Hey, it’s Yoel 👋 Back again with the 32nd edition of Dealflow LatAm—your go-to source for all the deals, moves, and momentum in the region’s startup scene.

This week, Mexico stole the spotlight: 🇲🇽 Clara raised a massive $80M to double down on Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, while 🇲🇽 Xante and 🇲🇽 Vexi secured sizable funding to scale housing and credit access. Argentina and Uruguay also made noise, with 🇦🇷 Credicuotas and 🇺🇾 Zapia landing $30M+ rounds.

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

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Startup funding news 💸

Rounds of $10M+:

• 🇲🇽 Clara raises $80M to strengthen operations in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. The round was led by General Catalyst, with Acrew Capital, Kaszek, Monashees, and others participating.

• 🇦🇷 Credicuotas raises $33M in a debt issuance to expand consumer lending in Argentina. The round was organized by BIND | Soluciones financieras and BIND Inversiones, with support from major local banks.

• 🇲🇽 Xante secures $25.5M from BID Invest to expand its iBuyer platform for used homes in Mexico, focusing on social and mid-income segments.

• 🇲🇽 Vexi secures a $17.8M structured credit line from Banco Covalto to expand credit access for underbanked users in Mexico. Funds will boost loan capacity and support financial inclusion.

• 🇺🇾 Zapia raises $12.3M seed to expand its AI executive assistant across LatAm. The round was led by Prosus Ventures, with Endeavor Catalyst, Anthos Capital, Factory HQ, and SnR participating.

• 🇵🇪 Kiwi raises $10M to expand healthcare financing across LatAm. The round was led by HFD, MVRK Capital, and WDC Genesis. Funds will support patient access and tools for medical professionals.

Rounds $1M to $10M:

• 🇧🇷 Credituz raises $5M in a seed round to expand inclusive mortgage lending in Brazil. The round included angel investors Marc Slezynger, Fabio Alperowitch, and Claudia Massei, and will also fund its AI-powered lending platform.

• 🇧🇷 Fin-X raises $2.5M pre-seed to expand in the public health sector. The round was led by Atlantico, with Headline XP and Domo VC participating.

• 🇦🇷 Alprestamo raises $1.3M from CFC Capital to expand its financial marketplace. The funds will support new verticals like SME products, mortgages, and auto loans across LatAm.

• 🇲🇽 Motai raises $1M pre-seed to scale its secondhand motorcycle dealership in LatAm. Backed by ALAYA Capital, Orbit Startups, and others.

Other rounds of funding:

• 🇧🇷 UpMat raises $265K to scale its “Olympiads as a Service” platform. Led by Potencia Ventures.

• 🇧🇷 IDX Brasil raises $177K in pre-seed to enhance its real estate platform. The round was led by Geraldo Ramos, Flávio Ribeiro, and Assis Antunes.

• 🇨🇴 Supra raises strategic funding to expand its cross-border payments platform for SMEs in Colombia. The round was led by Citi, with Far Out Ventures and H20 Capital participating.

M&A transactions 🎊

🇧🇷 iFood acquires Opdv, Saipos, and 3S Checkout to become an all-in-one tech hub for restaurants. The move boosts digital integration and operational efficiency for food service businesses.

🇦🇷 Lara AI is acquired by Visma to scale its AI-driven HR platform across LatAm and Europe. The deal strengthens Visma’s HR tech offerings for over 4.5M users.

Investor & accelerator news 🚀

🇧🇷 Plug and Play partners with Abratic to boost Londrina’s innovation ecosystem. The initiative will support govtech development, startup acceleration, and international expansion.

🇧🇷 Pipe Ventures raises $320K to boost its neurotech fund NeuroCapital. The round, via Captable, will also support new thematic funds in agtech, U.S. real estate, and retail.

🇧🇷 Itaipu Parquetec launches open call offering up to $98K for tourism-focused startups. Selected teams get funding, mentorship, and real-world testing.

🇧🇷 Brazilian investment crowdfunding raises $140M in Q1 2025, surpassing 55% of 2024’s total. The growth reflects stronger adoption of regulated digital platforms under CVM 88.

🇦🇷 Alina VC launches a $10M fund to invest in early-stage LatAm startups focused on the Future of Work. Portfolio includes Lara AI, Maslow, and Torre.ai.

Opportunities & Deadlines 👀

• 🇨🇱 Copec extends Desafío Futuro deadline to May 5, offering up to $45K and a trip to San Francisco for student innovation projects.

• 🇦🇷 CONICET and Merck launch the 5th Health Innovation Award to boost science-based health startups in Argentina. Applications open until May 23, 2025.

• 🇵🇪 Bioincuba offers free support for Startup Perú 12G applicants seeking up to $41,100 in seed funding. Deadline: May 23, 2025.

• 🇨🇱 Start-Up Chile offers non-dilutive co-financing of $15 M–$75 M and 4–8-month acceleration in its 10th BIG program, open to global tech startups until May 9.

• 🇧🇸🌍 Caribbean Venture Collective launches to back founders with Caribbean ties. Founded by Techstars alumni, it offers an equity-free fellowship and investor access, with applications open until June 16.

• 🇧🇷 South Summit announces the Climate & Bioeconomy edition in Belém, set for July 15–16, focusing on innovation, sustainability, and bioeconomy ahead of COP30.

• 🇨🇱 Transbank and ChileConverge launch a new SME support cycle with free workshops and digital tools running through November 2025.

Startup news 💡

🇦🇷 Argentina

• 🇦🇷 Paygoal launches Apitax, an automated tax calculator for digital payments in LatAm. It supports over 40M monthly tax events across multiple jurisdictions.

• 🇦🇷 Plataforma PUMA wins INTECMAR 2024 for its emission-tracking agtech used in 7 countries.

• 🇦🇷 Alprestamo partners with Plug Collective to redefine its brand and visual identity amid regional expansion and new verticals.

🇧🇷 Brazil

• 🇧🇷 Pmweb opens a hub in Portugal to expand its marketing tech operations in Europe. The move aims to build partnerships with global players, led by VP Grazi Sbardelotto.

🇨🇱 Chile

• 🇨🇱 SONDA launches Smart Campus, an AI-powered platform to reduce university dropout in LatAm by predicting risk and supporting students with personalized retention plans.

🇨🇴 Colombia

• 🇨🇴 Akua launches AI-powered cloud payment platform in Colombia after raising $4M. Expansion planned across LatAm.

• 🇨🇴 RappiPay launches a new feature for cash top-ups at 14,000 Puntored locations across Colombia, expanding financial access through its digital ecosystem.

• 🇨🇴 Nequi launches Propulsor Loan offering up to $6.4K USD with monthly payments from $210 via its app.

• 🇨🇴 U.S. Cherry, founded by Colombian Nicolás Reyes, launches from the U.S. to offer ETF-based, dollar-denominated portfolios to LatAm users from just $100.

• 🇨🇴🤝🇺🇸 Alegra.com partners with Mastercard to boost SMB digitalization and financial management across LatAm.

🇲🇽 Mexico

• 🇲🇽🤝🇺🇸 Spin by Oxxo and Félix Pago partner to enable WhatsApp-based remittances from the U.S. to LatAm via 14,000+ points.

🇵🇪 Peru

• 🇵🇪 Riqra surpasses $1B in B2B transactions and strengthens its presence in Chile. The startup plans further expansion into Ecuador, Colombia, and Central America.

🇺🇾 Uruguay

• 🇺🇾 Nanogrow wins “Most Disruptive” startup at South Summit Brazil. The biotech startup stood out among 2,000+ global applicants with its nanoantibody therapies.

🌎 Other LatAm News

• 🇵🇦 Lulubit expands to Honduras and Dominican Republic to ease crypto remittances and boost retail adoption in LatAm.

• 🇵🇷 Pacífico Group launches Pacífico.AI to streamline federal fund disbursement using AI, aiming to accelerate reconstruction efforts across Puerto Rico.

Big company & policy news 💡

🇦🇷 MercadoLibre, the most valuable tech company in LatAm, plans to move its legal domicile from Delaware to Texas to cut franchise taxes and gain strategic flexibility. The $110B e-commerce giant recently opened its first fulfillment center outside LatAm in San Antonio.

🇧🇷 Claro cloud receives a $176M investment from Claro empresas to expand its multicloud platform and launch a Digital Solutions Hub targeting both SMEs and large clients.

🇧🇷 Nuvini reports record FY 2024 results with strong revenues and profits, and announces the acquisition of Munddi, one of four planned for 2025 to fuel LatAm growth.

🇧🇷 Itaú Unibanco to launch AI-powered investment agents for its 70M clients by H2 2025, aiming to lead Brazil’s retail banking innovation.

Interesting reads 💡

🇲🇽 Amit Chowdhry interviewed Andrew Seiz, SVP of Finance at Kueski, on how the Mexican BNPL fintech is using AI to boost financial inclusion, its 20M loans milestone, and growth plans with Amazon and in-store payments.

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