Quipu Raises US$1.1M to Expand Alternative Credit Scoring in LatAm led by Impacta VC

Quipu, the Colombian fintech building digital financial solutions to democratize access to credit for underserved microbusinesses in Latin America, has secured US$1.1 million in a pre-Series A equity round, strengthening its position as a regional alternative credit infrastructure player.

The round included participation from Impacta VC, Decelera, Vertical Partners, Corteza Capital  and Comfama, bringing the company’s total capital raised since inception to approximately US$4.6 million.

Building the Credit Bureau of the Informal Economy

Founded in 2021 by Mercedes Bidart, Juan Cristobal Constain, Eduardo Carrasquilla and Viviana Siless, Quipu emerged from an incubation process at DesignX at MIT. From the beginning, the company set out to tackle one of Latin America’s structural challenges: the exclusion of millions of micro-entrepreneurs from the traditional financial system.

Quipu positions itself as the credit bureau of the informal economy. Through artificial intelligence and alternative data models, the company evaluates individuals who lack traditional financial histories, generating credit scores based on non-traditional data sources.

This approach enables financial institutions to assess risk in a more inclusive and regionally relevant way.

Over 300,000 Users Evaluated and US$7 Million in Loans

To date, Quipu has generated new credit scores for more than 300,000 users and facilitated over US$7 million in loans, achieving positive unit economics. The company has also secured strategic partnerships with players such as Nequi, Claro, Bancóldex and ProMujer, validating its model within the Colombian market.

The new capital will primarily be used to scale Quipu’s alternative scoring infrastructure. The company plans to integrate its API into more financial institutions, including banks, digital wallets and cooperatives, while strengthening its technology and data intelligence teams.

Additionally, the round supports regional expansion efforts, positioning Quipu as scalable infrastructure for financial inclusion across Latin America.

“Quipu is not just a fintech, but an infrastructure to transform how credit is allocated in Latin America. This new round gives us momentum to continue scaling our technology to more institutions in Colombia and across the region. We are proud that most of the participating funds are from Latin America,” said Mercedes Bidart, CEO of Quipu.

A Regional Bet on Financial Inclusion

Investors see Quipu as a structural solution to long-standing inequities in access to credit.

“We saw in Quipu a competitive team capable of becoming a regional leader in scoring, enabling more SMEs in Latin America to access credit for the first time or have a second opportunity, ultimately impacting millions of families,” stated David Alvo Verdugo, founder and CEO of Impacta VC.

Felipe Uribe from Corteza Capital added: “Quipu is redefining how credit history is built in Latin America. While traditional bureaus exclude millions of microbusinesses, its technology uses alternative data and AI to assess risk more fairly and in line with the region’s realities. This kind of innovation is key to solving structural financial inclusion challenges.”

2026 Roadmap: Regional Expansion and Ethical Scoring Models

Looking ahead to 2026, Quipu aims to expand its technological infrastructure into new markets across Latin America, deepen partnerships with traditional financial players and reinforce its leadership in ethical and inclusive scoring models based on alternative data.

The company will also continue expanding its debt funding capacity to grow its credit portfolio in Colombia, while preparing for a new equity round expected in 2027.

By focusing on infrastructure rather than just lending, Quipu positions itself as a key enabler of financial inclusion, giving visibility to informal workers and allowing financial institutions to make more equitable, data-driven credit decisions.