Primero closes $12M seed round led by Kaszek and General Catalyst
Primero, a Mexican-Colombian enterprise AI startup, closed a US$12 million seed round co-led by Kaszek, the Argentine venture fund founded by former MercadoLibre executives Hernán Kazah and Nicolás Szekasy, and General Catalyst. Definition Capital, Conviction, and 8VC also participated, joined by angel investors from FEMSA, Bimbo, Aeroméxico, and Kimberly-Clark de México.
The three founders, José Murillo, Andrés Rosales, and Santiago Buenahora, are Harvard and University of Pennsylvania graduates with prior experience at Meta, 8VC, and Robinhood, according to Primero's funding announcement. Much of the engineering team holds degrees from Stanford, Wharton, and Harvard Business School and previously worked at Google, Meta, and Uber. The company operates from Mexico City with offices in Madrid and Bogotá.
Primero's flagship product, Primia, integrates with legacy systems including ERPs, CRMs, financial platforms, warehouse management systems, and document repositories. The platform consolidates these disparate sources into a unified enterprise ontology, enabling AI agents to operate with authentication, governance, and corporate-grade traceability. Current clients include Terpel, SmartFit, Verde Valle, and Mexico City's SEDECO.
Why LATAM enterprise AI startups are attracting top-tier venture capital
The investment case rests on a specific constraint: organizations manage an average of 957 distinct applications, yet only 27 percent are connected, according to the MuleSoft 2026 Connectivity Benchmark Report. This fragmentation prevents AI models from accessing the contextual business logic needed to drive operational gains.
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Primero sells outcomes rather than software seats. In one construction sector deployment, the platform automated 85 percent of a previously manual process. At a consumer goods company, Primia identified over US$10 million in incorrect deductions scattered across disconnected systems and manual workflows.
Nicolas Berman, partner at Kaszek, said Primero has "everything we look for in a generational company: exceptional founders, world-class engineering talent, and a product built to the measure of enterprise adoption complexities in the region." Alex Tran, Managing Director at General Catalyst, highlighted the founders' combination of technical ambition and rare understanding of how to build durable companies in Latin America.
Strategic angels from major regional corporations signal direct validation from Primero's target customer segment. For employers evaluating AI and enterprise software recruitment in LATAM, this funding round underscores the premium placed on teams capable of bridging legacy infrastructure and modern AI capabilities.
Engineering talent demand signals as Primero scales across Mexico and Colombia
Primero's tri-city footprint positions the company to access distinct talent pools while serving clients across financial services, manufacturing, retail, logistics, construction, and healthcare. The presence of Terpel and six other large Colombian companies as clients indicates active deployment in Colombia ahead of the new funding cycle.
The implementation model pairs internal engineering teams with client personnel on a modular basis, requiring professionals who navigate both technical integration and operational change management. The emphasis on Stanford, Wharton, and Ivy League credentials among existing staff, combined with Big Tech experience, suggests Primero will compete aggressively for senior engineering and product talent in markets where demand already exceeds supply.
For organizations looking to hire engineering talent in Mexico or expand technical teams through a Colombia recruitment agency, Primero's hiring trajectory offers a leading indicator. The company's focus on corporate-grade governance and traceability requires specialists in enterprise architecture, data integration, and AI model deployment, skill sets commanding premium compensation in both markets.
José Murillo framed the company's ambition in regional terms: "The most competitive companies in the world can be built from Latin America. If the large companies of this region become more efficient thanks to AI, it will be the clearest proof of what we do."
The US$12 million will fund operational expansion and continued product development. As Primero scales from pilot deployments to full implementations, its ability to attract and retain technical talent in Mexico and Colombia will directly determine its capacity to deliver measurable improvements within complex corporate operations.