Celero’s Series A and TINA launch address fragmented SME financial data, a key constraint for credit access in Mexico. By embedding Generative AI into banking channels, the model supports Open Finance adoption, impacting fintechs, banks, and SMEs amid regulatory shifts toward data standardization and financial inclusion.
Celero has secured US$2.9 million in a Series A round led by Headline and Visa to expand its financial data infrastructure for SMEs. The company simultaneously launched TINA, a Generative AI platform designed to automate corporate financial management and integrate with digital banking channels.
The investment aims to resolve structural inefficiencies in how financial institutions interact with SME data. “By organizing, standardizing, and making SME data usable, we deliver the infrastructure that allows institutions to operate more efficiently, securely, and at scale,” says João Tosin, CEO and Co-Founder, Celero. “This investment accelerates our ability to expand horizons, evolves our technologies, and broadens Celero’s impact on transforming the business environment between companies and financial institutions throughout the Americas in the future.”
Romero Rodrigues, Managing Partner, Headline, says the investment reinforces the potential impact that data infrastructure has on the financial sector. Rodrigues says the company addresses a specific and urgent problem for both institutions and SMEs through technical excellence and long-term planning.
Founded in 2016, Celero operates as a technical layer that connects disparate financial systems, organizes unstructured information, and enables operational efficiency for fintechs and financial institutions. The company addresses a market scenario where small businesses face persistent difficulties in organizing internal information and accessing credit markets. To mitigate these barriers, the company employs AI and data enrichment processes to act as a focal point for the financial journey of legal entities.
The company now processes and categorizes volume over US$194 million per month. During the last two years, the revenue of the company increased five times. Current institutional partners include Caixa, Visa, Sicredi, and Serasa Experian. Celero also provides a Business Financial Management (BFM) platform that allows these partners to obtain a 360° view of the behavior, performance, and financial health of the SME portfolios they manage.
Funding Allocation
The Series A funding will facilitate technological expansion and the acceleration of products based on AI. A primary component of this strategy is the launch of TINA, the first Generative AI tailored for the SME market in Latin America. TINA is designed to analyze behavior, propose financial solutions, and optimize decision-making processes in real time.
TINA operates as a white-label technology that is 100% integrated with digital banking channels, such as online banking interfaces. Rather than functioning as an independent application, the tool empowers financial institutions by adding a layer of intelligence to their existing relationships with corporate clients. The AI acts as a financial assistant and an extension of the bank within the daily operations of the customer.
The functional capabilities of the TINA platform include the following features:
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Behavioral and Predictive Analysis: The system identifies optimal methods for making or receiving payments based on the specific financial profile of the company.
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Cash Flow Management: The AI identifies available sources of funds and assists in the structuring of outgoing payments.
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Automated Data Categorization: The technology identifies revenue sources and expenses, subsequently allocating them to customized charts of accounts.
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Actionable Reporting: The system generates intelligent reports to facilitate the assessment of the financial health of the business.
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Multichannel Interaction: The interface interprets commands delivered via voice, text, or images, such as screenshots, and responds with practical financial actions.
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Product Recommendations: The AI suggests specific financial products, including credit, investments, or cash flow solutions, that align with the detected needs of the company.
Strategic Integration and Open Finance
The development of TINA aligns with the global shift toward financial super apps. This concept is supported by the advancement of Open Finance, which enables the integration of various financial services into a single user interface. Tosin says that TINA provides practical and intelligent support to help entrepreneurs save time and identify financial opportunities that they previously overlooked.
By integrating this technology directly into the channels of the bank, Celero aims to enhance the competitiveness of institutions without creating a competitive conflict. This integration promotes digital and financial inclusion for small businesses by reducing the complexity of financial management.
The participation of Visa in this investment round signals a transition from a regional partnership to a broader global scope. The partnership, which previously focused on Latin America, is now expected to evolve to engage with geographies where Visa maintains an established client network and market presence.
Nuno Lopes, Regional President for Latin America and the Caribbean, Visa, says the partnership aims to unlock value for millions of small businesses across the region. Alves says that by activating data, Celero assists financial institutions in delivering accessible and reliable services with increased agility.
This strategic investment creates a pathway for the solutions of Celero to reach markets beyond Brazil, specifically targeting entrepreneurs across Latin America and the Caribbean who require modern, data-driven financial tools.