The archive · AI & Models · Product decision · 2023–2026
Inner AI bets Brazilian SMEs will hire autonomous AI agents, not copilots: R$30M seed
Brazil's multi-model workspace with 1M users raises R$30M at R$500M to launch Squad.com — AI agents that run WhatsApp sales, marketing and finance
Inner AI
What the business is
Subscription AI workspace for Brazilian users and companies: 50+ models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) in one place with templates; the new Squad.com line adds autonomous 'business assistants' for WhatsApp sales, marketing and finance
Starting capital：R$12M pre-seed announced April 2024, led by Canary with LASP Capital, Play9, Alexia Ventures, Crivo and Newtopia; R$30M seed (April 2026) co-led by Canary and ONEVC with Norte, Crivo and Phenomen VC, at a R$500M valuation
How it started
Inner AI was founded by São Paulo programmer Pedro Salles — coding since age 10, educated in the United States — and Eduardo Mitelman, on the bet that professionals should not have to choose one AI: they should get many models in one workspace built for Brazilian work. After about a year of building with design partners, it announced a R$12M pre-seed led by Canary and launched its all-in-one content platform in April 2024, with Claro, Embraer, Mercado Livre and Bayer among early customers.
What happened
The workspace aggregates more than 50 models — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini — behind one subscription, with templates and security aimed at companies. That formula passed one million users and added enterprise clients including Vivo, Sabesp and Bayer. In April 2026 Inner AI raised R$30 million at a R$500 million valuation and launched Squad.com, a suite of 'business assistants' that act autonomously: three initial agents handle WhatsApp sales, marketing campaigns and financial organization with minimal prompting.
No ending yet — it is still running.
Background
Inner AI was founded by São Paulo programmer Pedro Salles — coding since age 10, educated in the United States — and Eduardo Mitelman, on the bet that professionals should not have to choose one AI: they should get many models in one workspace built for Brazilian work. After about a year of building with design partners, it announced a R$12M pre-seed led by Canary and launched its all-in-one content platform in April 2024, with Claro, Embraer, Mercado Livre and Bayer among early customers.
The workspace aggregates more than 50 models — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini — behind one subscription, with templates and security (SOC II) aimed at companies. That formula passed one million users and added enterprise clients including Vivo, Sabesp and Bayer. In April 2026 Inner AI raised R$30 million at a R$500 million valuation and launched Squad.com, a suite of 'business assistants' that act autonomously: three initial agents handle WhatsApp sales, marketing campaigns and financial organization with minimal prompting.
The pivot marks a strategy change from reactive copilot to systems that act on their own, aimed at small entrepreneurs with no time to prompt or manage separate tools; Inner AI also planned a physical store in São Paulo where users can test the product. The bet is that Brazilian small businesses will trust agents to execute work end to end, and that a platform with 1M users can convert them.
What has to be true
- Prompt-driven copilots stalled adoption: users had to know what to ask, so agents that suggest and execute would feel useful to time-poor small owners
- One platform over 50+ models sidestepped the 'which AI wins' question and let a Brazilian startup sell neutrality plus local context such as templates and legal research
- A base of 1M users and SOC II trust from clients like Embraer and Vivo gave Inner AI distribution and credibility when asking users to try autonomy
- The pivot chose small entrepreneurs over big corporate contracts — a market where autonomous agents can be sold as extra staff, not as software to learn
What can be applied
Answers are table stakes; autonomy is the harder bet. Sell 'AI that acts' to users with no time to prompt, and prove trust one workflow at a time — WhatsApp sales first
Aftermath
As of April 2026 Inner AI reported more than 1 million users and was repositioning from big corporate contracts toward small entrepreneurs: the R$30M seed funds Squad.com's first three autonomous agents (WhatsApp sales, marketing, finance), which operate 24/7 inside businesses. The open question it is betting against is trust — whether users will let AI act on their behalf rather than merely answer
Sources
- Inner AI capta R$ 12 milhões em rodada pré-seed
- Inner AI raises $6M seed round
- Rodadas da semana: Inner AI capta R$ 30 milhões para avançar em plataforma de agentes
- Avaliada em R$ 500 milhões, Inner AI investe em 'assistentes de negócio'
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