Connect33 Newsletter | November 2025
Hi readers, welcome to our latest edition, which recaps Latin American software and technology trends, expansions, and mergers and acquisitions.
Noteworthy headlines include Indicium, fresh off a recent investment from Databricks, merging with Mesh-AI to create a global data and AI powerhouse. Plus insightful reports from BCG, KPMG, McKinsey, and Thoughtworks on topics ranging from M&A in Latin America to the IT Spending Pulse. ¡Vámonos!
A roadmap for M&A in Latin America Report: KPMG’s survey gathered insights from 400 C-level executives involved in significant M&A transactions across a range of industries, with private equity as the most represented sector. The companies represented have annual revenues of at least USD$100 million and are headquartered across multiple regions, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, and other countries in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
Our take: With global M&A deal count down 16% YoY but deal value up 28%, it’s clear buyers are shifting focus from volume to high-quality. In Latin America tech services, we’ve seen this play out with Nortal, Improving, and HTEC’s strategic acquisitions of LATAM players–deals that prioritized cultural alignment and complementary capabilities over scale alone.
This quality-first approach makes the survey’s findings on due diligence even more critical: 75% of business leaders now make tax strategy a central part of their M&A decision-making yet legal, financial, ESG, and tax due diligence remain the hardest areas to obtain reliable information. For buyers, this highlihts the importance of partnering with advisors who deeply understand the complex tax landscape in the region.
“A solid regional strategy may get you in the door for mergers and acquisitions in Latin America, but it’s the deep, local understanding that closes the deal. Each country brings its own business customs, legal requirements, and tax rules—factors that generic strategies often miss. The real key to success is combining a broad vision with specific, on-the-ground insights to unlock and safeguard long-term value.” — Doug Zuvich, KPMG
Indicium, a Brazilian data science and analytics company based in São Paulo and Florianópolis, and Mesh-AI, a UK-based data and AI consultancy, integrated to form Indicium AI, creating a global data and AI consultancy with offices in New York, São Paulo, and Florianópolis. (Mesh-AI)
StackAI, a US-based startup focused on corporate automation with artificial intelligence, expanded into Brazil as its next major international frontier. (Startup Researcher)
Digibee, a Brazilian integration platform company, acquired Vertify, a Texas-based Revenue Operations automation company, to strengthen its presence in the United States. (Digibee)
Xal Digital, a Mexican digital solutions company, accelerated its expansion in Mexico and Latin America through strategic partnership with Amazon Web Services. (Contxto)
X (formerly Google X) deployed four moonshot projects in Rio de Janeiro including supporting the city’s Rio AI City initiative. (X Company)
Ripple acquired Palisade, a digital asset wallet and custody company, to expand its custody capabilities for fintechs, crypto-native firms, and corporates. (Business Wire)
Exodus Movement (NYSE: EXOD) acquired Grateful, a Uruguay-based stablecoin payments orchestrator, to strengthen its merchant services capabilities in Latin America. (Globe Newswire)
Semantix, a Brazilian data and AI company, acquired GAVB Consulting, a Brazilian technology consulting firm specializing in Big Data & AI that became part of Grupo Boticário in 2021, from Grupo Boticário. (Global Legal Chronicle)
The Mobile-First Company, a mobile-first software startup with its main tech base in Buenos Aires, Argentina, raised $12 million in seed funding led by Base10 Partners and Lightspeed Venture Partners. (The Mobile-First Company)
Applaudo, an El Salvador-based digital services company with over 800 employees across 20 countries, relocated its U.S. headquarters to Miami, Florida. (Refresh Miami)
Delinea, an identity security company, expanded its global footprint to Mexico City, closing fiscal 2024 with annual recurring revenue approaching $400 million. (Intelligent CIO)
Matera, a Brazilian market leader in technology solutions for financial institutions, acquired Fáciltech, a Brazilian ERP software provider. (The Latin American Lawyer)
Vela Software, an operating group of Constellation Software Inc., acquired Gaudium, a Brazilian software firm focused on mobility and delivery. (Vela)
Celcoin, a Brazilian provider of financial and banking technology infrastructure, acquired Vulkan Labs, a Brazilian AI infrastructure and resilient systems developer. (Startup Researcher)
Google Cloud expanded its Startup Hub program to Salvador, hosting AI demos and training to support founders outside Brazil’s Rio–São Paulo axis. (Latam Tech Weekly)
Globant (NYSE: GLOB) signed an expanded partnership to deliver digital services across FIFA’s ecosystem, with Globant becoming a Tournament Supporter for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in North America and Europe. (PRNewswire)
Front, a US customer operations company, expanded in Chile and plans to hire more than 100 professionals in Santiago across engineering, design, finance, and human resources over the next three years. (InvestChile)
Ankura acquired Omniscient Platforms to expand global digital transformation capabilities in data, AI, and technology advisory, bolstering its Latin America footprint, particularly in Argentina. (Ankura)
Featured Case Study: Braze in Brazil
Discover how Braze (NASDAQ: BRZE) localized in Brazil and tripled the size of their engineering team in São Paulo. Read the case study here or get in touch if you’re evaluating LATAM for your software engineering needs.
Additional stories we’re following:
LatAm-focused roles at top tech companies.
Algolia is hiring a Senior Enterprise Account Executive, LATAM
CrowdStrike is hiring a Corporate Sales Engineer, LATAM (Remote)
Miro is hiring a Mid Market Account Executive, LATAM
NinjaOne is hiring an Account Executive, LATAM
Aircall is hiring a Strategic Ecosystem Lead NA & LATAM