Chattigo, the Chilean startup founded in 2015 by Ernesto Doudchitzky, Iván Vivas and María Vivas, completed its acquisition by Capacity, a US artificial intelligence support platform based in St. Louis, Missouri.
The companies closed the operation in May 2026, after a process that began at the end of February. Although they did not reveal the official amount, close sources estimate that Capacity paid around US$60 million, equivalent to between five and seven times Chattigo’s ARR.
Chattigo’s story began before Meta released an official API for enterprises. Its founders reverse-engineered WhatsApp and took advantage of the shift from voice recognition to text messaging.auto
Today the platform manages 15 digital channels with artificial intelligence. In addition, it automates customer service, sales, after-sales, collections and marketing processes, and directs conversations to human executives when necessary.
An exit prepared for years
Chattigo approached the sales process with long-term preparation. The company conducted annual audits, worked with a French investment bank for almost a year and evaluated three strategic scenarios in parallel.
Additionally, it received interest from four buyers before closing the deal with Capacity. “Everyone told us that we had to reach US$10 million ARR. It was like the hinge and when we surpassed it, the process took off a little,” says Ernesto Doudchitzky.
The company raised just US$2 million in external capital during its history. He went through Imagine, obtained three lines from Corfo and then added investments from Alaya Capital, Fen Ventures and Morro Ventures.
The negotiation also had complex moments. First, contractual differences arose with advisors and then disagreements with some investors. Finally, Chattigo completed the operation with the support of Cuatrecasas, Carey and Pérez-Llorca.
Capacity strengthens its commitment to Latin America
Capacity was founded in 2017 by David Karandish, who previously sold Answers.com for nearly $900 million. Since then, the company has built an acquisition strategy and already integrated eight companies before adding Chattigo.
Capacity currently exceeds $100 million in ARR and serves more than 20,000 customers. However, it still did not have a relevant presence on WhatsApp or a consolidated operation in Latin America.
With Chattigo it incorporates banking, retail and logistics clients, in addition to operations in Chile and Mexico and native capabilities in Spanish. Likewise, the company plans to integrate WhatsApp into its operations in England and Spain, where this channel has greater weight than in the United States.
For the Chilean ecosystem, this exit confirms a trend. A profitable B2B SaaS startup, with an ARR greater than US$10 million and a unique distribution position in the region, can attract global strategic buyers without depending on large rounds of venture capital.
