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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
- Vita Wallet secured Bolivia's first international crypto license under new regulations, advancing its Latin American expansion strategy.
- Jeeveslaunched Instant Pay and a stablecoin corporate card for Latin American businesses, significantly streamlining cross-border payments.
- AI collections platform Moonflow partnered with payment network Puntored to create Mexico's largest collections infrastructure.
- Prometeo and Fiskil formed a strategic alliance to offer a comprehensive end-to-end open finance solution in Colombia.
- Pitz launched its AI-integrated auto parts marketplace in Mexico to digitize repair shops by connecting vehicle diagnostics with parts suppliers.
💸 Top Funding Rounds
- 99Pay secured $135.3 million through a FIDC operation coordinated by Bradesco BBI, injecting vital capital to enhance services and expand offerings.
- Colombian fintech Addi raised an $89 million financing structured by Citi to strengthen its “buy now, pay later” operations and accelerate its expansion.
- Humand, an AI-powered operating system for deskless workers, landed $66 million in a Series A round co-led by Kaszek and Goodwater Capital.
- HRtech startup Comp raised $19.3 million in Series A funding led by Khosla Ventures to revolutionize HR with AI and strategic consulting.
- Brazilian healthtech Genial Care attracted $8 million in Series B funding from General Catalyst to expand its autism treatment network.
💰️ IPO and M&A Watch
- Brazilian energytech TYR Energia acquired GreenAnt, a SaaS platform for energy efficiency, to internalize proprietary technology and AI, preparing for the full opening of the free energy market.
- Following Central Bank approval, Brazilian fintech Celcoin acquired Via Capital, a Direct Credit Society, marking its seventh acquisition to consolidate its growing credit vertical.
🏦 About Investors
- Venture capital firm Canary launched its fourth and largest fund to date, Canary IV, securing $150 million to continue investing in early-stage startups across Brazil and Latin America.
🚀 Startup of the Week
Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆
99Pay
Brazilian fintech 99Pay, the digital wallet of ride-hailing platform 99, is scaling its embedded finance footprint across the country with payments, credit, and savings products tailored to drivers and everyday users. Based in São Paulo and led by CEO Luiz Otávio Landgraff, the company recently executed a $135.3 million FIDC operation, exclusively coordinated by Bradesco BBI, securitizing future receivables to unlock liquidity for expansion. The transaction marks a strategic shift toward structured finance as a growth engine, strengthening its capacity to roll out new credit solutions and platform features. By integrating financial services directly into mobility, 99Pay is reinforcing its role as a core fintech infrastructure layer in Brazil’s digital economy.
💼 Investor of the Week
Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆
Canary
Founded in 2017 in São Paulo, Canary has become one of Latin America’s most active early-stage venture capital firms, positioning itself as the first institutional check for ambitious founders. Backing startups from ideation through Series A across fintech, healthtech, climate, consumer, and B2B software, the firm has invested in more than 100 companies, including Buser, Alice, and Caju. Led by co-founders Florian Hagenbuch, Mate Pencz, Marcos Toledo Leite, Julio Vasconcellos, and Patrick de Picciotto, Canary recently closed its largest vehicle yet, Canary IV at $150 million, backed by the IDB, IFC, and JICA. With a founder-led DNA and growing institutional support, Canary continues to anchor the next generation of Latin American tech champions.
🤑 Opportunities Expiring Soon
THRIVE Studio Sprint
- 📢 Organizer: SVG Ventures | THRIVE
- 🗂️ Category: Incubator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Ideation, Pre-seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Agriculture & Food
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 02, 2026
MassChallenge Switzerland 2026 Accelerator
- 📢 Organizer: MassChallenge Switzerland
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator, Award/Prize, Competition/Challenge
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 04, 2026
World Wide Vibes Hackathon
- 📢 Organizer: GenAI Works
- 🗂️ Category: Hackathon, Training & Learning
- 🪜 Target Stages: Ideation
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: AI & Data, Infrastructure & Smart Cities, Social & Governance, Education & Workforce
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 07, 2026
Techstars Founder Catalyst WaterTech & Sustainability
- 📢 Organizer: Techstars
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Ideation, Pre-seed, Seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Energy & Environment
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 08, 2026
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