Bloomberg Línea — Startups operating in the sectors of e-commerce, real estate, healthcare and cryptocurrencies received financing in recent days. One notable highlight was Nocnoc, which facilitates overseas online purchases and secured a $14 million investment in a Series A funding round led by PayPal’s venture capital arm.
Regarding early-stage investments, specifically angel investments, the volume of such capital outlays in Brazil decreased by 2% in 2022 compared to 2021. Last year, 984 million reais ($185 million) was invested in startups, according to a survey conducted by nonprofit organization Anjos do Brasil.
According to the report, the investment volume in Brazil still represents only 0.7% of what is invested in startups in the United States, which amounts to approximately $29 billion annually. On the other hand, the number of angel investors has increased by 2%, and there are currently 7,963 angel investors in Brazil, according to the survey, which also assessed investors’ outlook for 2023, and who expect a reduction of at least 4% this year, the worst expectation since the beginning of the surveys in 2011, marking the first time they project a decrease in their investments.
These are the companies that secured funding in recent days:
Nocnoc
Nocnoc, a startup that has developed an e-commerce solution to facilitate transactions between global sellers and Latin America, received $14 million in a Series A funding round led by PayPal’s venture capital arm. Mouro Capital, Quona Capital, Caravela Capital, Broadhaven, and Ignia also participated in the round. With offices in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, China and Spain, and headquarters in Uruguay, Nocnoc plans to use the funds to help businesses expand in the region. Nocnoc promises to overcome cultural, logistical and financial barriers faced by foreign companies looking to expand into Latin America.
Tuhabi
Tuhabi, a subsidiary of Colombian proptech Habi, received a $50 million credit line from the Inter-American Development Bank to expand its operations in Mexico. In May, Tuhabi had already secured a $100 million credit line from Victory Park Capital and a $21 million loan from BBVA in February, also for expansion in Mexico. Tuhabi allows Colombians and Mexicans to sell properties online and receive payment within up to 10 days. Habi, on the other hand, received a $6.3 million credit line from BancoIdex in January of this year, following a $75 million loan from Triple Point Capital in June of last year.
La Haus
La Haus, a competitor of Habi and also a Colombian proptech, raised $62 million in a Series C funding round, according to PitchBook. The investment was led by NFX and included participation from Kaszek, Acrew Capital, FJ Labs, and Next Play Capital.
Dr. Consulta
Dr. Consulta, a Brazilian healthcare management platform, announced that it is in the final stage of raising $20 million in an operation led by IDB Invest (the private arm of the Inter-American Development Bank). Of that total, approximately $8 million came from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a Japanese governmental organization promoting business development.
The investment was announced by JICA President Dr. Akihiko Tanaka during the “Investimento em Capital de Crescimento (Growth Equity) nas Mudanças Climáticas e em Saúde” seminar held by the agency in São Paulo on June 12.
Bit2Me
Bit2Me, a Spanish digital asset company with operations in Latin America, announced that it received a €14 million investment led by Investcorp in alternative investments. The funding round also includes significant participation from Telefónica Ventures, the investment vehicle of Telefónica (Vivo in Brazil), for investing in startups. The funds will be used to consolidate the platform’s position as the leading exchange in Spain and accelerate its expansion throughout Latin America.