October 1, 2024

KEO World’s ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Solution Aims to Transform Traditional B2B Trade Finance Models with Latest Investment

By: James Carey
Executive Summary

Business growth for many SMEs is constrained due to limited access to short-term working capital and poor B2B payment systems—but KEO World is changing the landscape with its core offering, Workeo. Next Sparc is proud to be an investment partner of KEO and visited the KEO offices in Mexico City and American Express campus last summer to kick off the partnership.

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) has transformed the retail space, giving consumers the chance to buy what they want and pay it off over time. Now this solution is making waves in the B2B market. It’s a concept that may seem revolutionary, but in truth, is all about applying technology to legacy processes to simplify and remove obstacles—something that KEO World, our newest portfolio company, deeply understands.

Founded in 2020 by Paolo Fidanza, KEO World is an innovative fintech company helping buyers and suppliers accelerate business growth through all-digital inventory financing and B2B payment solutions. Its platform, Workeo, is disrupting the credit paradigm to deliver fast funding through innovative technology solutions specifically for established small- to mid-sized enterprises.

Workeo is a win-win solution for buyers and suppliers. Buyers can purchase supplies by digitally transferring money to an approved list of suppliers seamlessly with instant digital payments, while suppliers benefit from getting paid upfront.

Partnership with American Express


“In a market where less than 12% of total traditional credit is extend to SMBs, our Workeo product allows business buyers to access key inventory on credit, and suppliers to increase their recurring sales, enhancing working capital management via an all-digital frictionless and low-cost inventory financing platform, thanks to the American Express network,” said Paolo Fidanza, Founder and CEO of KEO.

KEO was the first Non-Bank Financial Institution (NBFI) to be granted an issuing license by American Express in Mexico. KEO operates supply chain financing through the company’s core BNPL inventory financing programs in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and the USA, and is looking to expand the partnership with its latest investments.

KEO Founder and CEO, Paolo Fidanza (left), Next Sparc CEO & Chairman, Len Pagon Jr. (middle), and Next Sparc Managing Partner, James Carey (right) at the AMEX campus in Mexico City

Next Sparc Visits KEO and American Express in Mexico City


At Next Sparc, we are a professional family office that is industry-agnostic. While financial technology isn’t a typical area where we invest, our team is able to adapt and quickly get up to speed on new industries where we see unique opportunities. And that’s exactly why we invested in KEO World.

Last summer, Next Sparc CEO Len Pagon Jr. and Partner James Carey were appointed to KEO World’s board of directors, along with Michal Cieplinski, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Pipe, one of the fastest growing fintech startups.

In 2024, Len and James, along with KEO founder Paolo Fidanza visited the KEO offices in Mexico City, met with the entire KEO team, and oversaw the operations center.

The visit also included a visit to the American Express headquarters, including a full tour of the campus grounds, and tactical meetings with AMEX executives that discussed strategies to grow the vision for KEO World. Next Sparc is a minority investor in KEO, along with growth equity investments from Montreux Growth Partners, Mayberry Investments, and Avior.

Next Sparc is excited to support KEO World in its next stage of growth and see its innovative platform expand into new markets, including the USA, Canada, and potentially other areas across the globe.