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Mexico City Startups to Watch in 2027: 8 Verified Companies, Their Funding and Lessons for Founders

Mexico City Startups to Watch in 2027: Verified Companies in Fintech, Payments and Green Packaging

Mexico City is the country's financial and corporate capital, and that shows in its startups: most of the companies worth watching here fix how Mexicans and small businesses pay, borrow and save. The 2026 version of this article listed ten names, but several of them turned out to be based in Chile, Monterrey or the United States, and one website no longer loads. For this 2027 edition we started again: in October 2026 we checked every company on its own website, legal or privacy page, that it still operates, that it gives a Mexico City address and what it actually sells. Funding rounds we found only in the press are named with the outlet. The old names and why they are gone are listed near the end.

Quick answer: the Mexico City startups to watch in 2027 are Klar (a digital bank and credit card), Plata (a credit card company that became Banco Plata), Stori (credit cards for people with little credit history), Konfío (credit for small businesses), Clip (card terminals for shops), Clara (corporate cards and spend management), Belvo (open finance APIs) and Ecoshell (compostable packaging). GeneProDx, KURA Biotech, Eva, Dexilon, Sivo and Airtm from the old list are gone because we could not confirm them as Mexico City startups.

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Why Mexico City Matters for Founders in 2027

The StartupBlink 2026 ecosystem index ranks Mexico City 63rd in the world, down 5 places from 58th, and first both in Mexico and in the region StartupBlink calls Central America. It counts 649 startups in the city and names fintech as the leading industry, with 165 fintech startups and 3 fintech unicorns. That matches what we found: the strongest companies on this list are financial services companies, and several of them are now turning into banks.

The reason is simple. Many Mexicans have no credit card and many small shops still take only cash, so a startup that offers a first credit line, a card terminal or a business loan has a very large market. The price is regulation: these companies need licences from the banking regulator (CNBV), and according to El CEO, Banco Plata and Revolut started operating as banks in Mexico in 2026 while others were still waiting for approval. Comparing cities? Our guide to startup cities in North America puts Mexico City next to the US and Canadian hubs, and we also profile Chicago startups to watch and San Diego startups to watch.

Mexico City Startups to Watch in 2027 Compared

Startup	What it does	Customers	Latest funding we cite	Mexico City base checked
Klar	Digital bank: credit card, account, investments	Consumers, small businesses	$190M Series C, July 2025 (LatamList)	Yes, Miguel Hidalgo (footer)
Plata	Credit card, account and investments as Banco Plata	Consumers, SMEs	$405M Series C, April 2026 (LatamList)	Yes, Anzures, Miguel Hidalgo (footer)
Stori	Credit cards, account and loans	Consumers with thin credit files	$212M debt and equity, August 2024 (LatamList)	Yes, Colonia Juárez (footer)
Konfío	Business credit, cards and payment links	Small and medium businesses	$125M Series E, June 2021 (LatamList)	Yes, Polanco (footer)
Clip	Card terminals, online checkout, business loans	Shops and small businesses	$250M, June 2021 (Bloomberg)	Yes, Insurgentes Sur (privacy notice)
Clara	Corporate cards and spend management	Companies in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia	$80M debt and equity, April 2025 (LatamList)	Yes, Roma Norte (legal page)
Belvo	Open finance data and account-to-account payments	Banks, fintechs, lenders	$15M, April 2025 (Belvo blog)	Yes, Polanco (legal notice)
Ecoshell	Compostable cups, plates and containers	Restaurants, cafes, events	None cited	Yes, Santa Fe (contact page)

Sources: each company's official website, legal, privacy or contact page, checked 28 October 2026; funding rounds as reported by the outlet named. "None cited" means we found no funding announcement we could link.

The Mexico City Startups to Watch in 2027

1. Klar: from credit card to digital bank

Klar offers a credit card, a debit account, investments and a business account through one app. Its homepage says it is regulated by the CNBV, that 7 million Mexicans trust Klar, and it shows a Euromoney 2026 award as the best digital bank in Mexico; its footer gives an address in Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City. According to LatamList, Klar was founded in 2019 and raised a $190 million Series C in July 2025 ($170 million equity and $20 million debt), led by General Atlantic, at a valuation above $800 million. In September 2025, according to Bloomberg Línea, Banorte agreed to sell its digital bank Bineo, banking licence included, to a Klar subsidiary, subject to regulatory approval.

Lesson for founders: start with one simple product people need (a first credit card), then add products once customers trust you. Buying a licensed company can be faster than applying for your own licence.

2. Plata: the newest bank in town

Plata started as a credit card company and now operates as Banco Plata: its footer names Banco Plata, S.A., Institución de Banca Múltiple, with an address in Anzures, Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City, and its site offers a credit card, an account, investments and products for small businesses. According to LatamList, Plata was founded in 2023 by former Tinkoff executives, has more than 3.5 million active credit card customers, and raised a $405 million Series C at a $5 billion valuation in April 2026, led by Bicycle Capital.

Lesson for founders: experienced operators can move very fast. Plata's founders came from a large digital bank and applied what they knew to Mexican customers.

3. Stori: credit for people banks ignore

Stori issues credit cards, including secured cards and co-branded cards, and offers an account and loans through its app. Its homepage says more than 5 million Mexicans trust Stori, advertises up to 10% cashback in chosen categories, and gives an address in Colonia Juárez, Mexico City. According to LatamList, Stori was founded in 2019 and raised $212 million in August 2024, a $105 million equity portion led by Notable Capital and BAI, with the rest in debt. According to the same report, its co-founder Marlene Garayzar is the company's Chief Governance Officer.

Lesson for founders: customers without a credit history are a market, not a risk to avoid, if you build the scoring and the product for them from day one.

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4. Konfío: credit for small businesses

Konfío lends to small and medium businesses: business credit of up to 10 million pesos, a business credit card and payment links. Its homepage says more than 98,000 businesses trust it and gives an address in Polanco, Mexico City. According to LatamList, Konfío raised a $125 million Series E led by Lightrock in June 2021. According to El CEO, its application for a banking licence, started in late 2023, was in its final stage in August 2026, when the CNBV asked for updated financial information.

Lesson for founders: small businesses are badly served by banks in many countries. Fast decisions ("in minutes, money in hours", as Konfío puts it) are a selling point on their own.

5. Clip: card payments for every shop

Clip sells card terminals, an online checkout and loans for small businesses. Its about page says Adolfo Babatz founded it in 2012, that it made its first transaction in 2013 and that it now serves hundreds of thousands of businesses; its privacy notice gives an address on Avenida de los Insurgentes Sur, Mexico City. According to Bloomberg, Clip raised $250 million in June 2021 from the SoftBank Latin America Fund and Viking Global Investors, which made it a unicorn (other outlets put the valuation at about $2 billion).

Lesson for founders: hardware can be a door opener. A cheap card reader brought Clip into hundreds of thousands of shops, and the data from those payments supports its loans.

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6. Clara: corporate cards for Latin America

Clara combines corporate cards, vendor payments and spend management software with AI features. It serves companies in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, its careers page speaks of 30,000+ companies, and its legal page gives a customer service address in Roma Norte, Mexico City. According to LatamList, Clara was founded in 2021 by CEO Gerry Giacomán Colyer and raised $80 million in April 2025: $40 million in equity with Citi Ventures and Kaszek, and a $40 million facility from General Catalyst.

Lesson for founders: build for a region, not one country. Clara grew in Mexico and Brazil at the same time, which gave it a larger market to show investors.

7. Belvo: the pipes of open finance

Belvo gives banks, lenders and fintechs APIs to read banking, employment and tax data (with the user's consent) and to take account-to-account payments. Its about page says Pablo Viguera and Oriol Tintoré founded it in 2019, and its legal notice gives its Mexican company's address in Polanco, Mexico City, next to entities in São Paulo and Barcelona. Its homepage cites more than 80 million accounts connected and USD 1 billion in annualized payment volume. Belvo announced a $15 million round in April 2025, with Quona Capital as a new investor.

Lesson for founders: when many companies build similar apps, sell them the infrastructure. Belvo earns from fintechs and banks alike.

8. Ecoshell: compostable packaging

Ecoshell sells cups, plates, containers, straws and bags made from plant-based, compostable materials such as sugarcane, corn starch and PLA, to restaurants, cafes and events. Its online shop lists products from MXN 99, offers free shipping on orders from MXN 1,999 and shows its certifications, and its contact page gives an office on Avenida Santa Fe, Mexico City. We found no funding announcement, so we cite none.

Lesson for founders: not every good business needs venture money. A clear product, an online shop and business customers who reorder every month can carry a green company.

Mexico City Companies From the Old List That Changed or Could Not Be Verified

The 2026 version of this article listed ten companies with funding figures that had no working sources. Here is what we found:

GeneProDx: a real genomics company, but its official site lists offices in Providencia, Chile and Barcelona, Spain, not Mexico City.
KURA Biotec: now KURA Biotech, an enzyme company based in Puerto Varas, Chile, according to its own site.
Eva: the breast cancer screening bra by Higia Technologies was founded by Julián Ríos Cantú from Monterrey, according to TechCrunch, and we found no working official website, so we removed it.
Dexilon: the decentralised exchange's website did not respond when we checked, and we found no Mexico City company behind it.
Sivo: its website now presents a debt-as-a-service platform with tokenised receivables and names no Mexico City base. The old "$145.5 million" figure had no source.
Airtm: the digital dollar wallet still operates, but its site gives a registered address in Dover, Delaware and no Mexico City base, so it is no longer on our list.
Klar, Konfío and Clip stay on the list with checked facts. The old claim that Konfío had raised "more than $700M" had no source and is removed.

We also removed the old article's unsourced figures ("30% year-over-year" fintech growth, "over $200 million in new investments", "65% of new businesses" and "300,000 tech specialists") and its links to third-party startup lists.

Which Mexico City Startup Should You Learn From?

You build a consumer finance app: study Klar and Stori, which started with a credit card and added an account and investments later.
You want to scale fast with funding: study Plata, which became a licensed bank within about three years of its founding.
You sell to small businesses: study Konfío (credit) and Clip (payments), which serve the shops banks overlook.
You build B2B software: study Clara, which sells cards and spend software to finance teams in three countries.
You build infrastructure or APIs: study Belvo, which sells the data and payment rails other fintechs need.
You build a green product business: study Ecoshell, which sells compostable packaging online to restaurants and cafes.

How Founders Use Mexico City's Startup Scene

Mexico City investors and customers are closely linked to the US, so plan your network across North America. Meet investors through our guide to angel investors in North America, compare early-stage VC firms and VCs for AI startups, and test your pitch at the startup competitions in North America. Fintech founders can find their crowd at the top fintech startup events, and women founders can add non-dilutive money from our lists of grants for female entrepreneurs and female founder grants.

Comparing ecosystems? See Berlin startups to watch, Beirut startups to watch, Baltimore startups to watch and the startup cities directory. Before you copy any of these business models, validate your startup idea with real customers. When you want to get noticed, list your startup in the F/MS marketing directories, publish your startup press release, and write about your product with the F/MS AI SEO Tool or the AI SEO Blog so customers and AI assistants can find you.

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FAQ About Mexico City Startups to Watch in 2027

Which Mexico City startups should I watch in 2027?

Our verified list: Klar, Plata, Stori, Konfío, Clip, Clara, Belvo and Ecoshell. Each still operates and gives a Mexico City address on its official website, legal or contact page, checked in October 2026.

Where does Mexico City rank as a startup ecosystem?

StartupBlink's 2026 index ranks Mexico City 63rd in the world, down from 58th, and first in Mexico. It counts 649 startups in the city and names fintech as its leading industry, with 3 fintech unicorns.

Why are so many Mexico City startups in fintech?

Many people and small shops in Mexico have no credit card or bank loan, so first credit cards, card terminals and business loans have a large market. Mexico City is also where the banking regulator and the big banks sit.

Which Mexico City startups raised money recently?

According to LatamList, Plata raised a $405 million Series C at a $5 billion valuation in April 2026, Klar a $190 million Series C in July 2025, and Clara $80 million in April 2025. Belvo announced a $15 million round in April 2025.

Which Mexico City fintechs are becoming banks?

Plata now operates as Banco Plata. According to Bloomberg Línea, Klar agreed to buy Banorte's digital bank Bineo in September 2025, and according to El CEO, Konfío's banking licence was in its final review in August 2026.

Is there a woman co-founder among these startups?

Yes. Stori's co-founder Marlene Garayzar is named by LatamList as co-founder and Chief Governance Officer of the company.

Were GeneProDx and KURA Biotec Mexico City startups?

No. GeneProDx's site lists offices in Chile and Spain, and KURA Biotech is based in Puerto Varas, Chile. Both are removed, with the old article's figures about them.

What can founders learn from Mexico City startups?

Serve the people and businesses banks overlook, start with one simple product, get the licences early, and build for the whole region rather than one city.

Where can I get a backlink by writing about my startup?

You can publish a guest post in one of the Fe/male Switch startup blogs, which rank in Google and in AI tools. Get a quality backlink.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.

Violetta Bonenkamp

2026-10-28 19:52 Best Startups