
Cigno is initially targeting consulting firms with financial services practices, reflecting demand from Swiss and European banks, insurers and asset managers for AI systems that can meet stricter data and governance requirements. Pilot deployments are underway in Switzerland, France and the UK, with commercial availability planned for June 2026.
The round includes Lino Finini, former Group COO of Swissquote, Pasha Bakhtiar, former Group CEO of Reyl Intesa Sanpaolo and co-founder of Alpian Bank, Niresh Rajah, former Group CDO of Danske Bank, Arnaud Denis, former Group CEO of MeDirect, Hazem Mulhim, founder and CEO of Eastnets, and former Credit Suisse executive Martin Mende.
Founded by Philippe Reynier, Nicolas Lagrèze and Vahan Avetisyan, Cigno is developing a platform that automates the consulting workflow from research and data gathering to structured recommendations. The company says its system is built around a proprietary reasoning model and specialised agents, with a sovereign-by-design setup that includes European hosting, full client data isolation and compliance infrastructure.
Cigno is initially targeting consulting firms with financial services practices, reflecting demand from Swiss and European banks, insurers and asset managers for AI systems that can meet stricter data and governance requirements. Pilot deployments are underway in Switzerland, France and the UK, with commercial availability planned for June 2026.