August 25, 2026, (Inside AI) — Mexican startup Primero launched publicly on Tuesday with a $12 million seed round co-led by Kaszek and General Catalyst. The funding aims to bring artificial intelligence to Latin America's largest companies as they modernize legacy systems and automate labor-intensive work.
The round ranks among the larger seed financings recently announced in the region. It also drew angel investors including shareholders and executives linked to FEMSA, Bimbo, Aeromexico, and Kimberly-Clark de Mexico.
Primero's launch signals a strategic bet that Latin American blue-chips are ready to move beyond pilot projects. The company plans to target sectors where manual processes still dominate back-office operations, supply chains, and customer service workflows.
Industry data shows Latin American enterprise AI adoption has lagged behind North America and Europe. A 2025 survey by IDC found only 23% of large Latin American firms had deployed AI in production, compared with 41% in the United States. Primero's founders see that gap as an opportunity.
The startup has not disclosed its full product roadmap. However, sources familiar with the company say initial offerings focus on document processing, demand forecasting, and AI copilots for procurement teams. These are areas where legacy enterprise resource planning systems remain widespread.
Kaszek, one of Latin America's most active venture firms, has backed companies including Nubank and Kavak. General Catalyst has increased its Latin American exposure over the past two years, viewing the region as a growth market for applied AI.
“We believe the next decade of enterprise value in Latin America will be created by companies that pair AI with deep operational expertise,” said a Kaszek partner who spoke on condition of anonymity because the firm does not comment on individual deals.
Primero faces competition from global AI platforms and regional consultancies. Microsoft, Google, and AWS have all expanded enterprise AI services in Mexico and Brazil. Local players such as Nubimetrics and Kavak's internal AI teams also target similar customers.
But Primero's backers argue that Latin American firms need tools built for local regulatory, language, and data environments. Mexico's data protection law, LFPDPPP, imposes stricter consent rules than many global platforms assume by default.
The seed round's size reflects rising investor confidence in Latin American B2B AI. Venture funding for AI startups in the region reached $1.8 billion in the first half of 2026, up 34% year over year, according to LAVCA.
Primero was founded by former executives from Mercado Libre and Softtek, according to sources. The team combines enterprise sales experience with machine learning engineering backgrounds. The company plans to hire 40 engineers across Mexico City and São Paulo by year-end.
One open question is whether Primero can scale beyond its initial anchor clients. Several Latin American AI startups have struggled to move from bespoke consulting projects to repeatable software products. Primero's leadership has told investors it will prioritize productized offerings over custom builds.
The company also faces infrastructure constraints. GPU availability in Latin America remains limited, and cloud costs are higher than in the United States. Primero is reportedly negotiating partnerships with regional data center operators to reduce inference costs.
Despite these hurdles, the launch timing aligns with a broader push by Latin American governments to promote AI adoption. Mexico's national AI strategy, updated in 2025, includes tax incentives for companies deploying AI in manufacturing and logistics.
Primero has not disclosed revenue targets or current customer names. The startup says it will announce its first enterprise deployments in the fourth quarter of 2026.
