In the most indebted country in Latin America, where 67% of the population has no financial reserves to deal with unforeseen events, according to a survey by Fiduc, Brazilian startups are beginning to transform the consumer's relationship with money. One of the initiatives that has been gaining prominence is SmartSave, a fintech accelerated by Start Growth that automates the creation of emergency reserves by rounding up values in everyday transactions.
The idea is simple: with every purchase made by credit card, an amount previously set by the user is automatically invested in a kind of digital piggy bank. “We know that saving is difficult, especially in a country where more than half the population struggles with tight budgets. SmartSave solves this by eliminating the need for conscious effort to save,” says Marilucia Silva Pertile , CEO, co-founder of Start Growth and startup mentor.
With over a thousand people accessing the platform, the startup emerges as a practical solution to a structural problem. Data from Datafolha reinforces the worrying scenario: seven out of ten Brazilians do not have any money set aside for emergencies. In this context, automated solutions gain relevance by democratizing access to investment, without requiring technical knowledge or large initial sums.
The methodology is based on the concept of digital microeconomy. "It's a way to make money work for the user without them having to radically change their habits," explains Marilucia. The fintech has already raised over R$1 million in funding and is part of the Start Growth portfolio, which has been operating as a venture capital firm and accelerator for innovative businesses since 2014.
For the founder of Start Growth, the impact of solutions like this goes beyond the individual level. “Creating access to financial reserves is not just a matter of personal discipline, but of economic justice. The more Brazilians have the autonomy to face unforeseen events, the stronger the ecosystem of consumption, credit, and entrepreneurship will be,” she assesses.
With the app already up and running, SmartSave provides integrations and features that allow users to track the evolution of their savings in real time, explore ways to diversify the amounts saved, and configure custom amounts to be saved automatically.
