Welcome to the 26th edition of the Dealflow LatAm newsletter: a weekly summary of everything that happened in the LatAm startup and investment ecosystem.
🇦🇷 Ualá raises $66M in a second close of its Series E round, bringing the total to $366M. The investment, led by TelevisaUnivision, will be used to expand operations across LatAm, with a primary focus on Mexico. The company was valued at $2.75 billion during the first close.
🇲🇽 BioEsol raises $15M to launch BioEnergía Total in Mexico, offering smart energy storage and financing solutions for industrial and commercial sectors. The round was led by Ciri Ventures.
🇨🇴 Mutuus raises $3.2M to expand its digital healthcare platform in LatAm. The round was led by Amador with support from Latin Leap and others.
🇲🇽 KredFeed raises $1.5M to expand technology and operations. The round was led by Carabela with participation from Techstars, 2045 Ventures, and others.
🇲🇽 WAS Co. raises $1.5M in a pre-seed round to develop sustainable construction materials from mining waste. The round included angel investors, Garza Ponce, and the Zambrano family.
🇨🇴 Quipu raises $1.5M to expand digital credit access for small businesses in Colombia. The round was led by Addem Capital.
🇧🇷 Festpay raises $314k to expand its payment solutions for school cafeterias, promoting financial education and healthy eating. The round was led by Investidores.vc.
🇦🇷 YZi Labs invests in Plume Network to expand real-world asset tokenization, including financial instruments and carbon credits, strengthening RWA adoption.
🇲🇽 Nazca and Bridge merge to create a $320M venture capital firm, aiming to lead early-stage investments in Spanish-speaking LatAm. The new entity will raise capital for Nazca Fund IV this year.
🇧🇷 It'sSeg Acrisure acquires FINN, an insurtech specializing in surety insurance, to strengthen its presence in Brazil. This is the 15th acquisition by It'sSeg since its founding.
🇧🇷 Selbetti acquires Euax for $4.4M to expand digital transformation consulting services. This marks its 41st acquisition in 10 years.
🇨🇱 Redarbor acquires Genomawork to strengthen its presence in LatAm and enhance digital recruitment solutions. The deal integrates Genomawork’s AI-driven platform into Redarbor’s global portfolio.
🇨🇱🤝🇪🇸 Genomawork, a Chilean HR tech startup, was acquired by Redarbor, the world’s second-largest job portal company. Genomawork uses interactive games to evaluate candidates and has served clients like Starbucks, BBVA, and Nestlé.
🇨🇴 Lumu Technologies acquires Spanish threat intelligence firm Maltiverse to enhance real-time cybersecurity capabilities. The deal strengthens Lumu’s presence in Europe, though financial terms were not disclosed.
🇧🇷 Loccus launches CVC and CVB programs with MOA Ventures to support agro and health startups in Brazil, focusing on early-stage innovation.
🇧🇷 Prodesp launches Prodesp for Startups to connect innovative startups with public administration needs in São Paulo, fostering Govtech solutions.
🇲🇽 Briq.mx and Colegio de Arquitectos de Querétaro launch the first real estate crowdfunding fund, aiming to raise $220K for architectural projects.
🇲🇽 Bitso Business launches The Push, a global accelerator for stablecoin startups in LatAm. Offers mentorship, up to $250K funding, and $50K in services to boost blockchain adoption and cross-border payments.
🇨🇱 UDD Ventures and Salcobrand launch Open Salcobrand 2025 to attract health and wellness startups. Winners will pilot solutions in stores and online. Applications open until April 6.
🇨🇴 Pygma presents Demo Week, a week-long event connecting startups with investors through 1:1 meetings, group sessions, and networking. Starts April 28, 2025.
🇧🇷 Fintouch 25, the largest fintech event in Brazil, will take place on September 23 in São Paulo.
🇲🇽 Finnosummit 2025 returns to CDMX on September 24-25 to boost the LatAm fintech ecosystem.
🇨🇱 Start-Up Chile opens BIG 9 applications until Nov 29, offering up to $81K in equity-free funding, mentorship, and coworking.
🇲🇽 Let Her Pitch connects women-founded startups with investors to close the gender funding gap in LatAm. Next event in Monterrey, with expansions to Guadalajara and Medellín in 2025.
🇦🇷 Aleph partners with Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber to expand its global presence and boost innovation. The alliance leverages Formula 1’s visibility to strengthen Aleph’s position in the digital advertising space.
🇦🇷 Globant launches Legal AI Studio to transform the legal industry with AI-powered automation and data-driven decision-making.
🇧🇷 PicPay increases PicPay Bank's capital by $56M, raising it from $77M to $133M. The capital boost, approved by Banco Central, is the second this year, following a $17.5M increase in January.
🇧🇷 Nuvei receives authorization from Banco Central to operate as a payment institution (IP) in Brazil, enabling acquiring and prepaid account management.
🇧🇷 Woovi receives authorization from Banco Central to operate as a payment institution (IP) and join Pix directly, enhancing transaction capacity and enterprise services.
🇧🇷 Nomad launches a service for startups to manage foreign investments with competitive exchange rates and 24/7 support, simplifying international transfers.
🇧🇷 Caixa partners with Celero to launch a digital solution for SMEs, integrated into the bank's manager platform. The tool will streamline financial management for over 1.6 million businesses.
🇧🇷🤝🇺🇸 Doris partners with Nvidia to launch an AI-based virtual fitting room, allowing consumers to try on clothes digitally. The tool aims to reduce returns and enhance the online shopping experience.
🇧🇷🤝🇺🇸 Layers partners with Clever to provide advanced tech infrastructure for schools and support edtechs entering Brazil, enhancing digital learning solutions in LatAm.
🇨🇱 Comunidad Feliz joins Stanford's LBAN accelerator in Silicon Valley, aiming to raise $14M and expand in the U.S.
🇧🇷 Sensedia expands to Chile to boost Open Finance adoption with its API integration solutions. The move follows successful projects in Brazil and Colombia, reinforcing its LatAm presence.
🇨🇴 Plurall will distribute $10M in microloans to support over 10,000 Colombian entrepreneurs in 2025. The 100% digital process offers fast approvals without extensive credit history or guarantees.
🇨🇴 Simetrik partners with Deloitte to expand its financial control SaaS across LatAm, combining automation with financial transformation expertise.
🇺🇸🤝🇨🇴 RunMyProcess partners with Koral Value to expand workflow automation in LatAm, focusing on energy, finance, and government services.
🇲🇽 Techreo launches a suite of digital solutions to modernize financial products, targeting financial inclusion and streamlined credit access for SMEs and underserved groups in LatAm.
🇲🇽 Electric Outdoors launches EO Canopy, a solar-powered mobile platform generating 64 kWh and 68 L of water daily. Offers off-grid living for $150K.
🇺🇾 Fenicio earns Google Partner Premier status for the third time, recognizing its outstanding performance in digital marketing and growth strategies.
🇺🇾🤝🇧🇪 dLocal partners with Belmoney to expand cross-border remittance services, leveraging dLocal's payment infrastructure to reduce costs and enhance speed across multiple markets.
🇺🇸🤝🇨🇱 Nasdaq partners with nuam (merger of Chile, Lima, and Colombia stock exchanges) to integrate its CSD platform, boosting post-trade processing and liquidity in LatAm. The collaboration aims to modernize financial markets, reduce costs, and attract global investors.
🇦🇷🤝🇨🇷 Geopagos and BAC launch Pyme Store BAC to support SME digitalization in Latin and Central America. The platform simplifies e-commerce with features like payment methods, shipping options, and catalog management.
🇦🇷 The Argentine government has suspended Telecom's acquisition of Telefónica, citing antitrust concerns. The National Commission for the Defense of Competition warned that the merger would create market dominance, with up to 80% control in some areas.
🇨🇴 Telefónica sells 100% of Coltel to Millicom for $400M as part of its exit from LatAm. The deal includes Telefónica’s 67.5% stake and the remaining 32.5% from La Nación and other investors.
🇧🇷 Alfredo Hahn from Corton Capital wrote "Three Strategic Lessons from Mercado Libre’s Record-Breaking Year", analyzing how the company became LatAm’s top tech giant through platform expansion, revenue layering, and a durable ecosystem with network effects.
🌎 Jose de Cabo, co-founder of Remotely.works, released the 2025 LATAM Salary Guide. It shows that tech salaries are stabilizing, with senior engineers seeing drops of up to 16%. Compensation perks like equity and PTO are crucial, and experience is increasingly valued.
🇲🇽 Daniel Vogel, CEO and co-founder of Bitso, shares his journey leading one of LatAm's most innovative crypto scaleups. In this interview with Endeavor México, he discusses the challenges of crypto adoption, regulation, and how Bitso transformed the region’s financial ecosystem.
