SmartUp moves CEO to Atlanta while doubling down on Chilean engineering
SmartUp, a Chilean startup developing AI agents for supply chain logistics, is opening a commercial office in Atlanta while CEO and co-founder Max Mardones relocates to lead the expansion. Chile will remain the company's engineering base, a division of labor that reflects how Latin American startups are scaling into US markets without abandoning the technical talent pools that built their products.
Founded by Max Mardones and Daniel Sateler, who left computer science studies after the GPT-4 launch, SmartUp completed its founding team with Daniel Goldfarb and Alan Ben-Dov. The company has set a revenue target of $10 million over the next 12 months.
SmartUp did not arrive in Atlanta cold. The startup has operated in the United States for two years through a local partner, with activity accelerating significantly over the past six months. The decision to open a direct office follows validated demand rather than speculative expansion.
The company is backed by programs from Nvidia, Anthropic, and Amazon Web Services, plus a $400,000 angel investment from US technology entrepreneur Chris Klaus. Access to these programs provides compute credits, technical support, and credentials that reduce buyer friction when corporate procurement teams evaluate small vendors. SmartUp is currently in discussions with Atlanta-based investment funds to raise a financing round supporting the expansion.
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Why Atlanta's logistics cluster demands nearshore AI talent from Latin America
SmartUp chose Atlanta for customer proximity. Logistics operators and supply chain companies concentrate in the southeastern United States, a region experiencing substantial sector growth. Sales cycles in the US market run one-third the length of those in Latin America, while average deal sizes are triple, meaning the same commercial effort generates more revenue in less time, according to statements from Mardones.
The initial hiring plan is narrow: three people with hybrid profiles capable of managing accounts from sale through maintenance. This approach addresses a common failure mode in software startups that separate sales and support functions prematurely.
Rather than building a direct sales team from scratch, SmartUp's primary go-to-market strategy relies on partnerships with warehouse and inventory management system providers that have already referred clients to the company. This channel strategy offers substantially lower customer acquisition cost than assembling a direct sales organization in a new market.
For employers building engineering teams in Chile, SmartUp's model demonstrates how startups maintain technical development in Latin America while establishing commercial presence in the United States. The company's decision to keep engineering in Chile while the CEO relocates reflects confidence in the local talent base and the cost advantages of distributed operations. Companies hiring AI engineers in Chile benefit from access to technical talent trained in environments where resource constraints drive efficiency. SmartUp's backing from Nvidia, Anthropic, and AWS programs while operating primarily from Chile validates the technical capabilities available in the market.
Chilean AI startups scaling US operations: hiring and infrastructure trends
SmartUp's expansion occurs as the supply chain AI market undergoes rapid transformation. Descartes Systems Group has introduced an Agent Control Plane designed to coordinate AI agents across applications and trading partners with client-defined permissions and traceable action logs.
The problem Descartes describes matches the one SmartUp addresses: supply chain teams spend considerable time interpreting updates arriving via email, messages, and portals, then re-entering information to move orders forward. SmartUp now competes in a segment where global providers are embedding AI agents within platforms already installed at client sites, raising the bar for technical credentials required to win corporate contracts. The backing from Nvidia, Anthropic, and AWS serves a concrete commercial function: reducing trust friction in the sales cycle.
The company has spent two years validating its model with a local partner, six months of accelerated activity, and is only now establishing its own structure. This sequence reflects expansion driven by traction rather than enthusiasm.
For workforce planning, SmartUp's trajectory illustrates how Chilean startups navigate the gap between technical development and commercial scale. The company is not relocating its engineering function or hiring US-based developers for core product work. Instead, it is placing commercial talent close to customers while preserving the engineering base that built the product.
This pattern has implications for compensation structures. Companies maintaining engineering in Chile while selling in the United States must balance local salary markets against revenue generated in dollars. SmartUp's revenue target, if achieved, would provide substantial margin to reinvest in Chilean technical teams without requiring US-level engineering salaries.
The three hybrid sales-support roles planned for Atlanta represent a test of whether SmartUp can staff commercial functions locally or will need to draw on Latin American talent willing to relocate. By routing customers through existing inventory and warehouse management providers, the company reduces the size of the direct sales team required in Atlanta. This approach defers large-scale US hiring while the company validates product-market fit and secures additional funding.
SmartUp's backing from Endeavor Chile, a network supporting high-impact entrepreneurs, connects it to a broader ecosystem of Latin American companies scaling into North American markets. These networks provide operational playbooks for managing distributed teams, navigating US corporate procurement, and structuring compensation across jurisdictions.
For employers evaluating AI logistics vendors or considering similar expansion strategies, SmartUp's approach demonstrates how Latin American startups are leveraging technical talent at home while establishing commercial footholds abroad. The company's ability to secure enterprise-grade technology partnerships while operating primarily from Chile challenges assumptions about where AI development must occur to compete in US markets.