New York-based fintech Skalar launched Thursday with an undisclosed seed round led by São Paulo venture firm Monashees and a debt partnership with General Catalyst's Customer Value Fund. Co-founders Sebastián Cárdenas and Daniel Castrillón have committed over $125 million to finance sales and marketing spending across seven technology companies over the next 12 months. Skalar's model provides capital for customer acquisition costs (CAC) with repayment tied directly to revenue from those acquired customers.

Startups repay approximately 1.1x the amount provided, but only as customers generate revenue — if a customer cancels early, Skalar absorbs the shortfall. Unlike venture debt with fixed schedules or revenue-based financing based on existing contracts, Skalar finances potential revenue before it exists, accepting the risk it may not materialize. The company analyzes detailed transaction data to assess CAC, customer retention, and lifetime value, maintaining selectivity in its underwriting.

While flexible, the arrangement includes minimum revenue targets; falling short can trigger faster repayment or halted capital. Cárdenas emphasized: "We only get repaid as they get repaid," reducing cash crunch risk for startups during growth phases.