Christian Knudsen, CEO and co-founder of Littio, began his path as a serial entrepreneur when he detected a problem that affects millions of Latin Americans: the constant devaluation that erodes their savings. That personal experience led him to create, together with Iván Torroledo and Luis Huertas, a fintech that today processes more than a billion dollars and has 375,000 users in Colombia.
“Devaluation is the silent tax of Latin America. Millions of people do not have real access to a dollar account to protect their money,” explains Knudsen. “We are solving two main problems: access to dollar accounts and solid products, and protection against devaluation with lower costs.”
Littio allows you to open accounts in the United States and Europe, spend in different currencies such as euros, dollars and digital Colombian pesos, and obtain returns through vaults that function as investment instruments. Its proposal differs from competitors such as Nubank or Mercado Pago by focusing on a specific need: giving access to the global economy to Latin Americans who operate between multiple countries.
A bet against the current
Eight years ago Knudsen made a risky decision: building Littio on stablecoin infrastructure when most viewed cryptocurrencies as unreliable. That early bet today places the company ahead of traditional banks that are just beginning to explore this technology.
“We are not a crypto company, we are a company that solves specific problems,” he clarifies. “Crypto is simply a technology. We use stablecoins as the internet of money, because they allow you to program your finances and make transactions in seconds at a fraction of the cost.”
The company chose to work exclusively with Circle and its USDC stablecoin, backed by more than a dollar for each unit issued thanks to bank accounts and US Treasury bonds. That decision was key during the Silicon Valley Bank crisis in 2023.
Turn crisis into opportunity
When it was revealed that Circle had funds in the troubled bank, many users feared their digital dollars would lose value. Knudsen and his team responded with radical transparency, explaining the fundamentals of the technology rather than downplaying the risk. The result was unexpected, the crisis was transformed into an opportunity and their communication management earned them an award for crisis management.
The strategy was based on a simple principle of always going back to the basics. Instead of promising impossible returns or hiding information, Littio educates its users about how the technology works, who backs the assets, and what risks exist. That transparency built trust at a time when others lost credibility.
From garage to Endeavor
Knudsen attributes Littio’s growth to a clear methodology, breaking down complex problems to find their root causes. “It’s getting into the why of things,” he explains. “If I’m not growing, is it because new users are not arriving or because the existing ones are leaving? If they are leaving, why? Is the price too high? Why? So on until we find the right lever.”
This approach avoids wasting energy on superficial solutions and allows you to generate real impact. Thanks to this discipline, Littio was selected by Endeavor in 2026, with an acceptance rate of less than 1%, joining Colombian leaders such as Rappi, Platzi and Habi.
The importance of San Francisco
Knudsen insists that Latin American founders should spend time in San Francisco, not to move permanently, but to change their mindset about what is possible. “Ten years ago it was difficult to believe that you were going to go through YC, raise more than ten million dollars, impact hundreds of thousands of Latinos. It’s hard to believe until you see that someone has done it. Then you understand that it is possible.”
His vision is that more Latin American talent is exposed to the ecosystem where large global technology companies are born. “The next Cursor or Stripe founded by a Colombian will only appear if more founders immerse themselves in that environment.”
Non-negotiable habits
To maintain the pace, Knudsen relies on two pillars: sleeping well and exercising daily. Use a sleep tracker to ensure at least seven hours and practice tennis or functional training every morning. “In startups, one year is equivalent to seven in a normal job. If you don’t have other pillars besides work, the entire system is destroyed.”
Among his formative readings he mentions Atomic Habits, The Four Agreements and The Daily Stoicwhich help you stay focused. His day-to-day philosophy comes from Atomic Habits where small daily decisions determine who you will be in the long term.
The vision forward
Knudsen imagines the future of Littio at the intersection between artificial intelligence and stablecoins. It envisions AI agents capable of executing transactions automatically, something impossible with traditional banking infrastructure but natural with programmable money on the blockchain. “You will be able to tell your AI agent to make the weekly purchase and he will execute it, paying with stablecoins in seconds.”
Over the next five years, Littio is projected to become a category leader in Latin America, offering a full suite of financial products, including credit. The goal is to become the global reference account for Latin Americans who participate in the world economy.
