Roundup: Globant's VC move, Ebury expansion, Vtex M&A and more

Globant invests in AI-powered ‘martech’

Globant Ventures, the VC arm of Argentine-based tech consultancy Globant, made a strategic investment in San Francisco-based AI-powered marketing automation platform Connectly.

Values were not disclosed.

Connectly, a so-called martech, specializes in offering personalized campaigns and product recommendations to brands to amplify customer engagement and drive revenue growth, said Globant.

“At Globant Ventures, we are proud to have invested in Connectly. We believe not only in growth, but also in the potential synergies that can be created with Globant Enterprise AI, Globant’s genAI platform. This partnership promises deeper vertical integration with [digital ad creation platform] Globant GUT to improve our customers’ e-commerce experience,” Globant Ventures head Joaquín Morixe said in a statement.

Ebury investing in expansion, M&As

Fintech Ebury continues investing in global acquisitions and market expansion, including into recently opened markets in Latin America such as Chile and Mexico.

The UK-based, Santander-backed digital trade and brokerage group announced the acquisition of ArcaPay, a Lithuanian provider specializing in cross-border B2B payment solutions. The acquisition, which is still subject to regulatory approvals, will allow Ebury to expand its presence in Baltic countries. 

The move follows the recent opening of on-the-ground operations in the Chilean and Mexican markets, after Ebury entered Latin America from Brazil.

Vtex acquires Newtail

Brazilian e-commerce solutions provider Vtex acquired local retail media platform Newtail for an undisclosed sum to grow in the digital ad segment.

Newtail's solution enables e-commerce players to develop their own advertising platforms. Newtail has more than 400 ad brands and large clients such as Casas Bahia, Panvel, KaBuM! and Leroy Merlin, Vtex said in a release.

The acquisition comes less than a year after the launch of the Vtex Ad Network, a platform that allows marketers to create and monetize advertising spaces in their sales channels and which has retailers such as Fast Shop, Grupo Cencosud and Savegnago as clients.

Brazilian cybersecurity M&A

Brazilian cybersecurity and compliance solutions developer Bluepex acquired Winco, a provider of security and network control solutions for the corporate environment. 

The purchase price was not disclosed. Last December, Bluepex acquired another security firm, SafeCyber.

With the new M&A, Bluepex vows to grow in the unified threat management segment and to integrate cloud VPN technology into its portfolio. The acquisition also increases Bluepex’s base to 1,600 active customers. 

Mexican insurtech raises follow-on

Mexican startup Airbag raised US$200,000 in a follow-on offer led by Impacta VC, a Latin America-focused venture capital fund that supports companies with social and environmental impact.

Founded in 2020 by Adrián Trucios, Raúl Dávila, José Manuel Beauregard and Alonso Guzmán, Airbag is an insurtech that developed a driver-oriented platform aimed at reducing traffic accidents.

The new investment is expected to help the insurtech strengthen its platform and boost growth in the insurance sector.

EDP opens call for energytechs

Portuguese energy group EDP opened a new edition of its global startup acceleration program, The Energy Starter.

The program is aimed at energytechs with solutions that address EDP's challenges and innovation priorities and that are able to scale rapidly, the group said in a statement. Last year, EDP Ventures, the company’s VC arm, invested US$2mn in Splight, a Chilean startup that developed an AI tool to promote efficiency in systems related to renewable energy generation.

EDP operates in 28 markets, with strategic hubs in Europe, Asia, North America and South America. It has total installed capacity of 29GW worldwide, a distribution network of 387,000km and over 9mn retail customers.

More information about the program can be found here.