Kontigo

USDC-Smart Neobank for Latinos.

ActiveY Combinator

Updated: Dec 2, 2025 ·

About

We’re building Kontigo, a USDC Smart Neobank for Latinos in the U.S. and Latin America.

We launched our Peer-to-Peer onramp 20 days ago and we’ve already had $540k in deposits, 10k active users and a +300k waitlist.

The founding team has built and scaled fintechs in Latam, and it’s ex-Venmo, Nubank, Rappi, MercadoLibre, Ualá, Platzi, and Yuno.

We’re already backed by DST Global, Soma Capital, Pioneer Fund, Transpose + 10 YC alums.

Sending money to Latin America is just as painful as holding it due to the region's fragmentation into 33 countries with 39 different currencies.

On one hand, cross-border payments to Latam are absurdly expensive (up to 20% per transaction). Conversely, over the past decade, currency depreciation across the region has become unsustainable. (some countries surpassing the trillion percent ).

Kontigo solves this with a USDC global wallet & 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 to execute international USDC transactions.

Recent News & Mentions

Aug 1, 2025FundingKontigo - Seed Sep 2, 2024Product LaunchKontigo - A USDC-smart neobank for Latinos Sep 1, 2023FundingKontigo - Seed

Financial History

Kontigo has raised $20.1M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $20.0M Seed in August 2025.

Total Raised

$20.1M

Valuation

N/A

Funding Rounds Raised

Date	Round	Lead Investors	Other Investors
Aug 1, 2025	$20.0M Seed		Alumni Ventures, Global Founders Capital, Goodwater Capital, Hummingbird Ventures, Nyca Partners, SciFi VC, Sequoia Capital, SID Venture Partners, Sierra Ventures, Soma Capital, Y Combinator, Balaji Srinivasan, Evan Cheng, Furqan Rydhan, Gokul Rajaram, Helen Liang, Hubert Thieblot, Matteo Franceschetti, Oliver Jung, Philippe Teixeira da Mota, Sam Altman, Scot Wingo, Tom Blomfield
Sep 1, 2023	$100K Seed		Greylock, Menlo Ventures, Polygon, Tribe Capital, Furqan Rydhan, Jean-Baptiste Rudelle, Ron Pragides, Stani Kulechov

Financial History

Kontigo has raised $20.1M across 2 funding rounds.

Total Raised

$20.1M

Valuation

N/A

Leadership Team

Key people at Kontigo.

jesus alberto Castillo ferrer

CEO & Co-founder

Gino Guatavita

Founder

Leadership Team

Key people at Kontigo.

jesus alberto Castillo ferrer

CEO & Co-founder

Gino Guatavita

Founder

Deep Dive

High-Level Overview

Kontigo is a USDC-smart neobank designed specifically for Latinos across the U.S. and Latin America, offering a global, instant, and stable banking experience through a single app. It provides a USDC global wallet combined with a Bitcoin (BTC) savings account, enabling users to execute international USDC transactions, build credit, and plan wealth accumulation without exposure to inflationary local currencies. Kontigo integrates an AI-powered private banker accessible via WhatsApp for daily financial needs, making cross-border payments seamless and cost-effective. The platform targets the financial fragmentation and currency instability prevalent in Latin America by leveraging stablecoins and Bitcoin to offer a reliable alternative to traditional banking[1][2][3].

Origin Story

Founded in 2023 in San Francisco by fintech and crypto veterans from Latin America, Kontigo’s founding team includes CEO Jesus Castillo, a three-time founder from Venezuela focused on financial inclusion, and CTO Gino Guatavita, with extensive fintech experience in Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador. The idea emerged from firsthand experience with the financial exclusion and currency volatility affecting millions of Latinos. The founders converged in San Francisco, attracted by its diverse tech ecosystem, to build a solution that combines stablecoins and Bitcoin to address these challenges. Early traction includes backing from prominent investors such as DST Global, Soma Capital, and Y Combinator alumni, alongside a profitable business model and a runway exceeding two years[1][2][3].

Core Differentiators

Product Differentiators: Combines USDC stablecoin for stability with Bitcoin as a store of value, offering a unique dual-asset wallet.
Developer Experience: Employs advanced technologies like MPC (Multi-Party Computation) and zkTLS for secure, decentralized, peer-to-peer transactions.
Speed and Pricing: Enables instant, no-fee cross-border payments in USDC, overcoming traditional remittance costs and delays.
Ease of Use: Integrates an AI-driven private banker via WhatsApp, providing personalized financial assistance in a familiar communication channel.
Community Ecosystem: Focused on Latinos in the U.S. and Latin America, addressing a large underserved market with tailored financial products like BTC retirement plans and USDC savings pools.
Compliance and Security: Partners with Flagright for real-time AML and transaction monitoring to ensure regulatory compliance and user safety[1][4][6].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Kontigo rides the wave of stablecoin adoption and decentralized finance (DeFi) innovation, targeting emerging markets where currency instability and financial exclusion are rampant. The timing is critical as Latin America faces persistent inflation and fragmented financial systems with multiple unstable currencies. By leveraging USDC and Bitcoin, Kontigo offers a stable, borderless financial infrastructure that aligns with global trends toward digital currencies and decentralized banking. Its approach not only facilitates remittances and savings but also introduces scalable credit solutions integrated with payments and wealth-building tools, potentially reshaping financial access for over a billion people in emerging markets[3][6].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Kontigo aims to expand its fully on-chain peer-to-peer marketplace, eliminating intermediaries and enhancing global liquidity. The company plans to deepen its savings and credit products, including BTC-based long-term retirement plans and transparent USDC rotating savings pools. As stablecoins and crypto adoption grow, Kontigo is well-positioned to become a cornerstone for financial inclusion in Latin America and among Latinos in the U.S. Its influence may extend beyond banking, fostering a new ecosystem of decentralized financial services tailored to emerging market realities. The combination of stable currency access, AI-driven support, and blockchain security sets Kontigo on a trajectory to unlock universal wealth for its community[1][2][6].

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded Kontigo?

Kontigo was founded in 2023 by jesus alberto Castillo ferrer (CEO & Co-founder) and Gino Guatavita (Founder).

How much funding has Kontigo raised?

Kontigo has raised $20.1M in total across 2 funding rounds.

Who are Kontigo's investors?

Kontigo's investors include Alumni Ventures, Global Founders Capital, Goodwater Capital, Hummingbird Ventures, Nyca Partners, SciFi VC, Sequoia Capital, SID Venture Partners, Sierra Ventures, Soma Capital, Y Combinator, Balaji Srinivasan.