Evolution of Toqio's badge
When our Embedded Finance journey began, it wasn’t called Toqio, it was LUM (light, in Esperanto.
Back then, we were a small, passionate team with a big vision and a name that felt almost right… but not quite. Still, we couldn’t find the right one until life decided to surprise us.
After winning Cuatro Casas Acelera IV, we were celebrating one of our biggest wins until we realized another company had just registered LUM as an EU trademark. Suddenly, we had less than a week to find a new name.
What followed were endless brainstorming sessions, countless ideas, and plenty of coffee-fueled debates. But nothing truly fit until one of us remembered a heart story...
Back in 2018 the same incredible team of 7 was involved in some other ventures that were born in our tech ecosystem GoMadrid (RIP), the most attractive one was Toqio, but not the Fintech we know today, Toqio was originally a blockchain venture, experimenting with emerging technologies and shaping bold ideas including the world’s first tokenized gin, created in partnership with Alastria and Santamanía Gin. We never forgot about blockchain but keeping our startup mindset alive we kept evolving as a team.
First tokenized gin by toQio, Alastria, GoMadrid and Santamania.
And no, just in case you were thinking about it: the name had nothing to do with the Asian city. It actually came from the word “token.”
- The “Toq” part came from token, with the “Q” featuring two dashes symbolizing the Toqio coin, a nod to our blockchain roots.
- The “io” represented the technology layer, the foundation of blockchain itself.
Our first logo
Our logo nowadays
That early project may have been about blockchain, but its spirit innovation, curiosity, and collaboration is the same one that powers Toqio today. So we decided to bring back to life our old name. And there we were, the shift was made and suddenly all fitted.
Toqio is a name inspired by innovation, collaboration, and a shared love for building something meaningful.
Over time, we gave the brand a new look, more modern, more aligned with who we are today but the heart behind it remains the same.
Toqio isn’t just a name. It’s the story of our beginnings, our creativity, and the spirit that continues to drive us forward.
It started in GoMadrid, and it’s stayed with us ever since. And today, we can honestly say:
👉 We couldn’t have chosen a better name.
Toqio heart used by Toqiers
Special thanks to those 6 that lived along with me those unforgettable, chaotic, and inspiring early days that I will never forget: Eduardo, Mike, Daniella, Rodri, Víctor and Jing.
By Arancha Riestra Co-Founder and VP of People at Toqio