Carabela Newsletter # 11
PLD Space raised EUR 78m. QI Tech raised Series B extension. Repsol acquires 40% stake in Genia Bioenergy.
Welcome to the 10th edition of Carabela! My name is Ghers Fisman, and I send the Carabela Newsletter every Monday to keep you updated with the most important stories in Venture Capital, Startups and Innovation in Ibero-American markets. If you’d like to get in touch, please send me a message to ghersf91@gmail.com or my LinkedIn profile. I’ll be happy to have a chat!
Most of the biggest news from April 22nd to 28th are funding related. The most prominent ones were PLD Space’s EUR 78m round in Spain, Merama’s USD 80m loan in Mexico, Vixtra’s USD 36m in Brazil and Aligned Layer’s USD 20m Series A in Argentina. Special mention to the Series B extension of QI Tech for an undisclosed amount. There were also single digit rounds in Spain (Indigitall and Nuela), Brazil (Ecotrace and Greg), Chile (Fintoc and Movener), Ecuador (DoctorOne) and Uruguay (Data4Sales).
📷 Credits: Expansión
In the M&A space, there were three deals, all in the Spanish market: Repsol acquired 40% of Genia Bioenergy, Unnax acquired by Powens, and iArchiva acquired by Zucchetti Spain.
For more detail of these news (and more), continue reading:
Iberia
🇪🇸 PLD Space raised EUR 78m. The reusable rockets company plans to use the funds to launch its MIURA 5 mission by the end of 2025 and creating Europe’s largest spacetech facility. (Tech EU)
🇪🇸 Indigitall rised EUR 6m Series A. The round raised by the B2B Saas startup was led by Data Point Capital. (Nordic 9)
🇪🇸 Nuela raised EUR 300k round. The schedule management startup for the education sector will use the funds to expand to Latin America by the end of 2024. (El Referente)
🇪🇸 Repsol acquires 40% of Genia Bioenergy. The deal allows the energy giant to enter the biomethane market. Repsol will purchase all the gas produced by Genia’s facilities. (Renewable Energy Magazine)
🇪🇸 Bank of Spain approves the sale of Unnax. French fintech Powens acquired the Catalonian startup to enter the Spanish and Latin American markets. (Web Capital Riesgo)
🇪🇸 iArchiva acquired by Zucchetti Spain. The document management software from Almería will join the Italian group for an undisclosed amount. (Capital Riesgo)
Brasil
🇧🇷 QI Tech raised Series B extension. The fintech Unicorn receives this funding just 6 months after its USD 200m Series B. (Fintech Global)
🇧🇷 Vixtra raised USD 36m. The operation includes 6m in equity funding and 30m in debt, which will be invested in technology and expanding the range of solutions for importers. (FinSMEs)
🇧🇷 Ecotrace raised USD 500k. The Agtech startup plans to finance its national expansion with the funds. (Contxto)
🇧🇷 Greg raised USD 400k. The round was led by Hiker Ventures and will be used to expand its fintech solutions beyond the healthcare sector in which the startup currently operates. (Startupi)
México, Centroamérica y Caribe
🇲🇽 Merama received a USD 80m line of credit. The funds, granted by JP Morgan, will allow the Mexican Unicorn to refinance its debt and continue the organic growth of the company. (Startups Latam)
Andes
🇪🇨 DoctorOne received USD 2m loan from IDB Lab. The telemedicine startups will destine the funds to reach underserved areas. (IDB)
Cono Sur
🇦🇷 Aligned Layer raised a USD 20m Series A. The round was led by Hack VC, and blockchain startup will destine the funds to continue building Ethereum infrastructure. (Coinspeaker)
🇺🇾 Data4Sales raised a USD2.3m Seed round. The operation was led by DGF Investimentos, and the proceeds will be used to expand the AI platform to Brazil. (Latam List)
🇨🇱 Fintoc raised USD 7m Series A. The round, led by Propel, will allow the company to consolidate its payments solutions in Chile and Mexico. (Techcrunch)
🇨🇱 Movener raised a USD 2m round. The Cleantech company turns internal combustion engines into hybrids, and will enter the Mexican and US markets with the fresh funds. (Startups Latam)
That’s it for today. I hope you enjoyed this edition of the newsletter. Have a great week, and see you next Monday!
If you have any feedback, comments or just want to have a chat, please contact me at ghersf91@gmail.com or my LinkedIn profile, I’ll be glad to hear from you!