Jota, the Brazilian fintech founded two years ago by Davi Holland, Marcelo Leite, Oleg Balev and Tiago Guilhon, closed a Series A of US$30 million led by Haun Ventures, the firm founded by Katie Haun, former United States federal prosecutor and former general partner of Andreessen Horowitz. This is the first investment by Haun Ventures, which manages US$2.5 billion, in a Brazilian startup, and valued Jota at US$185 million post-money.
The round also included the participation of HOF Capital and Alter Global, Jota investors since the pre-seed stage, and added Greyhound Capital as a new shareholder. Davi Holland reaches this milestone after six years at PagBank, where he led the creation of more than 15 products, and after co-founding Bankly in 2018, a Banking as a Service platform that was later acquired by Méliuz and sold to Banco BV.
A digital account that is managed by chat
Jota is a digital account that works through its own app and WhatsApp, allowing customers to pay by text, audio or a photograph, and receive money by generating a QR code. To open an account, simply start a conversation in the company chat, a process that takes only a few minutes, and all balance and transaction information can be consulted directly from the chatbot.
“40 years ago, the financial interface was bank branches. Then came internet banking and applications. We believe that the next interface will be artificial intelligence agents that continuously work for customers,” said Holland.
The company also launched features such as Jota Calendar, Jota Reminders and Tasks, and Jota Overdraft, which monitors user accounts via Open Finance and suggests actions in the event of an overdraft.
Integrated credit and new round bet
Today, Jota’s only source of income is FalaTap, a tool launched a month ago that turns the cell phone into a payment terminal and accepts cards in up to 12 installments. The company expects to close December with an ARR of US$9 million, considering revenue from acquisition and advance of accounts receivable.
With the new resources, Jota will launch a credit offering integrated with its overdraft solution, offering a reduced rate loan when it detects that a customer’s account has gone overdraft. It is also preparing Jota 3.0, a more advanced version of its AI agent that will operate under a reverse trial model: the product will remain free up to a daily usage limit, and anyone who wants to exceed it will pay a subscription.
