Welcome to Tech Talents! In this newsletter, I share real-time key talent movements in the LatAm tech ecosystem, including founders entering and exiting stealth mode, executive-level movements in unicorns, and partner-level changes in local VC firms.
Here’s a quick look at what you’ll find in this week’s edition:
🤫 Talents Entering Stealth: ex-Co-Founder at Lastro, ex-Head of Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding at Cogna, ex-Lead Operations Manager at DolarApp & more
📖 Recent Reads: a16z Raises $15B, Apple-Google AI Partnership, Global AI Divide
👋 Tech Talents Match: Looking for a co-founder or to network? Click here to be connected with top talent that matches your criteria
Let’s dive in…
🎊 Startup Launches
Founders who have just publicly announced what they are working on.
Sinky
Overview
Startup Description: Sinky is an AI-first, no-code unified decisioning platform that uses predictive analytics and contextual data to automate critical business decisions.
Industry: AI, Fintech
Team Size: 8
Time in Stealth: 1 year, 7 months
Founder Profile
Bruno Sayão - Founder at Sinky
Previously featured as a Stealth Founder in Tech Talents LatAm #38.
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Previous Exit, Investor, Masters, Top University
Previous Experience: ex-Co-Founder at Letsbank (acquired), Ex-Founder at IOUU (acquired), Ex-Business Manager for Financial Vertical at Certisign, Ex-Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Five Star Painting, Ex-Account Manager at TeleListas, Angel Investor in multiple startups, MBA from Ibmec, Postgraduate degree in business administration from FGV.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Raio FX
Overview
Startup Description: Raio FX provides international payment solutions for importers and exporters, delivering faster cross-border transfers, better rates, and zero bureaucracy.
Industry: Fintech
Team Size: 2
Time in Stealth: 1 year, 10 months
Founder Profile
Andrés García de Vinuesa Mancera – Founder - CEO at Raio FX
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder
Previous Experience: ex-Country Manager at Koywe, ex-Country Head - Partnerships at acasa | YC ‘22, ex-Sales Director at Wupplier, ex-Lead Project Manager at Wupplier, Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana, Ciudad de México.
Headquarters: Mexico
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Duo AI
Overview
Startup Description: Duo AI builds a platform that turns professional expertise into AI agents that act like their creators, delivering unique value at scale and generating revenue 24/7.
Industry: AI, SaaS
Team Size: 1
Time in Stealth: 10 months
Founder Profile
Geraldo Tomaz - Co-Founder & CEO at Duo AI
Previously featured as a Stealth Founder in Tech Talents #28.
Founder Highlights: Technical Founder, Unicorn Experience
Previous Experience: Ex-Product Director at Hotmart, ex-Product Manager at Passei Direto, ex-Product Manager at Estácio. Stanford GSB LEAD Business Program, Bachelor’s in Information Systems from Universidade Estacio de Sá.
Headquarters: Brazil
Ask for an Intro: Click here
+2 other startups over the past two weeks with Tech Talents Pro
👥 Tech Talents Base
The most comprehensive, real-time platform tracking LatAm’s top stealth founders, emerging startups, and promising tech talent.
As a reminder, Tech Talents Base is included in the premium version of this newsletter. Here’s what you can do inside the platform:
Discover Founders: Talents to Watch, stealth, and announced startup leaders. Use smart filters by experience, specialty, and location — and see the rationale behind every tag.
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Save Favorites: Keep your top talents and startups in one place with “Favorites,” so you can track them effortlessly over time.
Here’s a demo video of the platform:
Try Tech Talents Base free here:
🤫 Talents Entering Stealth
Talents with relevant experiences who have just entered stealth mode.
Alain Michel – Founder - Stealth at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Previous Exit, Top University, Ex-Corporate
Previous Experience: ex-Chief Operating Officer/New Business Development at BR Media Group, ex-Co-Founder at Lastro, ex-Founder and Board Member at Mundo Pet, Bachelor of Science in Economics from Duke University.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Time in Current Position: 5 months
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Mateo Bermeo Motta – Co-Founder at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Previous Exit, Top University
Previous Experience: ex-Co-founder & General Manager at Pago ASAP, ex-Lead Operations Manager at DolarApp, ex-Business Operations Manager - Colombia at Reserve, Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in Law from Universidad de Los Andes.
Headquarters: Colombia
Time in Current Position: 3 months
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Federico Salon – Building a new AI Career Platform at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Masters, Ex-Corporate, Ex-Consultant
Previous Experience: ex-Head of Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding at Cogna Educação, ex-Global Head of Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding (LATAM, US & Europe) at Kantar, ex-Head of Talent Acquisition Latin America & Europe at inovabra, M.Sc. in Finance from Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, MBA from Strayer University.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Time in Current Position: 4 months
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Erik Santana – Founder at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Ex-Consultant, Ex-Corporate
Previous Experience: ex-Founder and CEO at FestaLab, ex-Founder and CEO at Vinklo, ex-Product Advisor at Lemon Energia, ex-Consultant at Bain & Company, Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering from Universidade Federal de São Carlos.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Time in Current Position: 3 months
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Pedro Wanderley – Building something new at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Ex-Corporate
Previous Experience: ex-CRO at Ecx Pay, ex-Co-Founder at Gibb, ex-Marketing Manager at FacilitaPay, ex-Co-Founder at Push Matcha, Bachelor’s in Advertising from Universidade FUMEC.
Headquarters: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Time in Current Position: 4 months
Ask for an Intro: Click here
+3 other Stealth Founders over the past two weeks with Tech Talents Pro
📖 Recent Reads
My quick takes on interesting articles, news and data that I’ve come across recently.
Andreessen Horowitz, one of the world’s most respected venture capital firms, just raised $15 billion — yes, with a “b”.
The capital is split across several specialized vehicles: Growth ($6.75B), AI Infrastructure ($1.7B), AI Applications ($1.7B), American Dynamism ($1.176B), Bio + Health ($700M), and Other Venture Strategies ($3B). Each fund, if counted individually, would rank among the top 10 largest funds raised in 2025.
Given the unprecedented size of these funds, some industry insiders are already questioning whether a16z can deliver the 3-5x returns typically expected from the asset class. However, the firm’s track record speaks for itself — it remains one of the best, if not the best, in the market.
For a deep dive into the fund’s history and performance, check out this excellent breakdown by Not Boring.
Apple will use Google’s Gemini models to power its new version of Siri and other Apple Intelligence features.
At first glance, this might look like an admission that Apple is falling behind in the AI race and unable to develop its own foundational models. However, context matters: Apple was already using OpenAI’s ChatGPT for some AI features, and now it’s switching to Google.
This could indicate that the switching costs for foundational models may be surprisingly low, even for a company with hundreds of millions of users. If switching is this easy, the real value in AI could lie not in the models themselves, but in the interface and application layer where users actually interact with the technology.
That said, Google now finds itself in an extraordinarily powerful position as the model provider for both Android and iOS devices — effectively reaching ~100% of the global smartphone market.
New research from Microsoft reveals a growing AI divide between the Global North and South.
Global adoption of GenAI tools reached 16.3% of the world’s population in the second half of 2025, up from 15.1% in the first half. However, adoption in the Global North grew nearly twice as fast as in the Global South during this period, widening the gap from 9.8% to 10.6%.
Meanwhile, the UAE leads the world in AI adoption, with 64% of its working-age population using generative AI tools by the end of 2025.
👋 Co-Founder Matching
Looking for an early or late-stage co-founder?
In case you missed it, I recently launched a co-founder matching platform focused on the Brazilian market. The platform is independent of any VC or accelerator, completely free (zero equity, zero cost), always active, and carefully curated based on experience and matching preferences.
👉 Click here to be connected with top talent that matches your criteria.
You can get started in three simple steps:
Define your preferences (technical, business, industry, timing, etc.).
Receive compatible profiles via email or on the web platform.
Send and accept connection requests with those who interest you most.
Here’s a quick demo video of the platform:
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