# Kontigo

> Kontigo is a USDC-based neobank built for Latinos in the U.S. and Latin America. It pairs a self-custody stablecoin wallet with a card, no-fee cross-border transfers, yield on balances, and an AI banker over WhatsApp - aiming to give people in high-inflation economies a dollar account that works across borders. Founded in 2023 and part of Y Combinator's Summer 2024 batch, it reported roughly 1 million users and over $1 billion in payment volume before raising a $20 million seed round in December 2025.

- **Founded:** 2023
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founders:** Jesus Castillo (CEO & Co-Founder), Gino Guatavita (Co-Founder (President / CTO))
- **Team size:** ~10-14 employees
- **Products:** Kontigo Cash, Kontigo Card, Kontigo Pay, Kontigo AI, APIs & Smart Routing
- **Notable:** Reached roughly 1 million users and over $1 billion in payment volume in under a year, Raised a $20 million seed round in December 2025 at a $100 million valuation, Backed by DST Global, Soma Capital and Coinbase Ventures

## Products & services

- **Kontigo Cash** — Self-custody wallet to send, receive, and save in USDC with zero fees and peer-to-peer transfers similar to Venmo.
- **Kontigo Card** — Hybrid credit/debit card that lets users spend their USDC balance globally, with yield on balances and Bitcoin cashback on spending.
- **Kontigo Pay** — No-code payment button for merchants that accepts 30+ payment methods and settles in stablecoins.
- **Kontigo AI** — AI-powered private banker delivered over WhatsApp for balances, transfers, and money management in plain language.
- **APIs & Smart Routing** — Infrastructure for global money movement and currency conversion between USDC and local currencies.
- **Universal QR** — QR-code payments for in-person and online transactions across supported countries.
- **Piggy Banks** — Goal-based USDC savings features (announced as coming soon).

## Achievements

- Reached roughly 1 million users and over $1 billion in payment volume in under a year
- Raised a $20 million seed round in December 2025 at a $100 million valuation
- Backed by DST Global, Soma Capital and Coinbase Ventures
- Selected for Y Combinator's Summer 2024 batch
- Fully reimbursed 1,005 users ($340,905 in USDC) within days after a January 2026 security breach

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Announced a $20 million seed round led by a syndicate including DST Global, Soma Capital and Coinbase Ventures at a $100 million valuation.
- **2026-01** — Suffered a security breach in which about $340,905 in USDC was stolen; the company reimbursed all 1,005 affected users within days.
- **2026-01** — Faced U.S. sanctions scrutiny over reported stablecoin flows tied to Venezuela; partners including JPMorgan, Stripe and Bridge reduced or cut services while Kontigo said it was conducting an internal compliance review.

## Links

- Website: https://www.kontigo.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/kontigolatam
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/jecastillof

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kontigo-yc-s24
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-30