Cuantico VP Identifies Brazil’s Top Startups to Watch for 2026

Mexico City – October 10, 2025 – Cuantico VP, a Latin American venture capital research platform, today released its analysis of Brazil’s Top Startups to Watch for 2026, grouping them into five strategic categories that reveal the dominant trends in the country’s tech ecosystem. This study is part of an ongoing research effort by Cuantico VP over the past three years, covering various Latin American markets including Mexico, Central America, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and now Brazil.

The report documents a robust recovery: Brazil recorded USD 1.25 billion in investments during the first half of 2025, already exceeding half of 2024’s total and marking a shift towards more rigorous investment standards that prioritize profitability and operational excellence over unchecked growth.

“Brazil is undergoing a structural transformation towards high value-added sectors,” commented a firm spokesperson. “The trends we see in the ecosystem allow us to identify that the Brazilian market, valued at USD 117 billion with more than 24 unicorns, is showing unprecedented maturity, where five technological categories are emerging as the pillars of future growth.”

2025 Resurgence Context

Brazil’s resurgence sharply contrasts with 2024, when investments reached just USD 1.7 billion—the lowest level in over a decade. This recovery is not merely cyclical but structural, characterized by stricter standards that have raised the average quality of investments.

São Paulo remains one of Latin America’s innovation epicenters, concentrating 47% of regional funding and leading with world-class investors such as Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, Kaszek Ventures, and Union Square Ventures actively participating in Brazilian rounds.

According to Junior Rodrigues, President of ALAS (Latin American Startups Alliance), “Brazil’s role in the future of the Latin American ecosystem will be that of a major catalyst for innovation and regional integration. More than just a scale market, Brazil is consolidating itself as a country open to Latin talent, committed to building bridges that enable startups from across the region to grow and scale from here to the world.”

The Five Dominant Categories

Artificial Intelligence and Enterprise Automation

This category leads Brazil’s technological transformation, representing increasingly large investment amounts:

Enter (Legal AI)

The undisputed star, raised USD 35 million in Series A co-led by Founders Fund and Sequoia Capital at a valuation of USD 350 million, representing the largest AI investment in Latin America. Processes over 250,000 legal cases annually for clients like Nubank, Itaú, and Airbnb.

Tako (HR Automation)

Raised USD 18.5 million in Series A led by Ribbit Capital with participation from a16z, processing payrolls totaling over USD 200 million and reducing closing times from weeks to hours with AI agents specialized in labor law.

VAAS (Risk Management)

Closed a Series A of USD 3.7 million led by Headline, improving transaction analysis efficiency by 96.66% and reducing analysis times from 15 minutes to 30 seconds, serving over 30 clients in the financial and energy sectors.

Arvo (Healthcare AI)

Closed a USD 20 million Series A led by Kaszek and Base10 Partners, processing over USD 22 billion in medical claims and quadrupling revenue in 12 months through automated medical invoice validation.

Fintech and Specialized Financial Services

The fintech sector is evolving toward specialized vertical solutions, addressing increasingly specific market niches:

Capim (Dental BNPL)

Closed a USD 26.7 million Series A led by Valor Capital and QED Investors, facilitating dental treatments for more than 60,000 Brazilians with rates 50% lower than traditional banks and payments in up to 36 installments.

RevisaPrev (Pension Planning)

Raised USD 770,000 led by Domo VC, completing 90,000 free retirement analyses and serving 10,000 monthly beneficiaries, pioneering early retirement advance services.

Cacao (USD/Pix Fintech)

Backed by Y Combinator, allows Brazilians to receive and convert USD instantly via PIX, solving millions in conversion fee losses affecting millions of remote workers.

Sustainability and Biotechnology

The most innovative category in terms of environmental impact, in key sectors for advancing environmental sustainability:

Mombak (Carbon Removal)

Raised USD 30 million in Series A led by Union Square Ventures, with total funding exceeding USD 200 million and carbon removal contracts worth USD 150 million with Google, Microsoft, and Meta. Has planted 5 million native trees over 45,000 Amazonian acres.

Future Cow (Cellular Agriculture)

Brazil’s first cellular agriculture startup, received USD 560,000 from Antler and Big Idea Ventures to produce cow-free milk with 97% less emissions, 99% less water use, and precision fermentation technology molecularly identical to traditional dairy.

Olho do Dono (AgTech)

Winner of the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield LATAM, develops 3D technology estimating cattle weight with 97% accuracy, revolutionizing precision livestock management and eliminating animal stress in measurements.

Health and Medical Diagnostics

Represents the convergence of AI and biotechnology for advanced medical solutions:

Huna (Cancer Detection)

Raised USD 1.5 million in pre-seed funding led by Kortex Ventures, with scientific validation in Nature and algorithms trained on 5 million exams. Its technology detects cancer risk from routine blood tests, democratizing early detection access.

Educational Technology

A strategic sector for Brazil’s social development:

Principia (EdTech)

Raised USD 35 million including a Series A extension led by Valor Capital Group, supporting more than 500,000 Brazilian students and partnering with 600+ educational institutions. Generates USD 30 million in annualized revenue building Brazil’s “operating system for education.”

Market Trends and 2026 Outlook

Cuantico VP’s comparative analysis highlights five defining macro-trends:

Software Verticalization: Successful startups specialize in specific sectors (legal, dental, livestock) rather than generic solutions—a trend consistently observed in Mexico and other markets like Chile.

AI as a Defensible Competitive Advantage: All top-valued startups integrate artificial intelligence as a central differentiator, not just an added feature, surpassing the adoption seen in other regional markets.

Sustainability as a Business Model: Environmental solutions attract significant international capital, especially from corporations committed to net zero emissions—Brazil leads this trend in the region.

Specialized Fintech: The sector evolves toward specific niches (retirement, currency, sector verticals), moving away from general banking solutions—a similar pattern to Colombia and Mexico.

Scientific Validation: The most promising startups combine technological innovation with scientific rigor, especially in biotech and health—a unique sophistication in the Brazilian ecosystem.

Regional Comparative Perspective

“Our analyses across Latin American markets position Brazil as the region’s most mature ecosystem,” added firm spokespeople. “The convergence of AI, biotech, specialized fintech, and sustainability solutions signals a new era where Brazilian innovation not only competes globally but leads critical sectors. The exceptional quality of foundational talent, supported by world-class investors and access to both local and international capital, establishes Brazil as a major technology hub for 2026.”

Brazil’s ecosystem demonstrates a maturation toward technology solutions deeply integrated with real market challenges. These startups address massive markets with defensible competitive advantages and proven business models in one of the world’s most complex and resilient economies.

“Increasingly, we see Brazil connecting with Latin America not just through institutional collaboration, but through daily practice: creating conditions for entrepreneurs from Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, or Peru to expand their solutions in the Brazilian market without cultural or regulatory barriers.
At ALAS, we work intensively to demystify the historic fear Latin entrepreneurs have about scaling in Brazil, showing that this country is ready to receive, invest in, and amplify the continent’s best ideas. Our goal is to attract these talents, connect them with the local ecosystem, and demonstrate that Latin American integration is not a utopia, but a reality in the making—with Brazil acting as its main engine,” added Rodrigues regarding the prospects for the ecosystem.