Palenca

Palenca is a Latin American startup founded in 2021, specializing in payroll API services tailored for the region. The company provides a secure platform for verifying income and employment data in real time, which enhances underwriting, background checks, and financial services. Palenca’s API allows workers to share their employment records, streamlining processes like credit evaluation and identity verification. Co-founded by José Carlos Aguilar, Pierre Delarroqua, and Antoine Nguyen Hong Duc, all with experience at Uber, Palenca initially focused on gig economy workers to promote fair loan decisions. Based in Mexico City, the company operates across several countries, including Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Brazil, with a strong emphasis on Brazil's fintech ecosystem. Palenca's offerings include employment and identity verification, income verification, direct deposit switching, and automated payment collection. The company serves financial institutions, insurance firms, recruiting companies, and fintechs, with notable clients such as Kavak and Lalamove. Palenca has secured significant funding and aims to cover over 300 million workers in Latin America through its innovative API solutions.