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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
- Central Bank of Chile approvedShinkansenas a payment clearing chamber,upgrading national payments infrastructure by 2026.
- Spin by OXXO partnered with Kira to enable U.S.-to-Mexico remittances via Spin accounts.
- PicPay launched PicPay Delivery with Rappi, offering 10-minute food and grocery deliveries in-app.
💸 Top Funding Rounds
- Anzi Finance secured $25 million in initial funding to bolster its credit risk infrastructure in Latin America.
- Peruvian platform KUZI raised $45,000 from Google for Startups and Startup Perú to revolutionize crowdfunding in Latin America using AI.
💰️ IPO and M&A Watch
- Bemobi acquired Paytime to launch a new PaaS unit, expanding payment infrastructure and its B2B2B model in Brazil.
- House of Brains acquired four tech firms, including Dom Rock and Mooven, targeting $45 million revenue and international expansion by 2026.
- Semantix is acquiring Atos' South American operations, significantly expanding its presence across the region and enhancing its technology, data, and AI platform capabilities.
- Hub40 announced plans to pursue global expansion via acquisitions in data, automation, and AI while operating profitably.
🏦 About Investors
- Angel investor Claudio Schlegel revealed his focus on founders with strong execution and resilient business models, warning against inflated valuations, and predicting Mexico's emergence as a leading startup hub by 2026.
🚀 Startup of the Week
Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆
Anzi Finance
Anzi Finance was founded in 2023 by Matias Marmissolle, Luis César Castañeda, Andrés Felipe Valencia Gómez, and David Ramírez Beltrán to tackle one of Latin America’s biggest bottlenecks, credit risk for SMEs. The startup builds blockchain-based infrastructure that allows banks and fintechs to share or transfer loan risk through tokenized guarantees and real-world asset collateral. Led by CEO Matías Marmissolle, Anzi closed the first phase of a $25 million financing plan backed by Tritemius VC, Outlier Ventures, Uruguay’s ANII, and strategic angels. In 2025, it expanded to Uruguay, establishing a regional tech hub after validating its model in Colombia. Anzi’s mission is to unlock productive credit at scale by modernizing credit guarantee systems across emerging markets.
💼 Investor of the Week
Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆
Claudio Schlegel
Claudio Schlegel is a Mexican angel investor with 15 years of experience investing at the pre-seed and seed stages across Latin America, focused on founders with strong execution and resilient business models. He has warned against inflated valuations, arguing that the excesses of the 2021 boom hurt companies lacking solid fundamentals. In recent interviews, Schlegel predicted Mexico’s emergence as a leading startup hub by 2026, driven by nearshoring dynamics and the practical use of AI to improve business efficiency. Active across Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, and Peru, he positions himself as a hands-on investor, adding strategic support well beyond capital.
🤑 Opportunity Radar
Call for Applications: Hub71+ Life Sciences Health Innovation Program
Hub71+ Life Sciences in Abu Dhabi is now accepting applications for Cohort 19 with a deadline of February 1, 2026. Startups receive $70,000 cash via SAFE plus $70,000 in in-kind support, alongside mentorship, capital access, and corporate partnerships. Targeted at biotech, MedTech, and digital health founders, onboarding begins June 2026 with the program kicking off in September 2026. Apply now to scale with a global health innovation ecosystem behind you.
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