Mercately, a startup, is building software to help brands sell better through WhatsApp. The company creates infrastructure for brands to sell directly on WhatsApp. Mercately integrates with platforms like Stripe and HubSpot, using AI agents to assist brands in communicating with customers, managing inventory, processing payments, and creating purchase orders, all within WhatsApp.
Henry Remache, the co-founder and CEO of Mercately, got the idea in 2021 while working on software development for companies in Latin America. He noticed a client in Ecuador was making 90% of its sales through WhatsApp instead of a traditional e-commerce platform. This led Remache to realize that brands should focus on selling where their customers already are.
Mercately faced challenges in the fragmented Latin American market, but since launching in 2022, the company has worked with over 1,000 companies across 20 countries. The startup is profitable with revenue exceeding $1.5 million annually. The company’s growth has been significant, with a 3.5x increase year over year.
Recently, Mercately raised $2.6 million in seed funding to enhance their AI chatbots and expand their presence in Brazil and the U.S., where they are already operating but have not yet captured a significant market share. The fundraising process was challenging due to the limited availability of funds in Latin America. However, being a Techstars company helped open doors for Mercately.
WhatsApp has become a popular platform for startups in Latin America, with many developing services around it. Other companies, like Infobip and Trengo, are also offering business services on WhatsApp. This competition could potentially threaten Mercately’s market share in the future.
Despite strong adoption of WhatsApp in Latin America, the U.S. is also seeing growth in the platform’s usage. Remache hopes that Mercately can capitalize on this trend, just like Shopify simplified web-based e-commerce in the U.S.
As more companies build services on WhatsApp, Mercately remains focused on simplifying WhatsApp commerce in Latin America, where the platform is deeply ingrained in the culture.
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