TransferChain: The Sword Startup Challenge finalist ensuring data protection

Meet Tuna Özen, co-founder of TransferChain. The fintech startup secures file and password management solutions. Tuna is one of the 5 finalists of the Sword Startup Challenge, competing for venture clienting opportunities, expert support, and industry exposure.

Sword Switzerland, a global technology transformation company, has launched the second edition of the Sword Startup Challenge, its Swiss innovation competition dedicated to startups developing solutions for the wealth management sector. Organized in collaboration with Venturelab, the program began in January and will run through June 2026.

In which situations do your solution create the most impact, and who is usually involved on the customer side?
TransferChain is used when standard cloud tools are not sufficient for sensitive, regulated data handling. It supports confidential exchanges (e.g., M&A, legal, finance, defense) and data subject to GDPR, banking secrecy, or export controls. Buyers are typically CIOs, CISOs, compliance leaders, COOs, and CTOs, with security and IT teams involved in integration and risk management.

What kind of validation have you seen so far that your solution creates value (e.g., user feedback, pilot learnings, general outcomes)?
Our solution is validated by market demand, product maturity, and user traction in the growing secure file sharing, storage, and password management space, driven by rising cyber risks and regulations. It includes TransferChain Drive, TransferChain Pass, and an SDK for embedding a zero-knowledge encrypted data layer. Users report stronger confidence in sharing sensitive data (G2 4.7), and industry recognition confirms we address a real, urgent need.

If you started a pilot with one of Sword’s clients, what would success look like in the early stages?
In a 3-6 month pilot, we would test one real use case in production, such as secure document exchange between advisors and clients. Success means replacing email and generic tools with a single auditable workflow, driving clear adoption and positive feedback. A strong signal is the business owner pushing for a broader rollout.

From your perspective, what makes a collaboration between a startup and a large corporate successfull?
Startup-corporate collaborations work best with a committed business owner, a clear, urgent problem, and a tightly defined pilot with agreed success criteria. Joint teams should mix domain expertise with startup execution speed, and a scaling path must be defined from the start to enable rollout after a successful pilot.

What specific opportunity do you see in the Sword Startup Challenge, and how would you leverage it to create value with one of Sword’s corporate clients?
Within the Sword Startup Challenge, we see a venture-client pathway rather than a simple competition. Our goal is to co-design a wealth-management-grade secure data layer together with Sword and a selected client, anchored in one sharply defined use case, and convert that pilot into a repeatable solution. We would draw on the program’s mentoring and business case work to sharpen the ROI narrative for C-level decision-makers, then rely on Sword’s global footprint to replicate the model across multiple clients and markets.