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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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Let's delve into the core sections of our weekly newsletter:

• 📰 Important News

• 💸 Top Funding Rounds

• 💰️ Notable Exits

• 🏦 About Investors

• 📋️ Curated Lists

• 📈 Deep Dive Bites

• 🎙️ Expert Insights

• 🤝 Diversity Spotlight

• 🚀 Startup Of the Week

• 💼 Investor of the Week

• 🤑 Opportunity Radar

📰 Important News

• According to a recent report, the OECD has identified Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil as leaders in the advancement of digitalization in Ibero-America.

• Mercado Libre is seeking Central Bank approval to enter Argentina's banking sector, aiming to compete with regulated financial institutions.

• Lulo X, in collaboration with Visa and Pomelo, launched its digital X Credit Card, enabling users to make purchases in USDC.

• n1co, a leading Salvadoran fintech in Central America, launched the App n1co Business to help businesses digitalize operations and accept card payments.

• Wenia launched the Wenia Card, a 100% digital Mastercard that allows users to make purchases with crypto assets.

💸 Top Funding Rounds

• Education financing platform Pravaler raised $75 million in Credit Rights Investment Funds to expand student credit access in Brazil.

• Blip raised $60 million in a Series C round led by Warburg Pincus to expand its AI-driven conversational platform.

• Mexican employee wellness fintech Minu raised $30 million in Series B funding led by QED Investors to expand its services in Mexico.

• Solvento raised $12.5 million in Series A funding to enhance asset purchase lending and expand services through insurance partnerships.

• Nicaraguan fintech Tumoni raised $2.3 million in a pre-seed round to provide services to U.S. migrants and their families in Central America.

💰️ Notable Exits

• Inspirali acquired the medical residency prep startup Eu Médico Residente for $6.54 million to expand its presence in medical education across Brazil.

• Spun Mídia acquired 50% of ReConverte for $430,000 to strengthen its digital ecosystem and enhance e-commerce and email marketing capabilities.

• Chilean proptech EdiPro acquired Lottawork, a marketplace for repair technicians, to expand into home services.

• Brazilian fintech Celcoin acquired CobranSaas in a 100% cash deal to enhance its credit infrastructure segment.

• Perseus Operating Group of Constellation Software Inc. completed its first acquisition in Brazil, purchasing Matrix Sistemas e Serviços Ltda.

🏦 About Investors

• Bossa Invest has been ranked in the Top 10 globally in emerging markets by PitchBook's Q3 2024 Global League Tables.

• Décio Lima announced the SEBRAE DELAS credit portfolio, a new initiative offering 100% financing guarantees for women-led SMEs.

📋️ Curated Lists

Discover the dynamic venture capital landscape in Latin America beyond the major markets. From Guatemala’s Invarientes, to Costa Rica’s Carao Ventures, investing in innovative companies like Tesorio, explore how these regional firms are shaping the startup ecosystem. These VC firms play a pivotal role in driving growth and innovation across diverse industries. Check out the full list and delve deeper into the article to uncover the key players fueling LATAM's entrepreneurial revolution.

🚀 Startup Of the Week

Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆

Pravaler

Pravaler, Brazil's largest private student-loan company and the country's first fintech, has raised $75 million through Credit Rights Investment Funds (FIDCs), bringing its total funding for 2024 to $123.6 million. Established in 2001, Pravaler has supported over 170,000 students and partners with more than 500 educational institutions, holding an 80% share of Brazil's private student financing market. The latest issuance, including a principal FIDC valued at over $189.5 million with AAA-rated senior series, will expand student loans nationwide, particularly in high-demand fields like Medicine, where enrollment has surged by 250% since 2022. Pravaler continues to drive social mobility by enhancing access to higher education for Brazil's youth.

💼 Investor of the Week

Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆

Bossa Invest

Bossa Invest, formerly known as Bossa Nova Investimentos, has solidified its position as a leading Brazilian micro-venture capital firm and a global player in the startup ecosystem. Established in 2011 and headquartered in São Paulo, the firm specializes in pre-seed and seed investments, focusing on innovative, scalable B2B startups in sectors like fintech, healthtech, and edtech. Highlighted in the Q3 2024 PitchBook Global League Tables, Bossa Invest ranked among the Top 5 most active early-stage investors in Latin America and secured a global Top 10 spot for transactions in emerging markets. Director Antonio Patrus celebrated this milestone as a testament to Brazil’s growing influence in venture capital, reflecting Bossa Invest's commitment to driving technology, innovation, and social impact.

🤑 Opportunity Radar

Call for Applications: Llama 3.1 Impact Grants

Meta's Llama 3.1 Impact Grants application deadline has been extended to December 1, 2024, at 11:59 PM PT, offering organizations a chance to secure funding of up to $500,000. The program supports innovative projects leveraging Llama 3.1 or 3.2 to address global challenges in areas like economic development, science and innovation, public services, and education. Participating organizations must demonstrate technical feasibility, impactful solutions, and a robust business plan. Whether enhancing multilingual AI capabilities or creating tools to lower barriers for developers, this grant aims to foster groundbreaking applications with social impact.