Cenit, a Chilean tax automation startup focused on freelancers and small businesses, has closed a $1.8 million seed round led by Latin America-focused fund Hi Ventures. The company offers a mobile platform that connects directly to tax authorities so users can monitor obligations and file in a few taps. With this capital, Cenit aims to speed up product development and scale its presence across Mexico and Chile, targeting a segment that often struggles with compliance.
Tackling a Structural Tax Problem for Small Businesses
The startup is positioning itself around a simple message: that many entrepreneurs in Latin America do not fail because they lack clients or skills, but because they mismanage mandatory payments such as taxes. Tax procedures are typically fragmented across spreadsheets, manual entries, and government portals that are not designed for non-experts. Cenit wants to turn that fragmented, error-prone experience into a guided, automated workflow that reduces penalties, delays, and administrative stress for small business owners and independent workers.
Product, Technology, and User Experience
Cenit’s app connects directly to fiscal authorities to download invoices, account movements, and other relevant records in real time, then organizes them into a clear picture of income, expenses, and tax liabilities. Users can see how much they owe as they issue invoices and record expenses, instead of discovering their exposure at the end of the quarter or year. An AI assistant embedded in the platform answers practical questions, such as daily sales, week to week comparisons, or upcoming filing deadlines, and the system allows users to submit and pay taxes with a single confirmation.
Business Model and Investor Confidence
The platform operates under a subscription model, with monthly plans between $10 and $15 and a two-month free trial to reduce friction for first-time users. This predictable pricing is designed to compete with traditional accounting services that are often more expensive and less transparent for micro and small businesses. Hi Ventures managing partner Jimena Pardo said the fund was drawn to the mix of academic rigor and operational experience of Cenit’s founders, as well as the potential to unlock growth by removing complexity for SMEs in the region.
Founding Team, Traction, and Expansion Strategy
Cenit was founded by chief executive officer Andrés Liberman, who holds a PhD in finance from Columbia University and previously taught at New York University, and by cofounder Ronny González, who held senior roles at Consorcio and served as chief product officer at Betterfly. Both bring experience in financial services, technology, and operations, and are using that background to build infrastructure that sits between small businesses and their governments. Although the app has only been active for a short period, it already serves more than 200 users in Chile, with around a quarter using it daily and about half logging in at least once a week, and the company is preparing an Android launch while consolidating its early footprint in Mexico and Chile.
Cenit is part of a new wave of AI native platforms that target essential but overlooked services for Latin America’s SME economy, in this case, tax compliance. With fresh seed funding, a subscription model aimed at accessibility, and early engagement metrics, the company is moving quickly to test its value proposition at scale. Its ambition for 2026 includes strengthening its position in Mexico and Chile and supporting customers not only with ongoing payments, but also with annual income tax filings that cluster between March and April each year.
Source: Forbes