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October 13, 2022, a stormy evening in Bilbao. In co-working that Aquilas rented for his offsite, young venture architects pitch their boldest ideas. When Eva drops the sentence:
“Imagine a sharing economy for day families — like Koru Kids or Tiney in London, but tailored to Switzerland.”
The spark jumps over immediately. In just a few minutes, a spontaneous sketch on a napkin becomes a vision of a new, flexible care concept. The idea for Nidino was born.
Back in Zurich just eleven days later, Anthony presents the pitch in a venture development meeting, Chris is impressed by the pitch and Aquilas decides on a structured ideation, Kilian takes over as venture architect. A first model focused on day families will be in place by January 2023. At the hypothesis workshop on January 19, post-its are piling up: 46 assumptions about market, parental needs and regulation need to be validated.
It's worth the effort. On March 28, 2023, the Aquilas Investment Committee nods off the concept. In the values of the Company Builder — Curiosity, Tolerance, Performance — Even back then, there was the spirit of “planning the wild adventure first and then delivering it at full throttle.”
Now the baby needs a name. After Gotty and Elefants Fall through voting, sit down Nidino by: Nido (Nest) + -ino (small) — warmth, security, childhood. It wasn't until Vinh's logo design that the dinosaur appeared as a tongue-in-cheek protector. The brand is secured on June 5, and Nidino is officially founded on June 23, 2023.
The young crew actually wants to start with two to three existing day family organizations — but traditional providers are waving away: “Too digital, too wild, too Zurich.” At the same time, fundraising is faltering: At the end of 2023, there are only 75,000 CHF in the account.
Instead of continuing to clean handles, the team decides to raise a mini pilot themselves. The new website goes live in March 2024 — with the promise of “childcare in day families from parents for parents.” This is where GFZ childminder stumbles Sarah D'Aquino about Nidino “Because the old structures no longer reach families,” she joined the core team in August, together with Anthony and Chris.
Four day families care for nine children. Focus groups provide insights, testimonials on the site confirm the journey (“Contact with Nidino is pleasant, uncomplicated and personal...”). Despite continued tough capital markets, internal momentum is growing.
Fabienne Hirth Joins as Co-Founder for Marketing & Sales in January 2025. In March, Nidino signs the service agreement with the City of Zurich. This means that subsidized places can be offered for the first time — a huge vote of confidence and a boomerang for the vision “Child care redefined: reconciling work and family life for all” .
Just three months later, the platform counts 18 day families and 72 childcare places. A seed extension secures financing until Q1 2026.
On LinkedIn, Aquilas has long been talking about “re-inventing the childminder concept” and “bringing an internationally proven model to Switzerland.” On Instagram, fill hashtags like #startup #childcareinnovation the feed, while parent stories create reach. Nidino himself summarizes the vision as follows: “Our mission is to connect parents and empower day families so that children can develop their potential in a supportive environment.”
The rollercoaster ride has hardened Nidino:
Briefly: The nest is built, the dinosaur has learned to walk — now it's time to fly.
