The first credit line for many Colombians will not come from a bank. It will come from a smartphone. Guama, a Bogotá-based fintech, is issuing Visa cards to applicants with no formal credit history, a population segment that traditional lenders have long ignored. The bet is that open banking data,transaction histories from linked bank accounts,can underwrite risk where a standard credit bureau report shows only a blank page.
Founded in 2023 by three former Nubank colleagues, the company has raised a $1.5 million seed round led by Salkantay Ventures [LatamList]. Investors Story Ventures, Hustle Fund, and accelerator Techstars joined the round. The capital is funding a product that is, by design, a starter card. It carries a variable interest rate up to 28% and a monthly management fee of 9,000 Colombian pesos (approximately $2.30) when a balance is present [Contxto, Nov 2023]. The physical card costs extra. The value proposition is not the rate, but the access.
The Open Banking Wedge
Guama's core innovation is its underwriting model. Instead of requiring collateral or a security deposit, the company uses permissioned access to a user's bank account data to assess financial behavior. This includes income regularity, spending patterns, and savings discipline. The card is issued and processed through a partnership with Pomelo, a Latin American card-issuing platform [Pomelo blog]. For the user, the process is fully digital. They download the Guama app, link a bank account, and receive a virtual Visa card. Responsible use is reported to Colombian credit bureaus, building the formal history needed to eventually graduate to mainstream financial products.
A Team That Knows the Playbook
The founding team brings direct experience from one of the region's most successful challenger banks. Co-founders María Paula Pinzón, Victor Julio, and CEO Alfredo J. Prieto all worked at Nubank [Contxto, Nov 2023]. While their specific roles are not detailed in public records, their collective tenure at the Brazilian neobank provides a foundational understanding of scaling a consumer credit product in a complex Latin American market. This pedigree was likely a factor for early-stage investors like Salkantay Ventures, which focuses on the Andean region. The company is also a member of the Colombia Fintech association, signaling a focus on regulatory engagement [Colombia Fintech, Jul 2025].
The Road to 100,000 Users
Public traction metrics are scarce, a common reality for seed-stage companies. However, a local business publication reported Guama's ambition to surpass 100,000 users with this funding round [Portafolio, 2025]. The path to that scale involves navigating several well-defined challenges.
- Credit Risk. Underwriting based on transactional data is novel for mass-market credit in Colombia. The model must prove it can accurately predict repayment across a diverse, thin-file population without incurring unsustainable default rates. Early credit limits are likely conservative.
- Unit Economics. With a low monthly fee and no collateral, the company's revenue per user starts small. Growth depends on users graduating to higher credit limits and generating interchange fees, while keeping customer acquisition and servicing costs low.
- Competitive Response. Incumbent banks have vast data troves but legacy systems. A competitor like ExcelCredit also targets the subprime segment. Guama's advantage hinges on execution speed and a superior digital experience, but the space will attract more players if the model works.
The company's partnership with Pomelo provides essential infrastructure, allowing Guama to focus on risk algorithms and customer acquisition rather than building a card network from scratch.
The Seed Round's Signal
For a company targeting an unglamorous, high-friction corner of fintech, the investor list is notable. Salkantay Ventures' lead suggests a conviction in the Andean region's underbanked opportunity. Hustle Fund's participation indicates a belief in capital-efficient, product-led growth. The Techstars '24 accelerator stamp provides network access. The $1.5 million seed is a validation of the team and the thesis, but it is a modest war chest. It will fund the proving ground: demonstrating that the open banking wedge can unlock a creditworthy customer base that banks have simply left on the table.
The question for Salkantay Ventures and the other backers is not whether Colombians need credit access,that is a given. It is whether Guama's algorithms can see a reliable borrower in the digital footprints of someone the system currently sees as a ghost.
Sources
- [Contxto, Nov 2023] Guamacard Launches Colombia's First Credit Card for Non-Credit History Individuals | https://contxto.com/en/latin-america/guamacard-launches-colombias-first-credit-card-for-non-credit-history-individuals/
- [LatamList] Guama raises $1.5M seed round | https://latamlist.com/guama-raises-1-5m-seed-round/
- [Pomelo blog] Guama tarjeta powered by Pomelo | https://pomelo.la/blog/guama-tarjeta-powered-by-pomelo
- [Colombia Fintech, Jul 2025] Guama se une a Colombia Fintech para fortalecer la inclusión financiera en el país | https://colombiafintech.co/2025/07/17/guama-se-une-a-colombia-fintech-para-fortalecer-la-inclusion-financiera-en-el-pais/
- [Portafolio, 2025] Guama cierra ronda de inversión por USD $1.5 millones para superar los 100.000 usuarios | https://www.portafolio.co/negocios/inversion/guama-cierra-ronda-de-inversion-por-usd-1-5-millones-para-superar-los-100-000-usuarios-639864
- [Forbes Colombia, Aug 2025] Guama, fundada por tres ex-Nubank, obtiene US$1.5 millones para su tarjeta de crédito para quienes no tienen historial crediticio | https://forbes.co/2025/08/21/emprendedores/guama-tarjeta-de-credito
- [Techstars, 2024] Techstars Payments powered by Stellar and MoneyGram Announces 2024 Class | https://www.techstars.com/newsroom/techstars-payments-powered-by-stellar-and-moneygram-announces-2024-class