Kontigo
USDC-Smart Neobank for Latinos.
TL;DR; We're connecting all Latinos across the U.S. and Latin America through a single banking app that is global, instant, and stable. The real problem: The fundamental problem behind high fees, underbanked users, and failed currencies, both in Latam and the US, is precisely the same: the lack of a stable currency with global access and minimum government interference. The consequence of the problem: - The U.S. is home to 65 million Latinos, representing the fastest-growing population in the country; despite this, 35% of them are underbanked. - Each year, Latinos in the U.S. send over $170 billion to Latin America, often incurring fees as high as 20%. - Once the money reaches Latam, recipients may incur additional fees of up to 10% to convert and cash out. - In contrast, Latin America has a population of 700 million, with 20% of households relying on remittances for income and 75% of the population being underbanked. - Latin America's financial fragmentation worsens the problem, with 33 countries using 39 different currencies. Over time, all of these currencies have failed due to devaluation, inflation, and poor monetary policies. Kontigo is a USDC global wallet with a BTC savings account. - Like Venmo, but on-USDC. - Like Zelle, but for cross-border payments. No limits. - Like Nubank & Revolut, but without inflationary currencies. Bitcoin-backed. User wallets are connected to an AI-private banker on WhatsApp for their daily needs. - Execute international USDC transactions. - Build-Credit. Build Wealth. - Plan your BTC retirement. Made for real-life use cases—no crypto BS. Founding team is Ex-Venmo, Nubank, Rappi, MercadoLibre, Ualá, Platzi, Yuno.
Active Founders
jesus alberto Castillo ferrer, CEO & Co-founder
I'm a Venezuelan founder obsessed with closing the financial inclusion gap for 1.7 billion humans. - Previously built the largest micro-lending platform in Venezuela, reaching over 500k SMBs in low-income communities with no financial history, implementing Muhammad Yunus methodology powered by ML. - Co-founded the first LLM marketplace in LatAm using micro-payments instead of subscriptions. - Founder at Bicuye, the most exotic Agave-Based Liquour with an Ultra-Premium membership club.
Gino Guatavita
Co-Founder & CTO at Kontigo. Tackling one of the biggest challenges in the region, access to credit and the financial system. Currently 500M+ people on Latam are under-banked, we are solving this with alternative data, AI and Web3.
Company Launches
TL;DR; We're connecting all Latinos across the U.S. and Latin America through a single banking app that is global, instant, and stable.
Hi everyone, we are Jesus & Gino, and we’re building Kontigo —A USDC-smart neobank for Latinos. (With a Bitcoin piggy bank).
The real problem:
- The fundamental problem behind high fees, underbanked users, and failed currencies, both in Latam and the US, is precisely the same: the lack of a stable currency with global access and minimum government interference.
The consequence of the problem:
- The U.S. is home to 65 million Latinos, representing the fastest-growing population in the country; despite this, 35% of them are underbanked.
- Each year, Latinos in the U.S. send over $170 billion to Latin America, often incurring fees as high as 20%.
- Once the money reaches Latam, recipients may incur additional fees of up to 10% to convert and cash out.
- In contrast, Latin America has a population of 700 million, with 20% of households relying on remittances for income and 75% of the population being underbanked.
- Latin America's financial fragmentation worsens the problem, with 33 countries using 39 different currencies. Over time, all of these currencies have failed due to devaluation, inflation, and poor monetary policies.
Kontigo offers a USDC global wallet with a BTC savings account.
- Like Venmo, but on USDC.
- Like Zelle, but for cross-border payments. No limits.
- Like Nubank & Revolut, but without inflationary currencies. Bitcoin-backed.
Made for real-life use cases—no crypto BS.
User wallets are connected to an AI-private banker on WhatsApp for their daily needs.
- Execute international USDC transactions.
- Build-Credit. Build Wealth.
- Plan your BTC retirement.
We have brought together a “founder mode” dream team!
- +10 years building in fintech.
- CEO prev built the largest micro-lending app in Venezuela.
- CTO prev built and scaled 2 fintech companies in Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador.
- CPO prev built A WhatsApp co-pilot for business owners. Ex-Platzi and HolaCasa. (YC companies).
- COO prev built an LLM marketplace for Latam using micro-payments instead of subscriptions.
- Head of design prev was founding team at Rappi, Grability, Imaginamos and Yuno.
- Head of branding prev built an ultra-premium hand-crafted agave spirit brand.
- Head of Web3 prev built an on-chain grocery delivery app for Colombia.
- Head of engineering prev was tech lead at Venmo app development. (+Built a B2B payment startup in Mex).
- Head of Content prev developed Ualá and Mercado Libre marketing strategy.
Kontigo is:
- Already backed by DST Global, Soma Capital, Pioneer Fund, Transpose, HF0, Founders, Inc. Orange DAO, Optimism. +10 YC Alum.
- Profitable.
- +2 year runway.
We are gonna make it because we have done it before.
But this time, we're aiming for the moonshot.
Help us unlock universal wealth :)
Ask:
- Have a Latino friend? Share the app with friends who need it.
- Do you know any business, startup, or company that makes cross-border payments or needs a product like ours? Connect us! Contact at founders@kontigo.lat
Stable Currency, Global Access.