The archive · Money & Fintech · Product decision · 2022–2026
Autonomy's rent-to-own bet for gig drivers: $8M Series A, 1,500 cars
Buenos Aires startup rents new cars to ride-hail drivers with option to buy, using platform earnings as credit: 1,500+ cars, US$8M Series A.
Autonomy
What the business is
Autonomy rents new vehicles to Uber, DiDi and Cabify drivers on a rent-to-own plan: one monthly payment bundles the car, insurance, maintenance and permits, underwriting is based on drivers' earnings history on ride-hail platforms, and drivers can buy the vehicle after 36 or 48 months.
Starting capital：US$8M Series A (announced late August 2026) backed by Magna Capital, Comafi, Natan VC and Murchison Ventures; a 2025 tranche of US$1.5M included Gabriel Martino, former CEO of HSBC Argentina; cumulative equity and debt reached about US$10M before the round.
How it started
Founded in Buenos Aires in 2022 by José Trusso, a former Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan banker, and Leandro Cuccioli. The bet grew out of an Argentina where ride-hailing demand rises about 30% annually while banks keep rejecting drivers who lack fixed payroll, guarantors or a down payment. Autonomy launched its model in 2023 with ten vehicles and five employees.
What happened
The fleet passed 1,500 vehicles by 2026, and monthly inquiries reached about 3,000, of which Autonomy could serve only half. In 2025 it raised a US$1.5M tranche that included Gabriel Martino, former CEO of HSBC Argentina. In August 2026 it closed a US$8M Series A led by Magna Capital with Comafi, Natan VC and Murchison Ventures to grow the fleet about sevenfold to 10,000 vehicles across the Southern Cone by December 2027 and to evaluate electric and CNG vehicles.
How it ended up
Live and scaling as of 2026-09-02: Autonomy operates 1,500+ vehicles in Argentina, is part of Endeavor Argentina's ScaleUp program, and plans entry into Chile and Uruguay; no exit or shutdown.
Background
Autonomy is a Buenos Aires mobility-and-finance startup betting that ride-hail drivers are creditworthy even though banks refuse them auto loans. It rents new cars to Uber, DiDi and Cabify drivers with an option to buy, underwrites on earnings history from the ride-hail platforms, and wraps the vehicle, insurance, maintenance and permits into one monthly payment.
Founded in 2022 by José Trusso, a former Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan banker, and Leandro Cuccioli, Autonomy answered a local imbalance: ride-hailing demand in Argentina grows about 30% per year while drivers cannot get traditional financing without fixed payroll, guarantors or a large down payment. The model launched in 2023 with ten vehicles and five employees.
By 2026 the fleet exceeded 1,500 vehicles and Autonomy received about 3,000 inquiries per month while having capacity to serve only half. Drivers can buy the car after 36 or 48 months. In 2025 the company raised a US$1.5M tranche that included former HSBC Argentina CEO Gabriel Martino, and in August 2026 it closed a US$8M Series A led by Magna Capital with Comafi, Natan VC and Murchison Ventures.
The new capital targets roughly a sevenfold fleet expansion to 10,000 vehicles across the Southern Cone by December 2027, with Chile and Uruguay next and electric and CNG vehicles under evaluation. The model is capital-intensive, and Autonomy's own growth depends on managing income swings and peso volatility over 36- to 48-month repayment terms.
What has to be true
- Banks demand fixed payroll, guarantors and down payments; platform earnings history is the one clean record gig drivers have, so Autonomy underwrote on that signal instead.
- Bundling car, insurance, maintenance and permits into a single monthly payment made ownership predictable for drivers whose income is per-trip rather than salaried.
- Rent-to-own with a 36- or 48-month purchase option aligned the company with drivers graduating to ownership instead of staying perpetual renters.
- Demand was visible before scale: about 3,000 monthly inquiries against capacity for half showed a real credit gap rather than a marketing problem.
What can be applied
When credit systems score the wrong signal, underwrite on data workers generate: platform earnings made gig drivers bankable; bundling car costs into one payment made it affordable.
Aftermath
As of 2026-09-02 Autonomy continues to operate its rent-to-own fleet in Argentina as an Endeavor Argentina ScaleUp company. Its stated plan is 10,000 vehicles across the Southern Cone by December 2027, starting with Chile and Uruguay, and it is considering electric and CNG vehicles. The main open questions are capital intensity - reaching the fleet target likely needs further debt or equity - and repayment performance if drivers' incomes or the Argentine peso shift over multi-year terms.
Sources
- Autonomy raises $8M Series A
- Autonomy Raises US$8 Million Series A to Expand Across the Southern Cone
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