Primero secures $12M to scale enterprise AI across Latin America
Mexican AI startup Primero raised a $12 million seed round co-led by Kaszek and General Catalyst, announced August 25, 2026. Definition, Conviction, and 8VC also participated, along with angel investors tied to FEMSA, Bimbo, and Aeroméxico.
The company, founded by José Murillo, Andrés Rosales, and Santiago Buenahora, tackles a concrete problem: large Latin American enterprises keep critical business processes and operational data fragmented across legacy ERP, CRM, and finance systems. Primero's Primia platform connects these systems and codifies company-specific workflows, allowing AI agents to execute complex, auditable tasks across operational environments.
The startup already serves SmartFit, a fitness operator; Terpel, a fuel retailer; Verde Valle, a food company; and Mexico City's economic development agency. Its customer base spans manufacturing, logistics, financial services, construction, and health sectors.
Murillo, formerly at Meta and Goldman Sachs, told Reuters that AI is gaining traction in the region because companies can measure clearer return on investment than with earlier enterprise software waves. The capital will support hiring and larger deployments with enterprise clients throughout Latin America.
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Why Primero's expansion signals urgent demand for AI engineering talent in LATAM
Primero's funding arrives as enterprise AI adoption shifts from pilot projects to organization-wide deployment. McKinsey's 2026 survey found that 54% of companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue are scaling AI across the enterprise, while 40% are scaling AI agents in at least one function. Only 37% report any positive EBIT impact, according to McKinsey's 2026 survey.
This gap between adoption and measurable results creates demand for technical teams capable of integrating models into existing operations, redesigning workflows, and delivering auditable outcomes. For employers seeking to hire in Mexico and across the region, Primero's expansion highlights growing competition for professionals who can bridge legacy enterprise systems with AI-native workflows.
The founding team includes veterans from Meta, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, 8VC, and Robinhood. 8VC noted that Primero has built exceptional technical depth, with numerous alumni from competitive programming competitions including ICPC, IMO, and IOI. This caliber of engineering talent reflects what the company calls sovereign AI for Latin American enterprises: customer-controlled models, data residency, and locally fluent implementation.
For organizations planning workforce expansion in the region, Primero's hiring plans signal where technical talent demand is concentrating. The company positions itself as an operational intelligence layer rather than a chatbot vendor, requiring engineers who understand both AI model deployment and enterprise operations in sectors with complex processes and little margin for error.
Enterprise AI hiring trends to monitor as Primero scales deployments
Primero embeds AI into core business processes rather than isolated applications. This requires cross-functional teams capable of working inside client systems, mapping workflows, and taking deployments to production. The company's emphasis on audit-ready AI, traceable model calls, and governed access reflects compliance and operational rigor expected in financial services, insurance, and manufacturing.
Employers tracking AI engineering talent across Latin America should note that Primero's customer base operates in industries where legacy systems and manual processes remain common. Integrating AI agents into these environments demands professionals who can navigate fragmented data architectures, codify undocumented business rules, and deliver measurable outcomes under enterprise constraints.
General Catalyst's participation alongside regional leader Kaszek positions Primero within a broader pattern of capital flowing toward the complex layers of AI adoption in Latin America. This is infrastructure-level integration work, not software distribution.
For organizations planning enterprise AI hiring by sector, Primero's expansion offers a concrete reference point. The company's focus on helping Latin American enterprises become more globally competitive reflects the urgency driving both investment and talent acquisition in the region. As enterprises move from AI pilots to production deployments, the ability to hire, retain, and deploy technical teams capable of delivering auditable, context-aware AI workflows will determine which organizations capture value from the technology.