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Jelou

Category: AI Agents

A WhatsApp-native AI agent platform designed to automate complex financial workflows, payments, and identity verification directly within conversational interfaces. Jelou was founded in 2017. The company is led by Luis Loaiza. Based in Equador. Team size: 100-200. Total funding raised: $13.0M ($3M Seed + $10M Series A). Latest round: Series A ($10M, Jan 2026). Key investors include ["Wellington Access Ventures","Krealo (Credicorp)","Collide Capital","Act One Ventures"].

Founded
2017
Headquarters
Equador
Team size
100-200
Total funding
$13.0M ($3M Seed + $10M Series A)

Value proposition

Transforms WhatsApp from a simple chat tool into a transactional engine, allowing customers to move money, open accounts, and verify identities without leaving the app, thereby reducing friction and operational costs.

Products and solutions

["Jelou Brain (Core AI orchestration platform)","AI Task (Guided behavior and complex workflow engine)","Jelou Bridge (MCP-based interoperability component for LLM-service connection)","Identity Validation & KYC Suite (Biometric and data verification)","WhatsApp-Native Payment & Collection Agents","Low-Code Web Studio (Featuring 3,000+ third-party integrations)"]

Unique value

Unlike traditional chatbots that focus on FAQs, Jelou focuses on 'execution,' enabling AI agents to perform high-security transactional operations like credit underwriting and money movement entirely within WhatsApp.

Target customer

Tier-1 and Tier-2 banks, fintech startups, insurance companies, and large-scale retailers/e-commerce platforms.

Industries served

["Banking","Fintech","Insurance","Retail & E-commerce","Logistics"]

Technology advantage

Utilizes a multi-LLM approach (supporting GPT-4, Claude, and Llama 3) combined with the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to bridge AI models with legacy financial systems and over 3,000 external integrations.

How they differentiate

Focuses on 'execution' and high-security transactional workflows (KYC, payments, credit underwriting) directly within WhatsApp, utilizing a multi-LLM orchestration layer (Jelou Brain) rather than simple FAQ-based chatbots.

Main competitors

["Yalo","Gupshup","Zenvia"]

Key partnerships

["Krealo (Credicorp’s venture arm) for deep banking infrastructure integration","Meta (WhatsApp Business Solution Provider status)","SAP (Integration for automated sales orders and ERP workflows)","AgendaPro (Integration for automated booking and payment workflows)","Wellington Access Ventures and Act One Ventures (Strategic investment partners)"]

Notable customers

["Credicorp","SAP","AgendaPro","Tier-1 and Tier-2 Banks in LatAm"]

Major milestones

["Raised $10M Series A in January 2025 led by Wellington Access Ventures.","Launched 'Jelou Brain' multi-LLM orchestration platform for financial workflows.","Established strategic partnership with Krealo (Credicorp’s venture arm) for deep banking integration."]

Growth metrics

Scaled to 135+ employees and secured $10M Series A to expand AI agent capabilities for Tier-1 banks.

Market positioning

Specialized B2B AI Agent platform for the financial services and fintech sector in emerging markets.

Geographic focus

Latin America (Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador) and North America.

Patents and IP

No registered patents disclosed as of latest update; focus is on proprietary software architecture and LLM orchestration logic.

About Luis Loaiza

Alberto Arébalos is a seasoned tech executive with over 25 years of experience in communications and technology. He previously served as the Director of Communications for Google Latin America (2007–2013) and Director of Communications for Facebook Latin America (2013–2016). He is also the founder of MileniumGroup, a major regional communications agency, and has authored books on digital reputation.

Official website: