LatAm dealmaking sees major decline in Jan-April

Latin America saw 860 M&A, VC, asset acquisition and private equity deals in the first four months, for a 32% year-over-year decrease, according to the monthly deal tracker of TTR Data, Datasite and AON.

The combined value of the transactions that disclosed such information dropped 35% to US$23.8bn. Technology, internet and media deals continued to lead the pack.

Among the top six markets regionally, Brazil was the leader both in number of deals and value. 

By value, Mexico took second place and Chile was third, followed by Peru, Argentina and Colombia.

In the case of transaction numbers, Chile grabbed the second spot with Mexico in third, followed by Colombia, Argentina and Peru. All markets except for Chile saw a drop in the number of deals.

***

Amazon Web Services (AWS) said it selected 20 LatAm startups out of 1,100 applicants for its AWS Impact Accelerator program.

The program supports entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities (Afro-descendant, women and LGBTQIA+) to help them grow through training, mentoring and financing. 

***

Canadian Geotab, a provider of IoT, fleet management and connected vehicles solutions, surpassed 30,000 subscribers in Chile as it continues to expand in Latin America.

"The use of advanced fleet management solutions is increasing, mainly supported by the maturity of the local market where the transport and logistics industry is capable of identifying the benefits of data analytics," the company said in a statement.

According to Geotab, it provides solutions to over 300 vehicle brands and models worldwide.

***

Argentine crypto trader and digital wallet Crypto Lemon has unveiled its expansion plan for Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay.

The expansion will be funded by a recent Series A financing round of US$44.1mn, the firm said in a statement.

Lemon is currently operating in Argentina and Brazil.

***

Mexican payments startup Líquido said it is mulling entries into Peru and Costa Rica in the near term after raising US$26mn in investment rounds.

Líquido operates in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile, where it processed over US$300mn in transactions last year.

“We hope to enter Peru and we are analyzing Costa Rica. However, our priority is to reinforce our commercial offering in the countries where we already have a presence and complement the portfolio of solutions for which we are known,” said Juan David Vahos, director of operations and expansion for Latin America.

The company aims to process more than 5mn transactions daily this year.

***

Oxygea Labs, Braskem's VC and startup acceleration vehicle, said it launched its first acceleration and investment program.

It seeks startups that have their products validated and with a focus on smart factory, analytics and big data solutions for carbon neutrality, circular economy, renewable energy, new materials and digital transformation.

Up to eight firms will be selected and at the end of the program, Oxygea may invest 1.5mn reais (US$305,000) through a loan convertible into equity, in the best evaluated startups.

Further information about the program can be seen here.

***

Brazil’s Locaweb, one of the country’s largest internet, e-commerce and web hosting providers, posted 302mn reais in Q1 net revenues, up 21.7% year-over-year.

The e-commerce segment was the main driver with 200mn reais, increasing 38.8% and accounting for 66% of total sales.

Locaweb’s subscriber base grew 27.4% y-o-y to 171,500 in the quarter.

***

Positivo Tecnologia, Brazil's biggest electronics manufacturer, recorded Q1 revenues of 703mn reais, down 31.8% y-o-y. 

The firm said revenue generation had been negatively impacted by high interest rates and a weak performance by the country's retail industry.

Positivo’s net income fell 70% to 8mn reais.