Ex-Nubank CTO Secures Latin America’s Largest Seed Round for AI Wealth Tech

Decade, the AI-native wealth advisory firm founded by former Nubank (NU) Chief Technology Officer Vitor Olivier, has secured an $85 million seed funding round, confirming it as the largest seed investment in Latin American history. The record-setting funding validates global investor appetite for Brazil’s financial technology sector and signals a serious disruption risk to incumbent wealth management players. The investment was anchored by top-tier global venture capital firms Benchmark, Greenoaks, and Diffusion, alongside local Brazilian funds Atlantico and Norte Ventures, underscoring the high conviction behind the founding team and their AI-driven approach.

The mechanism for potential disruption lies in Decade's use of artificial intelligence and Brazil's Open Finance framework to deliver a level of financial intelligence previously exclusive to multi-family offices serving the ultra-rich. The company aims its hybrid AI-human advisory model at the mass-affluent client segment, combining senior human advisors with proprietary AI systems that continuously monitor a client’s entire balance sheet, including spending and investment positions. This approach, built on the track record of Olivier and co-founder Felipe Meneses—who led a key AI initiative at Nubank after its acquisition of his firm Hyperplane—is a direct attempt to collapse the information asymmetry that has traditionally underpinned high-fee wealth management in the region.

The magnitude of the seed round reflects a significant flight of capital toward AI-native Brazilian fintechs, particularly those with founders who have successfully scaled companies like Nubank, whose ADRs trade under the ticker NU. While broader digital asset markets remain volatile, with Bitcoin trading at BRL 328,610 and Ethereum at BRL 9,582.95 today, the massive capital raise suggests VCs see AI-driven advice as the key to unlocking the next layer of Brazilian capital market growth beyond simple digital banking. The $85 million check is a strong vote of confidence in the market's maturity and its infrastructure, including the national adoption of Open Finance, which enables Decade’s data-driven model.

For investors following the Brazilian market, the funding spotlights the potential pressure on established players like Itaú (ITUB) and Bradesco (BBD) that rely on large, traditional branch-based advisory networks. The next material data point to watch is Decade’s official product launch and the initial market uptake, as the company is currently operating on a waitlist. Investors should monitor how quickly the AI-native model can translate its significant capital advantage into client acquisition and what competitive responses emerge from the major Brazilian banks.