The Aureo team is thrilled to announce we’ve raised a $1.1M USD pre-seed round with Early Riders to build the first LatAm-native Multi-Institution Custody (MIC) solution and support the growth and expansion of our other Bitcoin Financial Services.
Aureo now joins a portfolio of companies focused on building Bitcoin multi-institution custody solutions for companies and individuals: Acropolis, Onramp, Onramp MENA and other innovative Bitcoin payment and lending companies.
We’ll use these funds to support founder salaries, expand our marketing, development and compliance teams, build infrastructure for the custody-key agency, and fuel our expansion across Latin America.
After being introduced to Early Riders a few months ago, and through deep discussions, Aureo’s founder, Gustavo Flores Echaiz, confirmed that Aureo needed a clear market differentiator to succeed as a Bitcoin-focused exchange platform in Mexico. Gustavo and the leadership team determined that a multi-institution custody solution was essential for rapid, sustained long-term Bitcoin adoption among individuals and companies in Latin America.
While we’ve always been proponents and educators of self-custody, Gustavo and co-founders Nathaniel Kitzke, Tristan Borges Solari, and Maciej Cepnik recognize that multi-institution custody is both inevitable and preferred for the healthy development of the Bitcoin ecosystem.
Beyond security, this architecture unlocks access to advanced Bitcoin finance, including collateralized lending and more complex transactions.
The founders collectively bring experience from innovative Bitcoin companies such as Veriphi, Bull Bitcoin, Unchained, Bitcoin Well, Bitrefill, Wasabi, and Zaprite.
Our team is excited to leverage Onramp’s technology and domain experience to develop a Multi-Institution Custody solution tailored to the realities of Mexico and the wider LatAm region.
Read Early Riders announcement and Investment Memo here.