Dealflow LatAm #40: Welli raises $25M. Tapi acquires Arcus Mexico. Itaú Ventures launches with $91M.
Welcome to the 40th edition of the Dealflow LatAm newsletter: a weekly summary of everything that happened in the LatAm startup and investment ecosystem.
Hey, it’s Yoel 👋 Back again with the 40th edition of Dealflow LatAm—your go-to source for all the deals, moves, and momentum in the region’s startup scene.
LatAm surged this week with fintech, AI, and digital infrastructure breakthroughs! Brazil led with major funding and bold deals, while innovation expanded across borders. The region’s tech ecosystem is accelerating rapidly.
Plenty to break down—so let’s get into it 🚀
Startup funding news 💸
Rounds of $10M+:
🇺🇸🇧🇷 Waltz raises $50M in equity and debt to expand real estate financing for LatAm investors in the U.S. The funds will increase its lending capacity to $1B and support regional growth starting with Brazil.
🇨🇴 Welli raises $25M in a Series A round to expand its digital medical lending and position itself as the health bank of LatAm. The round supports its growth in Colombia and future regional expansion.
🇧🇷 Tensec raises $12M to scale its cross-border payments infrastructure. The round was led by Costanoa Ventures, with participation from Quiet Capital, WillowTree Investments, Cambrian VC, Ignia Partners, and others.
🇧🇷 DEX raises up to $11M to expand its receivables anticipation operations. The round was led by Grupo Loc, with advisory from Pulse Capital, and supports tech upgrades, franchise growth, and working capital.
Other rounds of funding:
🇧🇷 Sinatra raises $730K to expand its AI agent marketplace and start international growth. The round included Grupo Quality Digital, a16z Scout, and angel investors.
🇧🇷 Kipon raises $255K to implement AI in workforce management. The round was led by DOMO.VC and will support platform development and expansion into recruitment and employer branding.
🇦🇷 Sancor Seguros Impulsa invests in InterBrain, boosting innovation in immersive tech and AI for corporate training across LatAm.
🇧🇷 Maritaca receives undisclosed funding from Jusbrasil to boost its Portuguese-language legal AI. The deal may give Jusbrasil up to a 25% stake.
🇧🇷 Mercado de Recebíveis raises new funding to scale its credit model and launch its own FIDC. The round was led by URCA Angels.
🇧🇷 Cloud9 Capital invests in Auvo Tecnologia to expand its field team management SaaS across LatAm and pursue M&A opportunities.
M&A transactions 🎊
🇦🇷🤝🇲🇽 Tapi acquires Mastercard’s Arcus payment network in Mexico to expand its cash-in/out and bill pay infrastructure. The deal adds 50K active points, 350 providers, and 80+ clients, consolidating Tapi as Mexico’s most complete payment network.
🇦🇷 Revolut acquires BNP Paribas-owned Cetelem Argentina to expand in LatAm. The digital bank plans to offer multi-currency accounts, no-fee transfers, and FX trading tailored to Argentine consumers.
🇧🇷 FCamara acquires Dfense through a share swap and will invest $5.5M to expand its cybersecurity operations. The move aims to build a scalable security vertical targeting critical and regulated sectors.
🇧🇷 CRMBonus acquires Oto CRM from WPP to boost in-store CRM. The deal adds $5.5M in revenue and 4,000+ stores to its network.
🇨🇴🤝🇧🇷 Álaga is acquired by Integrity Holding to scale its digital credit model for MSMEs. The Colombian fintech will operate independently, focusing on tech and analytics-driven lending.
🇨🇱 Talana is acquired by Visma, with Venturance and other shareholders selling their stake in Linq SpA, Talana’s parent company.
🇵🇪 NovoPayment acquires full ownership of Servitebca Peru, boosting its fintech presence in Peru.
Investor & accelerator news 🚀
🇧🇷 Kiara Capital raises $13.7M in its first external fund to back B2B fintechs across LatAm, targeting up to $41.9M.
🇧🇷 Rosey Ventures, CVC of Grupo Marista, launches with $5.5M to invest in early-stage edtechs and healthtechs. The fund will deploy checks between $45K and $820K to drive digital transformation.
🇧🇷 Itaú Unibanco launches Itaú Ventures with $91M to back LatAm startups in fintech, AI, and cybersecurity. Investments range from $3.6M to $9.1M per deal.
🇨🇱 Bci mobilizes over $750M to support 20,000 early-stage startups in Chile through programs like Bci Nace, Scale W, and Valor Pyme, focusing on financing, mentoring, and inclusion.
🇲🇽 Lotux launches its second fund to invest $50K–$100K in pre-seed startups across LatAm. With five deals closed, it plans 15 more in the next 18 months.
🇲🇽 Coparmex CDMX proposes creating a fund to support innovation and startups in Mexico City, integrating AI and fostering long-term economic and social development.
Opportunities & Deadlines 👀
🇨🇱 AceleraLatam opens applications for ALGEN Cohort 17, its pre-seed program for fundraising-ready startups. Deadline is July 1, 2025.
🇺🇸🌎 AWS opens applications for the Generative AI Accelerator 2025 to support 5 LatAm startups; deadline is July 10.
🇲🇽 Bitso launches Hackathon MXNB with up to ~$7K for DeFi/payment projects using MXNB. Backed by Arbitrum, QED, Portal. Deadline: July 14.
🇧🇷 South Summit announces its Climate & Bioeconomy edition in Belém, set for July 15–16, with a focus on innovation, sustainability, and COP30.
🇧🇷 Indovinya opens applications for its agri-chemicals challenge on biodegradable dispersants. Deadline is July 27, 2025.
🇲🇽 Daikin launches AirTech Challenge 2025 for HVAC startups. Winners pitch in Monterrey and win a trip to Japan. Deadline: July 31, 2025.
🇲🇽 VTEX CONNECT LATAM 2025 returns to Mexico on September 25 to unite digital commerce leaders for networking and innovation.
🇨🇱 Transbank and ChileConverge launch a new SME support cycle with free workshops and digital tools running through November 2025.
🇨🇱 NTT DATA Chile opens eAwards 2025 for tech startups creating positive impact. Applications open until end of 2025.
Startup news 💡
🇦🇷 Argentina
🇦🇷 Mercado Ads accelerates using proprietary data and AI to expand full-funnel digital advertising across LatAm.
🇦🇷🤝🇺🇸 Pomelo partners with FICO to bring advanced fraud prevention tech to LatAm via BSafe SaaS.
🇧🇷 Brazil
🇧🇷 Flourish Fi wins FEBRABAN TECH 2025 for the second time with its gamified financial wellness platform used by major LatAm banks.
🇧🇷 Selvia launches PJ account for doctors with automated tax handling via WhatsApp, streamlining payments for consultations and shifts.
🇧🇷 Bossa Invest launches AI on WhatsApp to let investors track startup results in real time, in partnership with Infinity4.
🇧🇷 Cheers hits 2M users and expands its student benefits club to new cities in Brazil, offering VIP access, discounts, and cashback for $1.80/month.
🇧🇷 Flamengo partners with Pro Soccer to enhance technical management using a centralized data platform for faster, evidence-based decisions.
🇧🇷 Celero launches AI assistant Tina for SMEs, with Serasa integrating it into Serasa Descomplica to boost financial management via WhatsApp.
🇨🇱 Chile
🇨🇱 Metropago teams up with Banco Security to enable direct transfers from its prepaid card, integrating mobility and fintech in Chile.
🇨🇱 Movizzon expands in Mexico with AI mystery shoppers, aiming to become a top-3 market within 18 months.
🇨🇱 Faces launches a platform to turn docs into visual, interactive sites for pitches, updates, and proposals—making idea-sharing 10x easier with AI.
🇨🇱 Khipu breaks record with 11K+ payments per hour during Cyber event, highlighting strong growth and scalability in Chile’s digital payments ecosystem.
🇨🇱🤝🇺🇸 Zerviz and Five9 expand partnership to scale AI-driven customer service across Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Peru.
🇧🇷🤝🇨🇱 Osten Invest partners with Elite Capital to expand to Chile, aiming to transact $5M in alternative investments over two years.
🇨🇴 Colombia
🇨🇴 KOA obtains regulatory license to operate as a financing company in Colombia and plans to launch a high-yield digital CDT.
🇨🇴 BPC launches Card-as-a-Service in Colombia, offering scalable, secure card issuance solutions for banks, fintechs, and businesses.
🇲🇽 Mexico
🇲🇽 Finco Pay receives CNBV approval to operate as an IFPE, becoming the second fintech licensed under Mexico’s Fintech Law in 2025.
🇨🇱 Vambe opens offices in Mexico and reaches $3M in revenue, aiming to expand its LatAm presence in digital advertising and marketing technology.
🇦🇷 Mercado Pago enables over 400,000 Mexican SMEs to secure financing, boosting access to capital for small businesses through its digital platform.
🇲🇽🤝🇦🇷 Belvo and Ualá partner to expand credit in Mexico using IMSS labor data, boosting approvals for users without credit history.
🇲🇽🤝🇧🇷 APLAZO partners with EBANX to bring BNPL to global e-commerce in Mexico, expanding digital financing and boosting conversion.
🇵🇪 Peru
🇵🇪🤝🇧🇷 Yape integrates with EBANX to enable seamless global payments for millions in Peru, boosting access for merchants and users alike.
🇵🇪 ViviendoYa partners with Firm Easy and Ecobuildnext to boost digital contracts and modular housing for affordable home access in Peru.
🇺🇾 Uruguay
🇺🇾 dLocal appoints Will Pruett as independent board member to strengthen expansion in LatAm, Africa, and Asia.
🌎 Other LatAm News
🇲🇽🇦🇷🇨🇴 tapi and DolarApp form a regional alliance to enable service payments across Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia through a single API integration.
Big company & policy news 💡
🇦🇷 Banco Galicia completes integration to become Argentina’s largest private financial platform, now serving 5M+ clients with 350+ branches and 7,200 employees.
🇦🇷 Mercado Libre ranks 75th in Time 100 Most Influential Companies 2025 as a dominant LatAm retailer. It serves 100M+ annual buyers and 60M monthly Mercado Pago users, with $9.2B planned investments in Brazil and Mexico.
🇧🇷 Méliuz buys $28.6M in Bitcoin, reaching 595.67 BTC to become the largest corporate Bitcoin holder in LatAm, boosting capital protection and investor returns.
🇧🇷 Amazon Brazil plans to boost investment and expand its logistics network, following $1.47B invested in the last two years, aiming to grow product offerings and delivery speed with new distribution centers.
🇲🇽 Mexican government launches monthly sessions with startups to remove bureaucratic barriers and improve access to financing, aiming to boost innovation in the tech ecosystem.
🇺🇸 NVIDIA urges expansion of local data centers in LatAm to ensure AI sovereignty, boost regional tech growth, and reduce dependency on US and China.
Interesting reads 💡
🇪🇸 Alvaro Rojas (hyrise) published “Everything I wish I'd known about AI 6 months ago (as a non-technical founder)”