Bloomberg Línea — In 2022 there were 1,251 equity investment transactions in Latin America, with $12 billion in investment volume, according to a report from Itaú BBA in partnership with research platform Sling Hub. The average investment per round was $12.4 million, and the year also saw 299 M&As and 10 new unicorns.
2022 was also marked by large corporations entering into investment in startups with corporate venture capital vehicles. And it was, above all, a record year for early-stage startups.
January seems to have followed the same trend, with Latin American startups receiving smaller amounts. Among the startups that received venture capital this week, fintechs were the standout in Latin America.
Juvo
A Brazilian credit fintech for lower-income users, Juvo received 40 million reais ($7.8 million) from SRM Ventures, which it plans to use to offer credit lines.
The company, which provides micro-loans for mobile phone recharging and personal loans of up to 2,500 reais ($490), expects to grow its offering by more than 10-fold this year.
In the last 18 months, the fintech said it has granted more than 400 million reais in microcredits.
Transfeera
Transfeera, a Brazilian payment management and automation fintech, received 7 million reais (US$1.3 million) from Honey Island and 4UM Investimentos, with participation from Bossanova Investimentos, Opus, Goodz Capital, and Curitiba Angels funds.
Founded in 2017, the company serves more than 470 clients and is said to have had a turnover of approximately 12.8 billion reais in 2022.
Talent Academy
Brazilian human resources startup Talent Academy received 3 million reais in a seed round. The investor ACE led the funding, with 2 million reais, and 1289 Capital, Bossanova Investimentos and angel investors also participated in the round.
Talent Academy provides software for people management in organizations, with data and insights for more assertive decision-making and development for employees.
Yave
Yave, a Mexican mortgage technology company, received a $7.5 million seed round financing to strengthen its digital platform for personalized loans, expand its offer for foreigners looking to buy a home in Mexico and promote future alliances, including a product with Infonavit. This year the company seeks to place 2.5 billion pesos ($133 million) in loans.
Yave offers a fully digital mortgage in Mexico. Its objective is to accelerate the approval of loans through a platform that digitizes the entire process, from the collection of information and documents, to the approval and disbursement of resources.
The platform with more than five years of operation has more than 1,000 active customers in 20 states of Mexico.