Our Mission: Empower Street Commerce
We empower informal vendors with modern, accessible tools—turning sidewalks, beaches, and plazas into a connected, inclusive economy.
Our Mission
To empower informal commerce globally with digital tools. Creating a dynamic, connected, and inclusive economy in public spaces — turning sidewalks, beaches, and plazas into thriving hubs of community and culture.
Our Vision
Aki empowers informal vendors and delights customers by bridging street commerce with the digital world. We help vendors grow and thrive, while giving users a new way to discover authentic local food, culture, and experiences in real time — transforming everyday transactions into moments of connection, joy, and community.
Our Values
The principles that guide everything we do
Community First
Everything we build starts in the streets, beaches, and plazas—where vendors and neighbors meet.
Inclusivity by Design
Our tools work online/offline, for everyone—customers, vendors, and cities.
Transparency & Trust
Clear pricing, secure systems, and open communication to earn long-term trust.
Innovation with Purpose
We reimagine tools to solve real problems—visibility, payments, safety, and discovery.
Our Team
Small, hands-on, and obsessed with bringing informal commerce online—responsibly.
Kari Pikkarainen
Head of Technology
Leads platform architecture, mobile development, and real-time systems powering the marketplace.
Tim Johnson
Head of Marketing
Leads brand, growth, and go-to-market strategy. Shapes how Aki shows up for vendors and customers across every market.
Product
Vitor Passagem
Product Manager
Vitor Mantovani
Developer
Thamiris Ferreira
Developer
Bruno
Developer
Gustavo Frias
Developer
Marketing
Carolina Palhares
Marketing Coordinator
Clayton Roza
Graphic Artist
Carolina Datti
Content Creator
Tatiana Passagem
Marketing Manager
Maira Woppe
Graphic Designer
Sales
Juan Moraes
Head of Sales
Christopher Roza
Head of Partnerships
Our Journey
Key milestones in building the OS for informal outdoor commerce
Company formation
Aki, Inc. organized as a Delaware C-Corp; Brazil launch plan locked.
MVP pilot kickoff (Brazil)
Targeted pilot in Santos/Copacabana corridors with initial vendor cohorts.
Closed tests & onboarding
200+ vendors in gated tests; payments, GPS discovery, and vendor tools hardened.
Brazil public launch
Beach corridors go live with customer discovery, ordering, and vendor analytics.
Regional scale (LatAm)
Phased expansion into Mexico and Colombia; local partners and rails integration.
Want to Join Our Mission?
We're assembling a lean, world-class team and partner network to bring street commerce online—starting in Brazil.