IDB Invest co-led the financing round of $15.5 million for Wonder Brands, one of the leading e-commerce accelerators in Latin America and the Caribbean, with an equity investment of $3 million.
The equity round will help consolidate the company’s portfolio of digital small and medium enterprises (SMEs), integrating high growth online sellers, developing and launching new digital native products and brands, and enabling cross-border expansion in the region. It is expected that the portfolio of SMEs will triple its gross merchandise value by 2025, while increasing their productivity and overall employment. This will contribute to a more robust and reliable product offering available for e-commerce marketplaces.
This investment is part of IDB Invest’s digital economy strategy of promoting productivity, inclusion and sustainability by investing in innovators and disruptors of traditional industries. E-commerce accelerators play a catalytic role in the next generation of e-commerce by strengthening and professionalizing online SMEs and making retail more efficient, scalable and productive.
In addition, IDB Invest will actively contribute to shaping the company’s corporate governance and provide a technical assistance to develop a robust and actionable sustainability strategy, with a particular focus on sustainable packaging that will contribute to material corporate and sector goals such as circularity, emissions and just transition.
The deal is expected to contribute to Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).