Our investment in Listo, an AI-powered lender and insurance marketplace for the Latinx market .
Walk into any Listo! storefront and the first thing you hear is Spanish being spoken. An inviting interior and modern feel is there to welcome the customer to talk openly about finances in an easy and accessible fashion. The stores have three affirmation goals printed in Spanish on the walls, clearly seen as the customer walks in — Build credit and save money, Insure your future, Achieve your dreams.
“We have been a Listo customer for three years and have done four loans. My husband used his first Listo loan to help me to immigrate to the US, we used our second Listo loan to immigrate our kids. Listo has made our dreams come true.”
- Listo! Customer
Unlike most Silicon Valley startups focused on digitizing the financial and insurance experience, Listo opens physical stores in key markets to meet their customers face to face. Their stores are in the community, and a part of the community. Their belief is connecting with people first to earn their trust, becoming part of the neighborhood, then offering them advanced financial products as their credit and financial experience grows. Listo is more than just a lender or insurance marketplace, it is a financial inclusion platform to build financial education, grow a loyal consumer base, and empower an emerging market that is currently neglected by traditional lenders and financial institutions.
“We are excited and grateful to welcome Mendoza Ventures as an investor.” Said Listo! CEO Sam Ulloa “Their entrepreneurship experience, and expertise in AI and Fintech will be extremely valuable to Listo as we scale our social impact by democratizing access to financial services for the millions of underserved and often “data invisible” hard-working families.”
“As one of the few latino owned venture funds we are excited to invest in both a Latino founder and a company investing in the Latinx market.” said Mendoza Ventures General Partner Adrian Mendoza “Sam and his team at Listo! show that you can have both mission and profitability go hand in hand in a technology startup”
Listo’s Series A was led by Palo Alto LEAP global partners and included participation from Mexico Ventures, Kingston, and NY based Continental Advisors. Mendoza Ventures joins a growing list of diverse investors democratizing advanced financial products to emerging markets.
