@arckomvandrike2Building an AI-powered city platform from the gateway to Patagonia, Chile
Hey Lounge!
I’m Andreé Settembrino, an Italian software engineer and Founder & CTO of CashOut SpA, building technology from Chiloé Island, at the gateway to Chilean Patagonia.
Far from traditional tech hubs, I’m developing CashOut — Your City in Real Time, an AI-powered territorial platform connecting local businesses, professionals, marketplaces, services and communities in one digital ecosystem.
What we’ve built
CashOut is already live, with functional modules covering business management (ERP/POS), local marketplaces, professional services, tourism, community features and Outy, our integrated AI assistant.
Where we are
We’re currently pre-revenue, transitioning from software development to commercial adoption.
Our initial focus is Chile, with a rollout strategy involving local payment infrastructure such as Klap and Mercado Pago. International expansion is planned through Stripe in supported markets.
What we’re looking for
We’re seeking strategic investors, experienced founders and partners to accelerate commercial deployment in Chile and support international expansion.
We’ve already built the technology. Our next challenge is turning a functioning platform into a scalable business.
Building from Patagonia comes with its challenges, but it also reinforces our vision: technology should create opportunities everywhere, not just in major cities.
I’d love to connect with founders and investors interested in AI, digital infrastructure, local economies and emerging markets.
Happy to share a live demo and discuss potential collaborations.
Andréé Settembrino
Founder & CTO | CashOut SpA
Comments2
With ERP/POS, a marketplace, tourism and community features all live at once, I'd pick just one, probably the POS for shops in Castro, and get 20 or 30 businesses paying for it before you raise. Investors will back one module that local owners pay for every month much faster than a whole city platform that has no revenue yet.
Thanks Ryan, I really appreciate your advice. I completely agree that focus, paying customers, and real traction are essential.
Our current business plan focuses on three go-to-market verticals: local businesses, technicians and professionals, and tourism/hotels.
I’ve already personally walked around Castro, meeting with approximately 20 local businesses to understand their needs and prepare their initial onboarding. We’re warming up the market before the official pilot.
Our launch strategy combines hands-on territorial activation, RFID-based guerrilla marketing, and supporting social media campaigns.
On the payments side, we’re finalizing our partnership agreements with Klap/Banco Itaú, pending formal signatures, while developing our own application for their POS terminals. This partnership could potentially open a distribution opportunity through Klap’s network of approximately 30,000 merchants.
In parallel, our Mercado Pago integration is approaching the end of testing, with production activation targeted for November.
Importantly, businesses won’t need our POS or ERP to participate. They can join CashOut, establish their digital presence, and sell online using integrated payment gateways once activated.
For our second vertical, the municipal employment office is ready to help onboard technicians and professionals onto the platform as soon as we give the green light.
We’re also receiving technical and strategic guidance from Lorenzo Pellegrini, Deputy CEO of Esri Italia, who is looking for evidence of real platform traction.
And I fully agree with your point about proving revenue before raising capital.
That’s precisely the purpose of our upcoming Castro pilot, which we’re preparing alongside Klap. Over 3–6 months, we aim to establish measurable KPIs around merchant activation, conversion to paying customers, recurring revenue, transaction volume, retention, and customer acquisition costs.
If those metrics meet our business plan projections, we’ll have the evidence needed to move toward a proper funding round focused on scaling the model beyond Castro.
If they don’t, we’ll use the data to adjust our strategy before committing to expansion.
We know this won’t be easy. Building the technology was one challenge; activating a functioning local economy is another.
But we’re preparing the ground, establishing partnerships, and validating demand directly with the people who will use it.
Your suggestion of securing the first 20–30 paying businesses is exactly the kind of measurable milestone we want to achieve.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your perspective. I really appreciate it!
2 comments
With ERP/POS, a marketplace, tourism and community features all live at once, I'd pick just one, probably the POS for shops in Castro, and get 20 or 30 businesses paying for it before you raise. Investors will back one module that local owners pay for every month much faster than a whole city platform that has no revenue yet.
Thanks Ryan, I really appreciate your advice. I completely agree that focus, paying customers, and real traction are essential.
Our current business plan focuses on three go-to-market verticals: local businesses, technicians and professionals, and tourism/hotels.
I’ve already personally walked around Castro, meeting with approximately 20 local businesses to understand their needs and prepare their initial onboarding. We’re warming up the market before the official pilot.
Our launch strategy combines hands-on territorial activation, RFID-based guerrilla marketing, and supporting social media campaigns.
On the payments side, we’re finalizing our partnership agreements with Klap/Banco Itaú, pending formal signatures, while developing our own application for their POS terminals. This partnership could potentially open a distribution opportunity through Klap’s network of approximately 30,000 merchants.
In parallel, our Mercado Pago integration is approaching the end of testing, with production activation targeted for November.
Importantly, businesses won’t need our POS or ERP to participate. They can join CashOut, establish their digital presence, and sell online using integrated payment gateways once activated.
For our second vertical, the municipal employment office is ready to help onboard technicians and professionals onto the platform as soon as we give the green light.
We’re also receiving technical and strategic guidance from Lorenzo Pellegrini, Deputy CEO of Esri Italia, who is looking for evidence of real platform traction.
And I fully agree with your point about proving revenue before raising capital.
That’s precisely the purpose of our upcoming Castro pilot, which we’re preparing alongside Klap. Over 3–6 months, we aim to establish measurable KPIs around merchant activation, conversion to paying customers, recurring revenue, transaction volume, retention, and customer acquisition costs.
If those metrics meet our business plan projections, we’ll have the evidence needed to move toward a proper funding round focused on scaling the model beyond Castro.
If they don’t, we’ll use the data to adjust our strategy before committing to expansion.
We know this won’t be easy. Building the technology was one challenge; activating a functioning local economy is another.
But we’re preparing the ground, establishing partnerships, and validating demand directly with the people who will use it.
Your suggestion of securing the first 20–30 paying businesses is exactly the kind of measurable milestone we want to achieve.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your perspective. I really appreciate it!