Branddu and Reno merge to create Branddu AI and raise US$300K to drive Merch Tech in Latin America
Branddu and Reno announced their merger to launch Branddu AI, a B2B MerchTech platform that closed a US$300K pre-seed round led by 500.
Branddu AI launches, aiming to digitize the corporate merchandising industry
Startups Branddu and Reno announced their merger to create Branddu AI, a B2B platform that combines artificial intelligence, proprietary technology, and a network of regional and international suppliers to transform the way companies buy merchandise and promotional products in Latin America.
As part of this new phase, the company closed a pre-seed round of US$300K with backing from 500, one of the region’s most recognized investment and acceleration platforms. With this investment, Branddu AI has raised a total of US$800K raised since its founding.
The funds will be used to strengthen its operations in Latin America, accelerate its expansion in the United States, and establish MerchTech as a new global technology category.
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Two companies united by a shared vision
The merger brings together two complementary offerings in the Latin American technology ecosystem.
Branddu contributed an established regional operation in Colombia, Mexico, and the United States, while Reno developed a vision focused on applying technology and artificial intelligence to modernize the purchasing of promotional products.
The new company aims to solve a longstanding problem in an industry that still relies on manual processes, slow quotes, and a fragmented supplier base.
“Bringing Branddu and Reno together lets us accelerate something we had been pursuing separately: fundamentally digitizing an industry that operated slowly and manually for years. We want to build the infrastructure this market needs to operate with the speed and transparency companies demand today,” said Mariana Velásquez, CEO and co-founder of Branddu AI.
A multibillion-dollar industry that still operates traditionally
The global promotional products market is worth around US$90B a year, while the United States represents the world’s largest market, exceeding US$27B in 2025.
However, much of corporate purchasing still depends on emails, multiple intermediaries, scattered inventory, and inefficient response times.
In Latin America, the challenge is even greater for companies with regional operations, which must work with different suppliers in each country, contend with cost differences, and navigate processes that are not standardized.
Branddu AI aims to eliminate these hurdles with a platform where companies can find, get quotes for, customize, and buy promotional products in minutes.
The birth of a new category: MerchTech
One of the company’s key differentiators is its commitment to establishing MerchTech, a category that combines technology, automation, and artificial intelligence to modernize the corporate merchandising industry.
“At Reno, we pioneered MerchTech: using technology to fundamentally transform how brands buy promotional products. This merger takes the category to another level, with an immediate and intuitive experience. Technology doesn’t replace; it optimizes,” said Sebastián Illescas, CRO and co-founder of Branddu AI.
The platform centralizes the entire purchasing process in one place: from product searches and inventory viewing to customization, design, quotes, and purchases.
More than 700 customers and regional expansion underway
Branddu AI begins operations with a solid foundation built by both companies.
It currently has a team of 21 people across Mexico and Colombia, more than 700 customers, more than 4,150 completed projects and a catalog of more than 35,000 products.
Companies that have used its services include Netflix, Canva, Kavak, Clara, JP Morgan, GBM, AXA, Samsung, Warner Bros. Discovery, and WeWork.
The company also plans to expand its catalog with products imported from Europe and continue strengthening its presence in the United States, one of the industry’s most attractive markets.
The goal: to lead the future of corporate merchandising
With this merger, Branddu AI aims to become the go-to platform for purchasing merchandise in Latin America and build a company capable of competing in the world’s largest market.
The company’s strategy combines artificial intelligence, automation, and a regional supplier network to transform a multibillion-dollar industry that still has significant room for digitization.
