CashU, an embedded finance platform that offers fintech intelligence to empower B2B companies, was created to change the way they offer credit services to SMEs. The business model guarantees more autonomy and assertiveness to large companies in this management, so that they can act as a financier. As a consequence of this format, there is also a democratization of access to credit for SMEs in various segments - CashU's main purpose. Now, the startup announces the raising of R$ 6.1 million (US$ 1.1M) in a seed round led by ABSeed and with participation of funds Caravela, ScaleXOpen and Bertha Capital, in addition to angel investors.
With this investment, CashU is expected to further improve its technology and expand its customer base, taking its expertise to more businesses. With this, it should positively impact thousands of small businesses that are currently not covered by traditional credit granting models, while empowering large companies, which now have ownership of the data they produce. By adopting the startup's service, a range of possibilities opens up for them, from granting commercial credit (through longer payment terms and higher credit limits), to Buy Now, Pay Later solutions, Full Protection (credit insurance) and even long-term working capital lines to finance the expansion of their SME customer base.
CashU begins with the meeting of serial entrepreneurs Thiago Saldanha and Yuri Fonseca, who crossed paths at Columbia University. While Thiago was pursuing his MBA to further his knowledge at the college that is a reference in financial services, Yuri was advancing his PhD in the department that produced the data science directors of some of the American big techs, such as Facebook, Amazon and Uber. To complete the picture, the pair teamed up with João Torquato, a software developer with experience in some of Brazil's largest technology companies. Together, they started looking for a solution to some of the pains that permeated the relationship between large companies and SMEs, and which Thiago knew well, thanks to his trajectory in entrepreneurship.
"What I saw was a constant tension between the commercial area of large companies, because they want to close deals, and the credit area, which ends up being very dependent on incomplete information purchased from credit bureaus, unreliable financial statements, and the experience of the team to perform analyses, because they have few resources for decision making. The consequence of this is that a lot of good business is lost, and small companies that would be good payers are unable to move forward in their endeavors," he summarizes, who is the CEO of the startup.
To bring a way out of this issue, CashU's technology team has developed a robust credit model that, like those used by the world's leading fintechs, is based on machine learning and connects with the management systems of large B2B companies to consume the transaction and payment history of their SME customers in real time. This data is converted into a few hundred indicators that result in a much more accurate score and, according to studies, three times more assertive than any other solution available in the market today. With the use of the software, CashU's clients can not only make decisions of great relevance to the business through the insights they have access to, but also act in a more proactive way, since they receive recommendations such as credit limit increase or reduction on a continuous basis. The impact of CashU's tool in the business varies from increasing the recurrence of a client who receives a credit line adequate to his financial capacity, to the satisfaction of clients whose credit limit is approved or increased in a manner compatible with their payment capacity.
"Currently there is a movement for all companies to go through a fintechization process, but for this it is necessary to go beyond intelligence and management. Each business keeps its own characteristics and consequently has very specific opportunities. What Cashu delivers is precisely the understanding of this scenario through a consultative sales process and the use of opportunities through its technology and activation methodology, generating faster and more accurate results. We believe that Cashu's value proposition and approach are the most adherent to Brazilian businesses, and this gives us great confidence in its growth potential", summarizes Felipe Coelho, partner at ABSeed.
In addition to the founders, CashU also counts on highly recognized names in the market, such as Lucas Dornellas, who previously was in charge of marketing for the digital account of the giant Dotz; Natália Alexandria, who has already headed the commercial area of Blu365 and the multinational Intrum in Brazil, and brings experience and deep strategic knowledge of the fintechs segment; and Lucio Rosa, PhD, who worked at Michelin, in France, and heads the Machine Learning Ops area at CashU.
CashU, an embedded finance platform that offers fintech intelligence to empower B2B companies, was created to change the way they offer credit services to SMEs. The business model guarantees more autonomy and assertiveness to large companies in this management, so that they can act as a financier. As a consequence of this format, there is also a democratization of access to credit for SMEs in various segments - CashU's main purpose. Now, the startup announces the raising of R$ 6.1 million (US$ 1.1M) in a seed round led by ABSeed and with participation of funds Caravela, ScaleXOpen and Bertha Capital, in addition to angel investors.
With this investment, CashU is expected to further improve its technology and expand its customer base, taking its expertise to more businesses. With this, it should positively impact thousands of small businesses that are currently not covered by traditional credit granting models, while empowering large companies, which now have ownership of the data they produce. By adopting the startup's service, a range of possibilities opens up for them, from granting commercial credit (through longer payment terms and higher credit limits), to Buy Now, Pay Later solutions, Full Protection (credit insurance) and even long-term working capital lines to finance the expansion of their SME customer base.
CashU begins with the meeting of serial entrepreneurs Thiago Saldanha and Yuri Fonseca, who crossed paths at Columbia University. While Thiago was pursuing his MBA to further his knowledge at the college that is a reference in financial services, Yuri was advancing his PhD in the department that produced the data science directors of some of the American big techs, such as Facebook, Amazon and Uber. To complete the picture, the pair teamed up with João Torquato, a software developer with experience in some of Brazil's largest technology companies. Together, they started looking for a solution to some of the pains that permeated the relationship between large companies and SMEs, and which Thiago knew well, thanks to his trajectory in entrepreneurship.
"What I saw was a constant tension between the commercial area of large companies, because they want to close deals, and the credit area, which ends up being very dependent on incomplete information purchased from credit bureaus, unreliable financial statements, and the experience of the team to perform analyses, because they have few resources for decision making. The consequence of this is that a lot of good business is lost, and small companies that would be good payers are unable to move forward in their endeavors," he summarizes, who is the CEO of the startup.
To bring a way out of this issue, CashU's technology team has developed a robust credit model that, like those used by the world's leading fintechs, is based on machine learning and connects with the management systems of large B2B companies to consume the transaction and payment history of their SME customers in real time. This data is converted into a few hundred indicators that result in a much more accurate score and, according to studies, three times more assertive than any other solution available in the market today. With the use of the software, CashU's clients can not only make decisions of great relevance to the business through the insights they have access to, but also act in a more proactive way, since they receive recommendations such as credit limit increase or reduction on a continuous basis. The impact of CashU's tool in the business varies from increasing the recurrence of a client who receives a credit line adequate to his financial capacity, to the satisfaction of clients whose credit limit is approved or increased in a manner compatible with their payment capacity.
"Currently there is a movement for all companies to go through a fintechization process, but for this it is necessary to go beyond intelligence and management. Each business keeps its own characteristics and consequently has very specific opportunities. What Cashu delivers is precisely the understanding of this scenario through a consultative sales process and the use of opportunities through its technology and activation methodology, generating faster and more accurate results. We believe that Cashu's value proposition and approach are the most adherent to Brazilian businesses, and this gives us great confidence in its growth potential", summarizes Felipe Coelho, partner at ABSeed.
In addition to the founders, CashU also counts on highly recognized names in the market, such as Lucas Dornellas, who previously was in charge of marketing for the digital account of the giant Dotz; Natália Alexandria, who has already headed the commercial area of Blu365 and the multinational Intrum in Brazil, and brings experience and deep strategic knowledge of the fintechs segment; and Lucio Rosa, PhD, who worked at Michelin, in France, and heads the Machine Learning Ops area at CashU.