Palenca

Palenca is an income and employment verification company founded in 2021 by Jose Aguilar and Antoine Nguyen, based in Mexico City and part of the Y Combinator Summer 2021 batch. It operates as an income bureau for Latin American lenders: a large share of workers in the region are informal, gig or cash-paid and cannot produce the payslips or bureau history that underwriting normally requires.

The borrower consents through an embeddable widget, a direct API call or the no-code Console, linking a payroll, gig platform or government employer account. Palenca returns more than 50 data points covering historical and real-time earnings, employment status and identity checks, which lenders feed into affordability and risk models. Coverage spans Mexico, Brazil and Colombia with more than 120 integrated employers and platforms, over 50 million workers reachable, more than 2 million validations performed and a reported 83% hit rate. Customers include BBVA, Coppel, Falabella, Creditea and Fondeadora, and investors include Experian and Foundation Capital.

1. Consent widget: An embeddable interface lets the applicant link a payroll or gig platform account inside the lender's own flow.

2. Verification API: Returns more than 50 data points on earnings history, real-time income and employment status.

3. Console: A no-code dashboard for configuration and CSV or PDF verification reports for credit officers.

4. Gig and informal coverage: Connects to delivery and rideshare platforms as well as formal employers and government payrolls.

5. Regional reach: More than 120 integrated employers and platforms across Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, covering over 50 million workers.

6. Measured performance: More than 2 million validations performed at a reported 83% hit rate.