Blanco, a fintech focused on financing for SMEs, closed an investment round of US$2 million through Brota, with the participation of more than 160 investors. The operation marks a milestone in the Chilean ecosystem, by democratizing access to investment in startups and allowing small and large tickets to coexist in the same vehicle.
The capital will be used mainly for leverage, which will allow the company to multiply its placement capacity up to US$20 million. Blanco has already achieved profitability in its first year and seeks to accelerate its growth with new lines of financing.
Learning and vision
Diego Contreras, CEO and co-founder of Blanco, brings with him the experience of having co-founded Zeppelin, one of the most relevant fintech companies in the region. From this stage he highlights the importance of defining an ambitious and clear roadmap, but also of traveling through it with discipline and the ability to adapt.
Blanco’s culture is nourished by his personal vision: to integrate all facets of his life—entrepreneur, spiritual leader, and family man—into a single coherent identity. That philosophy is reflected in the way he builds the company and how he transmits values of responsibility and purpose to his team.
The value of making it different
Opting for crowdfunding instead of traditional VC rounds was a strategic decision. According to Contreras, Brota offers advantages such as the possibility of grouping investors in an SPV, flexibility in governance and a media reach that enhances the relationship with SMEs, its target audience. The round also showed resilience in the face of a challenging economic context, with periods of pause and reactivation that ultimately led to successful closure.
Projection
Blanco currently processes more than 17 billion Chilean pesos and has placed close to US$50 million in financing. With this new capital, the fintech seeks to consolidate its position in the market, expand its portfolio and continue growing exponentially.
The round not only reinforces its financial capacity, but also validates its business model and its value proposition: offering simple and effective solutions for SMEs, a segment that has historically faced barriers to accessing credit.
