Hey, it’s Yoel 👋 Back again with the 66th edition of Dealflow LatAm: your go-to source for all the deals, moves, and momentum in the region’s startup scene.

Plenty to break down—so let’s get into it 🚀

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Startup funding news 💸

Rounds of $10M+:

• 🇧🇷 BASF and Opea raise $260M in their fourth FIAGRO FIDC round to expand credit access for farmers. The issuance was led by Itaú BBA.

• 🇲🇽 VelaFi raises $20M Series B led by XVC and Ikuyo to expand its stablecoin infrastructure across LatAm, the U.S., and Asia.

Rounds $1M to $10M:

• 🇧🇷 Lux Capital invests $5M in Magie to scale B2B payments infrastructure on WhatsApp via white-label fintech solutions.

• 🇨🇱 Enerlink raises $3.1M to expand its EV charging platform across LatAm. The round was co-led by Kayyak Ventures and Dalus Capital.

• 🇧🇷 Aliado raises $2.4M to enhance its AI platform for physical retail. The seed round was led by Headline and Nestal.

• 🇦🇷 Motivia raises $1.2M to scale its AI platform for chronic disease prevention. The round was led by Alaya Capital and Sancor Seguros Ventures.

Other rounds of funding:

• 🇨🇱 ByBug raised 41% of its $348K goal on Broota, backed by DraperU Ventures and Tulsa Local for its biotech platform using gene-edited insects.

• 🇧🇷 Cypher Financial AI receives investment from Janguiê Diniz to expand its AI-driven investment decision platform and scale with institutional clients.

• 🇧🇷 Skyone receives Series C backing from Advent International to scale its cloud and software platform. Brazilian fund Henkan also participated in the deal.

M&A transactions 🎊

🇧🇷 Canopy makes its first acquisition by buying Solus, a healthcare software provider, following its $100M raise to consolidate SaaS platforms in Brazil.

🇧🇷 HiveScale Holding acquires INTZ and will invest $18.6M to build a gamer-focused ecosystem in Brazil, aiming to boost titles like Valorant and Free Fire.

🇧🇷 Mercado Bitcoin acquires Banco Mercantil’s brokerage ahead of Brazil’s new crypto regulations to expand into regulated financial services.

🇳🇴🤝🇧🇷 DNV acquires control of Automa, an energy software provider, as GEF Capital exits after four years to support international expansion.

🇨🇴 KOA merged with ExcelCredit and targets $82.9M USD in payroll loans and $81.2M in CDTs for 2026, focusing on pensioners.

🇲🇽 Grupo Omni acquires Jüsto and injects $100M to relaunch operations, but founder Ricardo Weder won’t return as CEO.

Investor & accelerator news 🚀

🇧🇷🇺🇸 Brazil's Fabrica Ventures, based in Silicon Valley, is profiting from the U.S. IPO wave with bets on Databricks, Circle, Anthropic, and others.

🇨🇱 UAI and Endeavor Chile partner to boost tech entrepreneurship in mining through joint events, mentorship, and innovation-focused collaboration.

Opportunities & Deadlines 👀

• 🇨🇱 Carozzi & Hubtec launch the 2026 Ingredientes del Mañana call to co-create foodtech solutions with researchers and startups; Apply by Jan 22.

• 🇲🇽 Impact Hub CDMX & Fomento Social Banamex open EMERGENTE 2026 for creative ventures with social impact; up to $8k, apply by Jan 31.

• 🇧🇷 GITEX LATAM debuts in SP on Mar 16 2027, bringing the world’s largest tech and innovation event to boost digital transformation and global partnerships.

• 🇲🇽 Bitso Business confirms the Stablecoin Conference LatAm 2026, gathering global leaders on stablecoin innovation in Mexico City; 📅 June 15–16.

Startup news 💡

🇦🇷 Argentina

• 🇦🇷 Sylvarum applies electric pulses to seeds to boost germination, eliminate pathogens, and revive old seeds, aiming to unlock their full potential.

• 🇦🇷 Lemon launches Argentina’s first Bitcoin-backed Visa credit card, offering $700 credit by locking 0.01 BTC, no need to sell crypto.

🇧🇷 Brazil

• 🇧🇷 Nubank, XP, Stone, PagBank and Inter hit a combined $100.6B market cap in 2025, up 61% YoY, as PicPay and Agibank prepare for US IPOs.

• 🇧🇷 Asaas receives approval from Brazil’s Central Bank to operate as a financial institution (SCFI), supporting over 220k SMBs with automated financial solutions.

🇨🇱 Chile

• 🇨🇱 Creditú appoints new execs to lead LatAm growth, with expansion into Brazil and focus on tech, strategy, brand, and people.

🇨🇴 Colombia

• 🇨🇴 MejorCDT helps over 500K Colombians invest in high-yield CDTs (8–11% E.A.) by comparing banks and enabling digital deposits.

• 🇨🇴 Akua processes 200K payments daily and raised $13M, leveraging AI and AWS to streamline financial integrations in under 10 minutes.

• 🇨🇴 Wompi processed $13.5B in 2025, with 13M+ users, 40K+ monthly businesses, and 60M transactions via 10.8K physical agents.

• 🇨🇴 Littio now offers up to 12% E.A. in USD rewards on digital assets via its 360 account, with no minimum and full liquidity after 90 days.

• 🇲🇽 Stori, a Mexican unicorn valued at $1.2B, expands into Colombia with a planned $100M investment and IPO ambitions for 2026.

🇲🇽 Mexico

• 🇲🇽 SimpliRoute saved 17.5M liters of fuel and avoided 29k tons of CO₂ in Mexico in 2025 by using AI to optimize last-mile delivery routes.

• 🇲🇽 Bitso earned the top-tier CCSS v9.0 certification with AAA & 3 stars, joining a global elite of 8 crypto firms for highest security standards.

• 🇺🇸🤝🇲🇽 Conceivable Life Sciences' AI-powered lab achieved 19 births in Mexico using its robotic AURA system, challenging traditional IVF methods.

🇵🇪 Peru

• 🇵🇪 Yape enables digital top-ups for Lima’s Metropolitano and Corredores cards, reducing queues and cash use in public transport.

🇺🇾 Uruguay

• 🇺🇾 DLocal plans to scale up in Asia with dozens of hires in 2026, aiming for the region to contribute 30% of total volume within five years.

• 🇺🇾 Satellogic signed an $18M deal with Portugal’s CEiiA to deliver two high-res satellites by Q2 2026, with 85% EU components and full tech transfer.

• 🇦🇷 CuotaQ, an Argentine startup tackling payment delinquency in sports clubs, lands in Uruguay with its platform integrated with Mercado Pago.

🌎 Other LatAm News

• 🇪🇨 Tipti, Ecuador’s fastest-growing e-commerce platform, closed 2025 with $102M in revenue.

• 🇵🇪🇧🇴 Yape Bolivia will start offering loans to micromerchants in 2026 as part of its strategy to deepen services for 1.7M affiliated businesses.

• 🇻🇪 Kontigo faces scandal over alleged sanction-evasion ties; users warned to avoid P2P transfers amid frozen funds and US bank cut-offs.

Big company & policy news 💡

🇦🇷 Mercado Libre integrates Agility Robotics' humanoid robot Digit into its Texas hub to boost logistics, in the first corporate use of such tech by a LatAm company.

🇧🇷 BRL1 Network lists its BRL1 stablecoin on OKX and Kraken to boost global use of the Brazilian real, backed by Bitso, Foxbit, Mercado Bitcoin, and Cainvest.

🇧🇷 Crédito do Trabalhador surpassed $18.8B USD in loans with 17M+ contracts and 3.2% average monthly rate, per Ministério do Trabalho.

🇧🇷 As Brazil's tax reform takes effect in 2026, BHub's CEO warns businesses must organize fiscal data to avoid double taxation and seize available credits.

🇧🇷 In 2025, only 39% of startup funding in Brazil came from equity; credit, especially FIDCs, dominated as investors sought safer, less dilutive structures.

🇨🇴 Colombia will require crypto exchanges to report user and transaction data to boost tax transparency, under new rules from the DIAN.

🇵🇦 Panamá introduces a Fintech bill to modernize its financial system, attract investment, and ensure user protection with the “Ley Marco Integral de las Tecnologías Financieras.”

Interesting reads 💡

🌎 “Venture capital in 2025: The year of artificial intelligence and mega-investment rounds” highlights record AI funding, led by OpenAI’s $40B round and major fintech deals across the region.

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