Zayra secures $2.9M seed round to train Web3 professionals in Brazil
Brazilian financial institutions are confronting a talent gap as they shift from restricting cryptocurrency activity to building tokenization infrastructure. Zayra, a São Paulo-based edtech startup, has closed a R$15 million seed round, approximately $2.9 million, to develop an education platform training professionals in Web3 and digital finance.
Angel investors from Brazil's financial sector backed the round, including Gustavo Guedes Maniero, Ibrahim Jamhour, and Edison Raposo. Proceeds will fund platform development, a content production studio, and initial course recordings in partnership with SP Tech, a technology college in São Paulo.
Founder and CEO Tito Martins spent three decades at Banco Matrix, Itaú-Unibanco, and HSBC Bank before launching Zayra. According to the announcement, Martins framed education as the foundation of new financial infrastructure. Without knowledge of blockchain mechanics, he argued, institutions cannot operate sophisticated platforms effectively.
Brazilian banks have reversed course over the past four years. Those that once severed ties with cryptocurrency clients now develop tokenization platforms, operate stablecoins, and work with real-world assets converted into tokens. This shift has created demand for product directors, portfolio managers, innovation leads, lawyers, and accountants who understand blockchain and its application to financial services.
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How Zayra's education platform addresses Brazil's blockchain talent shortage
Zayra structures its curriculum around a Learn-Build-Earn methodology. The Learn module covers stablecoins, blockchain, tokenization, and digital economy fundamentals. Build guides students through applying concepts to projects and business opportunities. Earn connects training to job searches, career progression, business creation, and income generation.
The platform uses ZAI, an in-house artificial intelligence tool that answers student questions by drawing on video, audio, slides, and supplementary materials from each class. The curriculum applies andragogy principles, which focus on adult learning.
For organizations seeking to hire blockchain and Web3 specialists in Brazil, the talent pipeline challenge is acute. Angel investor Maniero, with over 25 years in financial markets, noted the difficulty institutions face finding professionals prepared to operate emerging digital infrastructure. His investment thesis centers on training operators before deploying technology, a gap Zayra targets.
The startup is building a network of Web3 specialists to deliver classes, workshops, mentoring, and community events. Co-founder Claudio Yamaguchi, a designer and strategist with 26 years in technology and education and prior experience at Via Varejo and digital product school Tera, leads this effort. The network spans blockchain protocols, stablecoins, DeFi, real-world asset tokenization, NFTs, smart contracts, regulation and compliance, digital identity, DAOs, custody, portfolio management, and AI applications.
The founding team includes Daniel Marques, a blockchain developer since 2016 and author of a beginner's guide to Bitcoin, who oversees platform technology, and Renato Janesch, CFO with more than 20 years in corporate finance and credit at Citi, DuPont, and Magazine Luiza.
Web3 hiring demand signals as Brazilian banks expand tokenization operations
The Real World Assets market, which digitally represents physical assets through tokens, has surpassed $26 billion, with BlackRock's BUIDL fund accounting for $2.5 billion of that total. Standard Chartered projects the segment could reach $30 trillion by 2034.
Brazilian banks are building structures to operate digital and tokenized assets. This transition is expected to intensify demand for professionals who understand both the technology and its financial market applications. The shift has implications for fintech and financial services recruitment across LATAM, where regulatory environments and institutional adoption timelines vary but the underlying skills gap remains consistent.
Zayra's platform remains in closed beta, with access restricted to approved users as the company prepares for broader launch. Its Earn module positions the startup as both an education provider and a potential talent pipeline for institutions struggling to staff tokenization and digital asset operations.
The seed funding arrives as Brazilian financial institutions navigate a structural transition. Martins characterized the moment directly: those who do not acquire Web3 knowledge now will operate in the dark as the infrastructure evolves. For employers, the implication is clear, training pathways that did not exist recently are becoming prerequisites for operating modern financial infrastructure in Latin America's largest economy. Source