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Welcome to another edition of 🔍 Startup Researcher - Latin America, your essential digest delivering the latest news and premium insights on startups and venture capital across the region 🌍
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📰 Important News
- Revolut applied for a full banking license in Peru and named Julien Labrot as CEO to lead its market entry and expand financial inclusion in LATAM.
- Tenpo secured its CMF license, becoming Chile’s first neobank and preparing to offer checking accounts and loans to 2.5 million users.
- Flix partnered with Mexico to integrate the Tren Maya into its global sales network, boosting international access to the railway project.
- The Dominican Republic regulated investment crowdfunding, letting SMEs raise capital via supervised public issuance with investor protections.
- F360 appointed Nicolas Prado as CFO to strengthen financial governance and support sustainable growth during its expansion phase.
💸 Top Funding Rounds
- Pomelo secured $55 million in a Series C co-led by Kaszek and Insight Partners to accelerate its expansion across Latin America.
- CashU raised $22.3 million for its B2B lending fund backed by BTG Pactual and Capitânia to scale FIDC-based supply chain finance.
- Brazilian ag-fintech Nagro completed a $9.3 million in Series B from Rabo Partnerships and Itaú Ventures to scale AI-driven agribusiness credit.
- Uma Penca landed $840,000 from more than 300 investors including Grupo Gaia to scale its print-on-demand platform with a sustainability focus.
- Viatik secured an undisclosed seed round from Plug and Play to scale in Argentina after 50 percent monthly growth and 250,000 users.
💰️ IPO and M&A Watch
- PicPay is targeting a valuation of up to $2.46 billion in its U.S. IPO, offering about 22.9 million shares at $16 to $19 to raise up to $434 million and list on Nasdaq as PICS.
- Banco Macro acquired 50% of Personal Pay for $75 million, partnering with Telecom Argentina to forge a leading bank-fintech ecosystem and boost financial inclusion by digitizing services in Argentina.
🏦 About Investors
- IDB Invest committed $30 million to Valor Capital’s new growth fund to back tech-enabled scale-ups across Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Leste and Avenue launched a $30 million offshore credit fund to finance Billor’s U.S. expansion, aiming to grow its fleet to 3,000 trucks by 2027.
- GB Ventures launched its sixth startup accelerator, backing innovators in beauty, retail, and fintech with mentorship and potential strategic investment.
🚀 Startup of the Week
Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆
Pomelo
Founded in 2021 in Buenos Aires by Gastón Irigoyen, Pomelo is building core card issuing and payment processing infrastructure for fintechs, banks, and large enterprises across Latin America. Led by CEO Gastón Irigoyen, the company enables clients to launch and scale modern card products across complex regulatory markets. In its latest move, Pomelo closed a $55 million Series C co-led by Kaszek and Insight Partners, bringing total funding to $160 million, with backing from Index Ventures, monashees, and Adams Street. The capital is fueling expansion in Mexico and Brazil, deeper bank partnerships, and new products including stablecoin-native cards and real-time cross-border payments, positioning Pomelo as critical financial infrastructure for the region’s digital economy.
💼 Investor of the Week
Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆
Valor Capital
Founded in 2011 by Clifford M. Sobel and Scott Sobel, Valor Capital Group is a cross-border venture and growth equity firm bridging the U.S. and Latin America with a focus on tech-enabled scale-ups in fintech, enterprise software, AI, and climate tech. The firm’s latest milestone came as IDB Invest committed $30 million as an anchor LP to Valor Growth Americas III, a $300 million target fund backing late-stage, venture-backed companies across Latin America and the Caribbean. Led by the Sobels alongside partners including Antoine Colaço, Valor differentiates through its deep binational operating network and ability to help companies scale internationally. With a portfolio spanning CloudWalk, Wellhub, and Terradot, Valor plays a key role in accelerating the region’s next generation of globally competitive technology leaders.
🤑 Opportunities Expiring Soon
Alliance: The Leading Crypto Accelerator and Founder Community
- 📢 Organizer: Alliance
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator, Funding
- 🪜 Target Stages: Stage Agnostic
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Finance & Insurance, Web3 & Blockchain, AI & Data
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 28, 2026
Accelerate Your Pre-Seed Vision with SE Ventures
- 📢 Organizer: SE Ventures
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Energy & Environment, Manufacturing & Materials, AI & Data
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 30, 2026
TMF Beyond Boundaries EMEA Social Entrepreneurship Program 2026
- 📢 Organizer: The Mentorship Foundation (TMF)
- 🗂️ Category: Funding, Incubator, Award/Prize
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-seed, Seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Health & Life Sciences, Energy & Environment, Education & Workforce, Social & Governance
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 30, 2026
PRME Students Innovation Studio
- 📢 Organizer: Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME)
- 🗂️ Category: Incubator, Funding
- 🪜 Target Stages: Ideation, Pre-seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 31, 2026
Presight AI Accelerator
- 📢 Organizer: Presight
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator, Funding
- 🪜 Target Stages: Ideation, Pre-seed, Seed, Series A
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 31, 2026
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