Rodrigo Soares will take the stage at Colibri's reseller convention on Wednesday with just over a year of results and an aggressive growth plan. The company is positioning itself as a technology ecosystem for restaurants, with a special focus on the physical dining room, which still accounts for 75% to 80% of sales in the sector, according to Abrasel. Recent acquisitions and a revamped payments platform are central to that strategy.
A Turnaround Year Under New Ownership
Colibri, a traditional restaurant management software brand, was acquired by Rodrigo Soares' RS Solutions, owner of POS Fácil, in September 2025. The deal was valued at R$100 million and ended a period under the control of American company NCR, which had run the operation since 2012. In the following months, Soares focused on reorganizing support structures and a reseller network of more than 600 people across Brazil.
The operational overhaul also brought Colibri back to industry events such as Fispal and ExpoBurger after more than a decade of absence, and the company resumed its relationship with Abrasel. According to Soares, new client acquisition has been doubling month over month, with one month tripling. Total transaction volume rose from around R$28 billion to R$34 billion.
Acquisitions Expand the Physical Restaurant Ecosystem
Colibri has made two acquisitions to strengthen its presence in the physical restaurant environment. Cannoli, founded by former Linx executive Samuel Carvalho, provides CRM, consumer segmentation, campaign automation, loyalty programs, and cashback. The platform will operate within the newly created Colibri Growth unit and remain open to other industry players.
The second acquisition, Qnow, covers queue management, reservations, and what Soares describes as a key differentiator: parking. A customer can make a reservation and share a license plate, allowing the valet to be ready upon arrival. When the waiter scans a QR code at the table, the system knows the vehicle is on site and can call for it as the bill is being closed.
Payments Strategy and Installment Plans
Colibri Pay anchors the company's integrated strategy with a capability that Soares says is unheard of in Brazil. The solution allows a customer to split a restaurant meal into three installments, while Colibri Pay settles the full amount with the restaurant immediately. The operation uses a subacquirer structure maintained since 2018 under the XPago brand and is being developed with Itaú.
A second payments feature offers a unified financial reconciliation portal that works regardless of which acquirer the restaurant uses. Soares says this is less visible but often more important for restaurant owners. The goal is to reduce operational friction and tie payments into the broader ecosystem of point of sale, self-service totems, table tablets, digital menus, delivery, reservations, and loyalty.
Competing with iFood Through Waiters and Data
Soares sees iFood's move into physical dining as market validation rather than a direct threat. He credits the delivery giant with building awareness that restaurant owners need technology. To differentiate Colibri, the company is betting on the direct relationship that waiters have with customers to drive loyalty, recurrence, and higher ticket spending.
Colibri also combines product usage data with customer behavior to identify visit frequency, average ticket, preferences, and churn risk. Soares says the combination of tools and data is rare in the market. The company targets restaurants with revenue above R$300,000 and believes this segment remains fragmented enough to provide room to grow before larger competitors dominate.
With a restructured team, a broader product portfolio, and a clear focus on the physical restaurant market, Colibri is moving from stabilization to scale. The company aims to close 2027 with revenue of R$100 million, double its 2025 result, and continues to evaluate acquisitions. Its mix of payments, customer engagement, and operational tools positions Colibri to challenge larger players in Brazil's food service technology market.
Source: Startups.com.br