Brendi lets restaurants in Brazil take and manage orders entirely inside WhatsApp instead of a delivery app. A customer messages the restaurant's WhatsApp number, gets an AI-generated menu, places an order by text or voice, and pays; all automatically, with no one on the restaurant's end typing a reply. That lets restaurants keep the customer relationship (and skip the commission) they'd otherwise pay to marketplaces like iFood or Rappi, while still using their own delivery staff or a third-party courier if they want.
The startup raised a USD $6.6M seed round led by Propel Ventures, with participation from Big Bets, Norte Ventures, and Citrino, plus angel investors Patrick Sigrist (co-founder of iFood) and Daniel Silva (founder of Hyperplane).
Brendi's restaurant base has grown to 7,100 locations, with orders processed through the platform climbing from 140,000 to 420,000 per week over the past year; annual recurring revenue is nearing USD $5M. The company plans to use the new funding to expand to 10,000–15,000 restaurants by year-end and is preparing for a Series A round within six months.
