Next Big Thing LatAm 2026
Insights from 30+ thought leaders on the next big thing.
What is the next big thing in 2026?
This is a moment of the year that invites reflection. Gratitude for what has been accomplished, honest assessment of what could have been done differently, and deliberate planning for what lies ahead. A sense of achievement naturally coexists with uncertainty.
What will the coming year bring?
In a world that is increasingly dynamic and unpredictable, anticipating what’s next has become more challenging than ever. Few would have predicted that the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 would so profoundly reshape how we work, communicate, and make decisions.
It was guided by this sense of curiosity, admiration, and constructive unease that we created The Next Big Thing LatAm. Now in its fourth year, the project has grown into a reference point we are deeply proud of. With each edition, more executives contribute their perspectives, anticipation among readers increases, and the report itself becomes more comprehensive and insightful.
Ultimately, there is no better way to prepare for the future than by learning from the region’s most influential leaders and thinkers. If you share this mindset and want to stay ahead of what lies ahead, we invite you to explore The Next Big Thing LatAm 2026.
Enjoy the ride,
Julia & Lucas
The next big thing LatAm 2026 is…
In Venture Capital…
The next big thing is the rising ambition of Latin American founders, increasingly focused on building massive, generational companies.
We’re likely to see the creation of innovative business models—across both hardware and software—that benefit from a more connected economy, deeper pools of equity and debt funding, and powerful tailwinds such as AI on the technology side and Open Finance and Receivables Registries on the regulatory front.
Carlos Costa, Managing Partner at Valor Capital Group
The next big thing is the return of the Bovespa IPO as a viable exit option for VC-backed companies in Brazil. When I was at General Atlantic in São Paulo, a local IPO was arguably our preferred exit avenue – but the IPO market has clearly shifted north to the U.S. over the past 10+ years. However, the bar for U.S. IPOs has only moved higher; only a handful of VC-backed companies in Brazil are likely to achieve the necessary scale to be successful publicly-traded companies abroad. Meanwhile, Brazilian hedge funds, family offices, retail investors, etc. should welcome the opportunity to invest in innovative Brazilian / LatAm technology companies via a Bovespa listing.
Doug Scherrer, Co-Managing Member - LASP Capital
The next big thing in LatAm is Micro VCs. We are witnessing the emergence of a new generation of Micro VC managers across the region.
Venture capital is a business model that does not scale well: many once-outstanding global managers saw performance deteriorate as their funds grew larger. Founders seek partners who can support them throughout their journey. Given the limited attention span of VC general partners, the more portfolio companies they are required to oversee, the lower the quality of assistance they can provide.
Moreover, large exits in LatAm remain relatively scarce. By staying small, Micro VCs gain greater optionality, including the ability to sell their stakes to other financial sponsors in later funding rounds.
Finally, in an environment where fundraising for venture capital has become more challenging, having a smaller target fund size is a clear advantage.
Taken together, these dynamics suggest a continued surge in the number and relevance of Micro VC managers in the region over the next few years.
Ricardo Kanitz, Founding Partner Spectra
In Artificial Intelligence…
The next big thing is AI as Latin America’s moment of leapfrogging.
Just as fintech allowed the region to skip stages of the traditional banking system, AI can enable entire sectors to bypass legacy software and outdated processes. In markets defined by complexity and inefficiency, AI-native vertical companies can automate decisions — not just workflows — turning local pain points into globally competitive technology.
Bianca Martinelli, General Partner - Alexia
The next big thing in venture is a real-world AI improvement layer. Scale alone won’t unlock the next breakthroughs in AI: what matters now is rich, task-specific data and a precise view of where models fail in real-world workflows. The opportunity is to map those gaps at scale, deliver that intelligence back to labs and enterprises, and power post-training and evals at the application layer, projecting both as a lab of labs and a lab of enterprises.
Julio Vasconcellos, Partner and Founder - Atlantico
The next big thing is AI becoming invisible, turning into infrastructure, just like smartphones did.
We stopped calling phones “smart” once those features became the norm—a standard, not a differentiator. With AI, this transition is happening much faster.
Search is the best example. In less than two years, we moved from ten blue links to a synthesized answer. Once that becomes a habit, the next layer emerges: agents operating quietly behind interfaces, optimizing everything from complex tasks to everyday decisions. Your CRM already knows everything about that customer. Your email has filtered what matters. Your calendar organizes itself. From the CFO’s forecasting to choosing your trip or deciding what to eat, intelligence works silently in the background.
As memory becomes increasingly persistent inside apps, the inflection point will no longer be whether you use AI, because it will be ubiquitous. The competitive edge becomes a simple question: how good and how reliable is the intelligence underneath the software?
In 2026, AI stops being a feature and becomes an invisible standard.
Pedro Sorrentino, Managing Partner - Atman Capital.
The next big thing is software mapping the user’s psyche.
Everyone is focused on building smarter models, but the real power will lie in memory. Systems embedded into daily workflows will infer cognitive patterns over time, creating hyper-customized memory islands that are continuously reinforced through use.
Willian Cordeiro, General Partner
in Startups…
The next big thing in technology in Latin America will not be a single new vertical or a one-off innovation, but the mass adoption of technology across historically under-digitalized sectors such as healthcare, education, construction, and labor-intensive services—along with parts of the economy where software usage has always been limited, especially small and medium-sized businesses.
The decisive driver of this shift is applied artificial intelligence—particularly the advance of agents and systems capable of executing tasks, orchestrating workflows, and making autonomous operational decisions. What once required specialized teams, complex integrations, or manual processes is becoming feasible through simple, conversational, and increasingly accessible software.
This dramatically lowers the cost of technology adoption and removes long-standing barriers to digitalization in these sectors, such as shortages of skilled labor, low process standardization, and tight margins. In practice, administrative, operational, and even technical activities can now be automated at scale—something that until recently was unimaginable for large parts of the real economy.
The result is likely to be an unprecedented wave of software adoption in the region, driven not only by startups or large enterprises, but by traditional businesses seeking efficiency, predictability, and growth. This transition will reshape entire markets, create new regional leaders, and open a new generation of opportunities for companies that can translate advanced technology into simple solutions embedded in the day-to-day reality of these industries.
Caio Bolognesi, General Partner at Monashees
The next big thing in venture capital in Latin America is looking where the hype isn’t.
Boring B2B—marketplaces, vertical software, and critical infrastructure—using AI as an efficiency engine rather than a showcase product.
I especially like to think about the “graveyard” of past technological shifts to find models that can be reborn. Just as Pets.com failed before mass internet adoption and Webvan before mobile, which businesses weren’t viable back then—but are now ready to flourish?
Florian Hagenbuch, Co-Founder and General Partner Canary
The Next Big Thing in venture capital in Latin America will be identifying founders and companies capable of replicating the exponential growth we are seeing in some global AI startups, such as Lovable, Cursor, Mercor, and Legora.
AI has radically transformed the speed of product launch and iteration, as well as go-to-market strategies, enabling companies to scale at unprecedented rates.
We believe it is only a matter of time before more companies in Latin America begin to exhibit this growth profile, and before founders in the region build generational companies in significantly shorter timeframes than those seen in the past.
José Pedro Cacheado, Partner Norte
The next big opportunity in 2026 is the same set of opportunities Brazil has carried for decades.
Violence, over-judicialization, high interest rates, and lack of trust: in a relatively small market like Brazil, the greatest opportunity lies in tackling our structural problems with technology and with ambition to match their scale.
Lucas Lameiras - Founder, Fanatic Capital & Scout, a16z
The next big thing in SaaS is the explosion of products built through vibe coding—resulting in an abundance of niche SaaS tools solving highly specific problems. Low-complexity software like CRUD-heavy, with polished interfaces, but without proprietary APIs or exclusive data will see margins squeezed by competitors built in hours, not months. Owning distribution channels becomes increasingly important and a durable competitive advantage.
Marcelo Linhares, Founder and CEO - Onfly
in Creators…
The next big thing in the Creator Economy is putting the human back at the center of a market dominated by AI.
Creators become personal brands strong enough to act as engines of both narrative and performance. Organic content builds desire and community, while paid media rides that momentum to lower CAC and accelerate sales.
Human authenticity remains irreplaceable and AI amplifies it all by optimizing production, analyzing impact, and elevating decision-making in real time.
Bruno Playhard, CEO and Founder Loud
The next big thing in content creation is understanding that social media has become interest media.
Feeds no longer show your friends—they show topics the algorithm has chosen. As a result, follower count will matter less and less.
In a sea of generic AI-generated content, the real differentiator will be curation and authenticity.
Greco Prado, Co-founder Curioso Mercado
The next big thing, in a world dominated by AI, is retention.
When everyone can produce more, faster, and cheaper, the differentiator stops being the click and becomes time: watch time, return rates, and completion.
The next generation of winning media is built like a series—rhythm, hooks, and recurrence.
Less chasing virality. More building habits.
Josué Guedes, CEO Market Makers
in Fintechs…
The next big thing in 2026 is the tokenization of real-world assets. What started years ago as a signal in crypto is now reaching institutional scale, with startups enabling tokenized credit, real estate, and even equity itself. Stablecoins already represent the simplest, most widespread form of a tokenized dollar. As TradFi embraces tokenization, LatAm becomes a living lab for a more accessible and efficient capital market
Anderson Thees, Managing Partner and co-founder na Redpoint eventures
The next big thing is that in 2026 we’ll stay focused on two priorities across the region: fintech and AI. In fintech, we’re leaning into the next wave of infrastructure, with AI acting as an engine for operational efficiency and faster product development. At the same time, Mexico and Colombia are maturing quickly: their fintech ecosystems are starting the same transition Brazil went through years ago, as companies move beyond “startup mode” into more structured, established organizations. This shift should pull meaningful capital into these theses.
On AI, the theme remains front and center despite ongoing debates around defensibility and the proliferation of agents. Brazil stands out: it has the second-highest share of ChatGPT mobile app monthly active users as a percentage of population, and ranks fourth globally in ChatGPT online traffic. We believe the strongest opportunity lies in smaller, vertical, domain-specific models built around context—because in practice they deliver higher efficiency and better cost-effectiveness for companies than general-purpose solutions.
Milena Oliveira, Partner and Co-Founder - Volpe Ventures
The next big thing is tokenization and stablecoins.
Blockchain-based tokenization is set to consolidate as the next infrastructure layer of capital markets, especially for private assets, by making them more liquid, programmable, and distributable. In Latin America, this directly addresses structural inefficiencies in intermediation and capital allocation, lowers costs, and expands access to opportunities that were previously concentrated among a small group of institutional players—enabling new models for issuance, custody, and settlement.
In parallel, stablecoins are establishing themselves as the most efficient operational rail for cross-border payments, enabling near-instant settlement, cost predictability, and continuous operation without reliance on correspondent banks. For institutions and platforms, this unlocks real-time, multi-currency treasury management, reduces the need for offshore pre-funding, and integrates B2B payments into global trade and remittance flows—positioning stablecoins as a potential standard infrastructure for value movement and settlement in the coming cycles.
Monica Saggioro, Co-Founder e Managing Partner Maya Capital
in Innovation…
The next big thing is entrepreneurs who, even when building non-AI products, are born with AI-first processes and culture.
These businesses will operate far more efficiently, scalably, and profitably—and as a result, will rely less on large capital raises and more on strategic support.
This point is especially relevant in Latin America, where investment theses typically have greater exposure to SMB customers due to the high fragmentation of local markets. AI-enabled sales, support, and operations work even better for this customer profile, which previously required large teams to serve.
For founders and CEOs of already established companies, this means adopting a mindset of constructive paranoia. They will need to urgently update their playbooks—or be swallowed by more efficient competitors.
We’re already seeing companies with 6,000 customers operating with just five people in sales and support, another with only three employees reaching R$3 million in ARR in one year (R$1 million per employee!), while many established companies celebrate cutting 5% of their workforce. They feel they’re improving—but in relative terms, many of the innovators from five years ago have become operational dinosaurs.
Felipe Affonso, Partner Cloud9 Capital
The Next Big Thing will be the widespread adoption of robotics. As AI continues to evolve, the next obvious step is the automation of physical processes.
Robotics is rapidly capturing the imagination of teenagers and young adults, spreading almost like a fever. As a result, I expect humans to gain more time to focus, increasingly, on caring for biodiversity and the health of the planet.
The next big thing is the rise of product managers who orchestrate AI, data, and business strategy.
As AI tools accelerate development, the PM becomes a builder, and the line between product, design, and engineering fades. PMs who master the AI learning curve and combine technology with deep business and market insight will guide the next generation of high-impact products.
Irit Epelbaum, Product Operating Partner Atlantico and Advisor
The next big thing is the strategic necessity of innovating from the outside in. Rapid technological change, hypercompetition, globalization, and falling barriers to entry have made this approach non-optional. At the same time, customers demand simple digital experiences, instant responses, frictionless logistics, and continuous product innovation. Disruption is horizontal, it cuts across every sector and company size.
Protecting the core isn’t about “spending more on R&D.” It’s about expanding your innovation surface area and building optionality within the core and in adjacent arenas. That’s why I believe every large company should engage in corporate venture capital at some level: CVC lets you explore adjacencies with discipline before they become real threats to the core.
Phillip Trauer, Managing Director - Vivo Ventures
in Society…
The next big thing is the explosion of solutions focused on the Silver Economy.
We’re talking about the largest market now taking shape in the country, with around 42 million people by 2030.
Healthcare, finance, housing, mobility, consumption, and well-being are still largely built around products designed for other generations.
Closing these gaps with technology is one of the biggest opportunities of the next decade.
Daniel Chalfon, General Partner - Astella.
The next big thing in the political context is real-time, AI-driven electoral research.
Synthetic agents — capable of calling at scale, replicating regional accents, and simulating human conversations — will make it possible to test political messaging in days, not months. Campaigns will begin to operate like digital products: iterating narratives, refining positioning, and identifying emotional resonance with unprecedented precision before the race ever reaches the streets.
Felipe Selligman, Founder and Co-CEO - Jota
The next big thing in healthcare for the next decade is solving the mismatch between medical supply and demand. Brazil trained 25% more doctors over the last decade, while the population grew only 5%.
The result is an inefficient system: supply concentrated in a few hubs, high costs, and low perceived quality. The opportunity is to intelligently orchestrate this excess supply using data, technology, and new care models to reduce costs, expand access, and scale quality—connecting patients to the right care anywhere in the country.
Manoela Mitchell, co-founder and CEO da Pipo Saúde
The next big thing lies in what technology cannot replicate.
Just like Bitcoin, whose value derives from its mathematically finite scarcity, real estate in truly exclusive locations represents physical, absolute scarcity. While AI, robotics, and neuroscience redraw the boundaries of productivity and may render many business models obsolete, a unique property remains resilient to disruptive innovation.
Investing in strategic real estate assets in Brazil is, for me, a new ideal frontier of wealth: a real hedge against emerging technologies and a bet on what is essentially finite and irreplaceable. Technology can scale almost everything—except a privileged geographic location.
Rodrigo Dantas - Founder Vindi, Advisor and Investor
in AI Agents…
The next big thing in 2026 is the productivity shock created by the combination of AI agents with fully ubiquitous, familiar interfaces like WhatsApp.
In a region historically marked by low productivity and high labor costs, AI agents find some of their most fertile ground in Latin America—and are already delivering very strong results.
Combining this with interfaces that are widely known and almost universally distributed dramatically accelerates adoption.
Gustavo S. Carvalhal Ribas, Head of LatAm do Kfund
The next big thing in technology is the rethinking of businesses and systems in preparation for an agentic future — where AI agents don’t just assist humans, but autonomously operate workflows, markets, and decisions. In LatAm, this shift will unlock leapfrog opportunities by redesigning organizations from the ground up, rather than retrofitting legacy structures
Manoel Lemos, Managing Partner Redpoint eventures
in Software…
The next big opportunity in B2B software is the creator–founder fusion. A niche expert with an audience (lawyer, accountant, doctor) builds AI for their followers. Zero CAC, pre-existing trust, and proprietary domain data. Traditional startups can’t compete with someone who already has distribution and deep technical credibility.
2026 is the year of the founder-influencer.
Bruno Okamoto, Founder and CEO Pixel Educação
The next big thing is accessibility.
The barriers to adopting and building technology are getting lower every day. This forces us to rethink our assumptions about where value will be created—and understanding this new dynamic is the key to capturing it.
APIs already account for 57% of all internet traffic. By 2026, Gartner projects that 80% of low-code users will come from non-IT departments, democratizing software creation and enabling every company to become a technology company.
Developed countries will invest heavily in factory automation and robotics. Emerging markets, with higher costs of capital and lower labor costs, will generate more economic value by building and layering tools that extend human capability rather than replace it.
In markets like Brazil, technology builds systems and brings populations that were previously excluded into economic participation.
Laura Constantini, Founder NidoVC and Board Member Endeavor Brasil
The next big thing is — and always has been — building software-intensive startups at the exact moment a market stops being driven by atoms and starts existing in electrons.
When a market digitalizes because a new technology emerges, a law changes, or society’s behavior shifts, that’s when the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities appear.
Luiz Guilherme Manzano, Partner big_bets
The next big opportunity in 2026 is the pragmatic consolidation of B2B software.
There is a lot of strong product stuck in the middle, without scale and without a compelling narrative for the next round. The game shifts to those who combine installed base, distribution, and data, and apply already-available AI to standardize support, finance, and sales, with human review where mistakes are costly. This brings margin and cash-flow predictability and frees up energy to innovate.
Great job! I really enjoy this.
Can I throw in a quick suggestion?
What if you kept a year-on-year scorecard of the predictions?
I love reading forecasts and learning from them, but they become far more valuable when we revisit what was said the year before and unpack why certain things did or didn’t happen. To me, that comparison is where real learning shows up.
Without some form of scorekeeping, predictions risk becoming cost-free opinions: anyone can say anything, and there’s very little incentive to be right or to reflect when things go wrong.
Just a thought. I think it could add a lot of depth over time.