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Montevideo Startups to Watch in 2027: Verified Fintech, Capital Markets and Biotech Companies in Uruguay's Capital, dLocal and Other Montevideo Roots, Where Founders Get Support and Lessons

Montevideo Startups to Watch in 2027: Verified Fintech, Capital Markets and Biotech Companies in Uruguay's Capital, and Where Founders Get Support

Montevideo, the capital and largest city of Uruguay, is a small market that builds for the whole region. Its best-known startups sell banking software, payment services and financial infrastructure to Latin America, and a newer group of biotech companies grows out of research centres such as the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo and the LATU technology park. The 2026 version of this article listed ten Montevideo startups. When we checked them, only one, Bankingly, could be confirmed in Montevideo on its own website: others gave no Montevideo address, had changed business, or had no official site at all. For this 2027 edition we started again. In November 2026 we checked each company on its own website and on official Uruguayan government pages to confirm that it exists, that it is based in Montevideo, Uruguay, and that it is still active. Four companies passed, and we list a few more with a label where the Montevideo link is real but different (founded here, now global, or no street address).
Quick answer: the Montevideo startups to watch in 2027 are Bankingly (digital banking software for banks and cooperatives), Brokerware (AI software for broker-dealers and fund managers), Kinzbio (phage therapy against antibiotic-resistant infections) and Guska (RNA-based cancer therapies). dLocal, the payments company that was born in Uruguay and now has 18 offices worldwide, keeps an office in Montevideo. For support, start with ANII's grants for innovative startups, the Ingenio incubator at the LATU park and Uruguay XXI's programmes.
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Why Montevideo Matters for Founders in 2027

Uruguay is a small country, so Montevideo startups usually plan for other countries from day one. That is why so many of them sell business software: banking platforms, payment rails and capital markets tools work across Spanish-speaking Latin America with few changes. The second strength is research. The Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, the University of the Republic and the LATU technology park in the east of the city give biotech founders labs and scientists, and the national innovation agency, ANII, funds early projects with grants. The third is public promotion: Uruguay XXI, the government's investment and export agency, takes startups to fairs such as South Summit Brazil and runs Sprint Uy, a programme that brings foreign startups to Montevideo.
Most companies on this list do not publish funding on their own websites, so we do not quote funding figures from third-party databases. For the wider picture, compare our guides to AI startup cities in South America and the best countries for early-stage startups, and our city lists for Buenos Aires, just across the Río de la Plata, Lima and Brasília.

Montevideo Startups to Watch in 2027 Compared

CompanyWhat it doesMontevideo baseLatest funding we cite
BankinglyDigital banking, AI chat and fraud prevention for financial institutionsRambla Mahatma Gandhi office (official site)Not published
BrokerwareAI front-to-back software for broker-dealers and fund managersMontevideo, Uruguay (official site)Not published
KinzbioPhage therapy for antibiotic-resistant infectionsAvenida Italia 6201 (official site)Not published
GuskaSynthetic RNA oncolytic virus therapies for cancerMontevideo, with the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo (official site)Not published
dLocal (founded in Uruguay, now global)Cross-border payments for global companies in emerging marketsOne of 18 offices: WTC Free Zone (official site)Went public in June 2021 (official site)
Sources: each company's official website and Uruguay XXI news pages, checked 9 November 2026.

The Montevideo Startups to Watch in 2027

1. Bankingly: digital banking for banks and cooperatives

Bankingly sells digital banking technology to banks, cooperatives and other financial institutions that do not want to build it themselves. Its products cover digital banking for people (web, mobile and wallets) and for companies, family banking, conversational banking with AI (including on WhatsApp Business), digital onboarding with identity checks and biometrics, and fraud prevention based on behaviour analysis and machine learning. It says it has more than 10 years of experience, serves more than 110 financial institutions, runs at 99.99% uptime and can go live in 8 weeks. Its website lists two offices: Rambla Mahatma Gandhi 409 in Montevideo and Miami, Florida.
Lesson for founders: Bankingly sells to the smaller banks and cooperatives that big core banking vendors overlook. A long tail of regulated customers can be a strong market if you handle compliance for them.
Best for: founders in fintech, B2B SaaS and banking infrastructure.
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2. Brokerware: AI software for capital markets

Brokerware builds what it calls an AI-powered front-to-back suite for broker-dealers and fund managers. Its platform covers front, middle and back office with more than 10 modules on one data model, and adds AI modules for reconciliation, compliance monitoring, tax, predictive risk alerts and an operational copilot. It can run as SaaS or on the client's own servers, comes with Latin American regulatory rules built in, and serves broker-dealers, introducing brokers, asset managers and wealth platforms. Its website footer places the company in Montevideo, Uruguay, and Uruguay XXI named it as one of four Uruguayan startups in the pitch competition of South Summit Brazil 2026.
Lesson for founders: Brokerware puts AI into the back office, where errors are expensive and work is repetitive. In regulated industries, the dull work is often where AI earns its keep first.
Best for: founders in fintech, wealthtech and regtech.
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3. Kinzbio: phage therapy for superbug infections

Kinzbio develops phage-based treatments and preventive solutions for bacterial infections in humans, especially those caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Phages are viruses that kill specific bacteria, and Kinzbio says its platform produces (semi-)personalised therapies in 5 to 15 days, matched to the bacteria behind each patient's infection. According to its website, it began offering phage therapy for clinical use in 2024 after approval from Uruguay's Ministry of Public Health, has treated its first patients in Uruguay for infections such as ventilator-associated pneumonia, and is exploring Brazil, Europe and Colombia. It lists the INCATE incubator and Eretz.Bio, the startup programme of Brazil's Albert Einstein hospital, as supporters, and its address is Avenida Italia 6201, Montevideo, the home of the LATU technology park. Uruguay XXI also named it among the four Uruguayan startups in the South Summit Brazil 2026 pitch competition.
Lesson for founders: Kinzbio got regulatory approval to treat patients at home before going abroad. A small country with a reachable regulator can be the right place to prove a new kind of medicine.
Best for: founders in biotech, health tech and deep tech.

4. Guska: RNA viruses turned against cancer

Guska develops synthetic RNA oncolytic virus therapies: viruses designed to find and kill cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue and waking up the immune system. Its team is led by CEO Nicolás Tambucho with scientific co-founders Gonzalo Moratorio and Pilar Moreno, and its website lists the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo under collaborations and gives Montevideo, Uruguay as its location. It does not publish funding or a street address on its site.
Lesson for founders: Guska grew out of a research institute rather than a garage. If your idea comes from a lab, the institute's equipment and reputation can carry you through the years before revenue.
Best for: founders in biotech, oncology and university spin-outs.

Founded in Uruguay, Now Global, or Linked to Montevideo

  • dLocal: a cross-border payments company that says it was born in Uruguay. It now lists 18 offices, from London and Singapore to Lagos and Mumbai, including Montevideo (Luis Bonavita 1294, WTC Free Zone), more than 800 professionals, more than 1,000 payment methods and operations in more than 44 countries. It went public in June 2021. Its website does not name a single headquarters, so treat it as a global company with deep Montevideo roots rather than a startup.
  • Abstracta: a software quality and AI agent company with offices in Montevideo and Salto as well as in other countries, and an open-source AI testing tool called Tero.
  • 1950Labs: a company that helps US firms hire Latin American tech talent, with offices in Montevideo and Miami. The Ingenio incubator lists it among its graduates.
  • Xeptiva: an animal health company, founded in 2021, that develops active immunisation against chronic pain and inflammation in dogs, cats and horses. It reports more than 200 dogs treated, 8 clinical trials in Uruguay and Chile and 4 patent applications, and lists the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo among its supporters. Its website gives no street address, so it is not on the main list.

Where Montevideo Startups Get Support

  • ANII: support for innovative startups: Uruguay's national research and innovation agency gives young Uruguayan companies and innovative entrepreneurs non-reimbursable funding of up to UYU 3,000,000, covering up to 80% of the project (90% for projects linked to climate change or led by a woman), for up to 24 months. Founders put in at least 20% in cash. The call is open on a rolling basis while funds last.
  • ANII co-investment: ANII also co-invests in startups alongside registered venture capital funds and angel investors, in advanced digital technologies, green technologies and biotechnology. A startup needs an investment commitment from a registered investor to apply.
  • Ingenio: a business incubator in the LATU innovation park (Avenida Italia 6201) with incubation, acceleration and soft-landing programmes for companies that want to grow in Latin America from Uruguay. Its graduates include DaMap, VaEnvío, 1950Labs, Light-it and OrdenEat.
  • Uruguay XXI: Sprint Uy: a one-week immersion in Montevideo for international startups that are considering Uruguay as a base for Latin America, run by Uruguay XXI and ANII. The 2026 edition ran from 5 to 9 October 2026; applications closed on 21 July 2026. Watch the page for the next call.
  • Universidad ORT Uruguay: Centro de Innovación y Emprendimientos: the university's pre-incubation and incubation centre, with a biotech track (CIE BIO). Founders can submit an idea through its website.
  • Sinergia: a coworking and flexible office provider with four sites in Montevideo and one in Punta del Este, and a community of more than 200 companies.
  • ANDE: Uruguay's national development agency also runs programmes for entrepreneurs, but its website blocked our check in November 2026, so we do not describe them here.

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

The 2026 version of this article listed ten companies as Montevideo startups. Here is what we found when we checked each one in November 2026:
  • Bankingly: confirmed, and kept on the list above.
  • Prometeo: a real open banking and payments API company, but its website does not give an office location, so we could not confirm a Montevideo base.
  • Brinta: brinta.com now describes AI tax automation for Latin America, with no Montevideo address.
  • Nocnoc: nocnoc.com now shows a Thai home and building materials marketplace.
  • Datanomik: a treasury software site in Portuguese with Brazilian and Uruguayan versions, but no Montevideo address.
  • Meitre and Strike: real products (restaurant booking and penetration testing), but neither website gives a Montevideo address.
  • Terraflos: its website does not mention Uruguay.
  • Clinkky and Binco: we found no official website.
We also removed the old article's links to third-party startup lists, its funding figures copied from third-party sites, and its statistics (such as the share of Uruguay's GDP) that no source supported.

Which Montevideo Startup Should You Learn From?

  • You sell software to banks: study Bankingly and how it serves smaller institutions.
  • You build AI for regulated work: study Brokerware and its back-office modules.
  • You are turning medical research into a company: study Kinzbio and its path to approval in Uruguay.
  • You come from a lab: study Guska and its work with the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo.
  • You want to go global from a small market: study dLocal, born in Uruguay and now in more than 44 countries.
  • You are just starting: apply to ANII and talk to Ingenio or the ORT centre.
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How Founders Use Montevideo's Startup Scene

Notice the pattern: Montevideo startups use Uruguay as a test market and a stable base, then sell to the region. Public money from ANII and the research institutes carries the riskiest early work, and regional fairs bring the first foreign customers. Compare investors in our guides to angel investors in South America and edtech angel investors in South America, look at programmes in our lists of AI accelerators in South America, deep tech accelerators and accelerators for female entrepreneurs, and find non-dilutive money in our lists of deep tech grants in South America and grants for early-stage startups.
If you build in education, read our guide to the best countries in South America for edtech startups. Meet investors and customers at the must-attend startup events in São Paulo, the top fintech, biotech and deep tech startup events, and see our list of startup events for female entrepreneurs. To see how research cities elsewhere do it, read our lists of deep tech cities and of startups in Mexico City and Indore.
Before you copy any of these business models, validate your startup idea with real customers. Montevideo startups that sell across Latin America need to be easy to find online: 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, investors and AI assistants can find you.

FAQ About Montevideo Startups to Watch in 2027

Which Montevideo startups should I watch in 2027?

Our verified list: Bankingly, Brokerware, Kinzbio and Guska. Each gives Montevideo as its base on its own website and was active when we checked in November 2026. dLocal, born in Uruguay and now global, also keeps an office in Montevideo.

Why are there only four companies on the main list?

We only list companies whose own website confirms a Montevideo base today. Only one of the ten companies on the old list passed that check, and we did not want to pad the list with names we could not confirm.

Is dLocal a Montevideo startup?

dLocal says it was born in Uruguay and lists Montevideo among its 18 offices, but it is now a global payments company that went public in June 2021 and operates in more than 44 countries, so we label it rather than list it as a startup.

Is Montevideo good for fintech startups?

Yes. Bankingly sells digital banking software to more than 110 financial institutions, Brokerware builds AI software for broker-dealers, and dLocal grew from Uruguay into a global payments company.

Are there biotech startups in Montevideo?

Yes. Kinzbio treats antibiotic-resistant infections with phages and has offered clinical treatment in Uruguay since 2024, and Guska develops RNA-based cancer therapies with the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo.

Where can Montevideo startups get grants?

ANII, Uruguay's innovation agency, funds innovative startups with up to UYU 3,000,000, covering up to 80% of the project, or 90% if the project is linked to climate change or led by a woman. The call is open on a rolling basis.

Where can I find incubators in Montevideo?

Ingenio, in the LATU innovation park, runs incubation, acceleration and soft-landing programmes, and Universidad ORT Uruguay runs its own Centro de Innovación y Emprendimientos.

Can a foreign startup move to Montevideo?

Uruguay XXI and ANII run Sprint Uy, a week in Montevideo for international startups that are considering Uruguay as their Latin American base. The 2026 edition took place from 5 to 9 October 2026.

What happened to the startups on the old list?

Only Bankingly could be confirmed in Montevideo. Prometeo, Brinta, Datanomik, Meitre and Strike give no Montevideo address on their websites, nocnoc.com now shows a Thai marketplace, and Clinkky and Binco have no official site we could find.

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.
2026-11-09 18:13 Best Startups