Cuantico VP Highlights Top Mexican Startups to Watch in 2026
Mexico City, October 2, 2025. In the dynamic Mexican entrepreneurial ecosystem of 2025, these startups have captured the industry's attention for their transformative potential. Each company represents a unique opportunity to generate positive impact while building solid value propositions with experienced and committed teams.
Context of Mexico’s Venture Capital Ecosystem
Mexico has undergone a historic transformation in its venture capital ecosystem, reaching an unprecedented milestone in the second quarter of 2025 by surpassing Brazil as the leading recipient of quarterly VC investment for the first time since 2012, raising USD 437 million. This achievement represents an 85% year-over-year growth and solidifies the country’s position in Latin America’s venture sector.
Over the past decade, Mexican startups have secured $9.89 billion across 1,897 funding rounds, positioning the country as the region’s second-largest venture capital market. Fintech continues to lead the way, attracting 60% of all VC funds, while emerging sectors like AI, Autotech, and RetailTech gain ground.
However, the ecosystem faces a critical challenge: only 79 exits have been reported among VC-backed companies throughout Latin America, evidencing a serious liquidity problem that limits reinvestment capacity. Yet Mexico shows unique operational efficiency, with leading SaaS startups achieving CAC recovery periods of just 1.6 months, compared to 4.8 months in the United States.
What Defines a Startup to Watch?
From Cuantico VP’s perspective, a true Startup to Watch is a company capable of creating significant positive impact, led by an experienced and committed team, and equipped with the resources to build a solid value proposition. In this landscape of accelerated growth and the convergence of artificial intelligence—where “almost every investment made in 2025 has some AI angle”—these startups stand out for their potential to expand and strengthen the Mexican ecosystem through 2026.
Niko Energy – Virtual Power Grid Pioneers
What do they do? End-to-end electrification platform for homes and businesses that finances, installs, and manages solar panel systems, with the ambitious vision of becoming a decentralized utility provider.
Relevant fact: Niko is building Mexico’s first virtual power grid, aggregating and controlling small production and storage devices such as solar panels and batteries to support the national electrical grid. After raising US$23 million (US$8 million in equity and US$15 million in debt) led by QED Investors, the company has installed over 200 solar panels and is experiencing 20% month-over-month growth.
Netwey – Connecting the Base of the Pyramid
What do they do? Telecommunications company offering mobile internet, home internet, and phone services, with a special focus on low-income households using flexible prepaid plans.
Relevant fact: Netwey has achieved a CAGR of approximately 400% since 2018 and currently connects more than 250,000 households across 17 of Mexico’s 31 states. In 2025, it closed a US$10 million round with IDB Invest and Finnfund, positioning itself as a leader in closing the digital gap for over 21 million Mexican households without proper internet access.
Crabi – A Digital Revolution in Auto Insurance
What do they do? 100% full-stack digital auto insurer that uses artificial intelligence to offer instant policies, automated claims processing, and transparent pricing.
Relevant fact: Crabi is the first new company in 30 years to receive a full auto insurance license in Mexico, controlling the entire value chain from policy issuance to claims management. With an NPS of 87 versus 35 for traditional insurers, Crabi raised US$13.6 million led by Kaszek and Ignia, tripling its annual growth for the last three years.
Belvo – The Backbone of Open Finance
What do they do? Leading open finance API platform in Latin America, enabling users to securely connect their accounts to financial applications.
Relevant fact: Belvo processes nearly 2 million account-to-account transactions each month and an annualized payment volume of over US$500 million. With more than 50 million connected users, the platform raised US$15 million led by Quona Capital in 2025, consolidating itself as critical infrastructure for institutions such as BBVA, Mercado Libre, and Creditas.
YaVendio – Conversational AI for Social Sales
What do they do? AI-powered virtual sales agents specialized for Latin American SMBs selling impulse-buy products through social media, automating the entire process from chat to checkout.
Relevant fact: YaVendió increases sales by 35% at only 20% of the cost of traditional operations, processing 95% of interactions automatically. The company closed a pre-seed round of US$850,000 led by Magma Partners and doubled its business in the last six months, serving over 100 brands in fashion, footwear, beauty, and home in Mexico and Peru.
Uvicuo – Smart Expense Management for Transportation
What do they do? AI-driven expense management platform for Mexico’s transportation and logistics sector, automating expense administration and driver support through a web interface integrated with WhatsApp.
Relevant fact: Uvicuo is backed by 468 Capital and specializes in a highly focused niche: the Mexican transportation industry. It allows companies to establish spending rules for driver credit cards, manage expenses in real-time, and access safe and profitable fuel options.
Aviva – AI Digital Bank for the Unbanked
What do they do? Mexico City-based fintech building an AI-powered digital bank focused on Latin America’s unbanked, using physical kiosks for onboarding in remote communities.
Relevant fact: Aviva uses revolutionary “phygital” technology that combines physical kiosks with digital platforms, enabling three-minute onboarding without documents via natural language processing. With over US$16 million raised and a recent US$1.5 million investment from IDB Lab, Aviva operates more than 70 kiosks and plans to reach 150 by year-end.
Nufi – Instant Identity Verification
What do they do? Platform that verifies the identity of any person or business in Mexico in under five minutes, building Latin America’s first Alternative Commercial Identity Bureau to foster trust.
Relevant fact: Nufi leverages more than 130 data sources to verify businesses or individuals in under five minutes, serving over 330 B2B companies including banks, fintechs, and government agencies. With a US$1.5 million seed round led by Magma Partners and GPCompas, the startup is positioned as critical infrastructure in a market where Latin America leads global credit card fraud.
Kunzapp – Enterprise SaaS Optimization
What do they do? Platform offering visibility, savings, and total control over all enterprise SaaS subscriptions, identifying duplicate licenses, inactive users, and renegotiation opportunities.
Relevant fact: Kunzapp clients have achieved up to 30% savings in software, collectively recovering more than US$3 million. The Mexican-Chilean startup closed a US$2 million seed round and operates in seven Latin American countries, forming strategic alliances with Microsoft, Google, and Amazon and helping companies such as Kavak, Colektia, and Simetrik.
Sarelly Sarelly – Accessible Luxury for Hispanic Gen Z
What do they do? Transparent, genderless fashion brand offering accessible luxury to Hispanic Gen Z, known for clean formulations and use of vegan materials such as cactus leather.
Relevant fact: Sarelly Sarelly became the #1 selling beauty brand on TikTok Shop Mexico within three years of its founding in 2022. The brand raised US$3 million led by Wollef to expand to the United States and strengthen its retail presence, including launches at Ulta Beauty and a flagship store at Antara Fashion Hall.
Mutuus – Digital Health Membership Without Complications
What do they do? Insurtech offering online insurance quotes to companies, positioning itself as Latin America’s first digital health membership with no deductibles or coinsurance.
Relevant fact: Mutuus has acquired more than 13,000 members and covered over 4,000 hospital bills within its network of over 300 hospitals, generating more than US$25 million in savings for families. With a US$3.2 million round led by Amador, the platform differentiates itself by offering completely free and unlimited digital primary care services.
Drivana – The Airbnb of Cars
What do they do? Peer-to-peer car sharing platform connecting users seeking to rent vehicles with local hosts, offering a 100% digital and transparent alternative without hidden costs versus traditional rental firms.
Relevant fact: Drivana currently has more than 2,000 registered cars and over 250 available models, from compact sedans to luxury Mercedes-Benz, operating in five Mexican cities with more than 22,000 satisfied users. Hosts can earn up to $28,000 pesos monthly per vehicle, while the platform offers prices up to 30% more affordable than traditional rental companies. In 2025, it raised US$1 million led by Grupo Felni (investors in Turo), consolidating its position as Mexico’s largest P2P car sharing platform.
Future Outlook
According to Jose Kont, executive director of the firm, “With solid fundamentals, a global scaling mindset, and the momentum of emerging technologies, these startups have the potential not only to expand the Mexican ecosystem, but also to set new standards for the entire region. The real test will be the sustainability of this leadership and the ability to create more exits that enable a healthy cycle of reinvestment and self-sustained growth.”
About Cuantico VP:
A venture capital platform that transforms Attention into Capital, supporting emerging managers, founders, family offices (FO), and limited partners (LPs) through a Visibility Framework that integrates market intelligence, media distribution, and Network Effects.
