TOP 10 COREangels STARTUPS TO WATCH IN 2024
Our leaders community at COREangels has meticulously identified and nurtured startups poised for extraordinary growth and impact. Drawing from the collective wisdom and expertise of 11 Angel funds spanning the globe, we proudly present "10 COREangels Startups to Watch in 2024."
These startups represent the culmination of diligent evaluation, strategic investment, and unwavering dedication from our community of angel investors. Selected by fund leaders who possess deep-rooted knowledge and insights within their respective regions, these startups have demonstrated exceptional promise and resilience in navigating the world of early-stage entrepreneurship.
COREangels has a commitment to fostering not just financial success, but also meaningful mentorship and support for the founders driving these innovative ventures forward. Our angels don't just invest; they actively engage with founders, offering invaluable guidance, industry connections, and strategic insights to propel their growth trajectory.
With a focus on cross-border collaboration and shared best practices, COREangels exemplifies the power of a global community united in its mission to champion the next generation of visionary entrepreneurs. Together, we provide more than just funding; we offer a holistic ecosystem of support, mentorship, and opportunities to empower startups on their journey to success.
Let's discover these 10 COREangels Startups, each meant to redefine industries, disrupt markets, and leave an indelible mark in 2024 and beyond.
BHOUT
Location: Portugal
Industry: Fitness & Gaming
Founders: Mauro Frota & Pedro Barata
Investors: COREangels Lisbon
Co-investors: Portugal Ventures
Portuguese startup BHOUT unveiled the BHOUT Bag, a smart boxing bag designed to enhance workouts by combining sensors on the bag with 3D Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Launched in August 2021 in Lisbon, BHOUT rapidly gained popularity, achieving an impressive EBITDA of over 45%, making it the most profitable club in Portugal per square meter at approximately €475. It secured substantial investments of €11 million from companies such as Lince capital, Explorer Investments and Newchip Accelerator, enabling expansion and internationalization plans.
COREangels Founder, Rui Falcão, highlights the following: “Bhout is one of the most disruptive and vibrant startups I´ve ever met. Their impact in the fitness industry by joining fitness and entertainment is the perfect secret sauce for innovation. I bet they go very far, combining the market opportunity, the dream to cause impact in fitness creating a new paradigm and the doer capacity. Amazing combination!”.
Noteworthy achievements: Bhout is being featured in several media channels preparing deliveries for Q2 2024 and has been featured in many publications, such as Time, Vogue, Forbes, etc. They have also been the receivers of FastCompany´s “Innovation by Design 2023” and Time´s “Best Inventions 2023” awards.
Socials: LinkedIn, Website & Instagram
Cerby
Location: United States of America
Industry: Cybersecurity
Founders: Belsasar Lepe & Vidal González
Investors: COREangels Pacific
Co-investors: AV8, Bowery Capital, Founders Found, Incubate Fund, Okta Ventures, Ridge Ventures, Salesforce Ventures and Tau Ventures
Cerby's origins can be traced back to Bel Lepe, a former Google software engineer, who recognized the challenge of nonstandard applications lacking support for identity standards within business environments. It was during his career journey through various startups and organizations that Lepe encountered a customer, Wizeline, willing to invest in solving this problem. Teaming up with his colleague Vidal González, they founded Cerby to manage access for business-to-business nonstandard apps. Today, Cerby has become a leading player in this space, with 26 active customers, significant funding, and ambitious plans for expansion, including targeting federal clients in late 2024.
Nils Galdo, COREangels Pacific Fund Leader, had this to say regarding founder Belsasar Lepe and Cerby´s team: “Bel Lepe and his top tier team lead Cerby’s exquisite growth and have created the first and only comprehensive access management platform for nonfederated applications.”
Noteworthy achievements: Nils Galdo, COREangels Pacific Fund Leader, mentions the following: “The company has achieved over its annual year revenue target obtaining a super YoY growth rate. It has followed its growth plan maintaining a healthy burn rate and successfully closed its Series A of USD 17 M.”.
Socials: LinkedIn, Twitter & Website
ComunidadFeliz
Location: Chile
Industry: PropTech
Founders: Antti Kulppi & David Peña
Investors: COREangels Pacific
Co-investors: Various angel investors
ComunidadFeliz, a Chilean startup founded in 2015, provides an online administrative solution for condominium administrators and owners to manage facility operations and finances transparently. Currently serving over 4,000 housing blocks in Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Chile, and Bolivia, it automates monthly maintenance payments, invoice generation, and offers features like a QR-enabled visitor monitoring system and online meeting modules. With the goal of reaching 10,000 condominiums, the founders plan to focus on talent acquisition and further tech enhancements to streamline operations and improve automation. Their expansion plans include targeting the US and European markets in the coming years. They have received investment from companies like Wayra, Orion, Chile Global Angels and Clout Capital.
COREangels Pacific Fund Leader, Nils Galdo, believes that “Antti, David and the rest of ComunidadFeliz have digitized a crucial part of the Real Estate market, becoming a leading actor in LATAM, and seizing great new opportunities for further expansion.”
Noteworthy achievements: Nils Galdo, COREangels Pacific Fund Leader, revealed the following: “The company has more than doubled its revenues since our investment two years ago. They have become EBITDA positive and are growing ambitiously in new top tier markets.”
Socials: LinkedIn, Twitter, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Google Play & App Store
Ethiack
Location: Portugal
Industry: Cybersecurity
Founders: André Baptista & Jorge Monteiro
Investors: COREangels Lisbon
Co-investors: Startup Wise Guys & Startup Wise Guys SaaS Milan
Ethiack, born out of Coimbra, a town in the north of Portugal famed for its universities, which are among the oldest in Europe, has created an advanced cybersecurity solution that blends Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Ethical Hacking to conduct real-time, highly accurate offensive security tests. This "External Attack Surface Management" system allows for precise and swift mapping of exposed digital assets and infrastructure. It offers automated and manual security testing, minimizing false positives to less than 1% with "Proof-of-Vulnerability" technology.
COREangels Founder, Rui Falcão, explains Ethiack´s success in the following way: "Ethiack entrepreneurs are those guys whom a business angel loves to partner with. They give all they have to extract the maximum potential of their technical capabilities, they go deep in detail, they listen, they are coachable, and they deliver. They created an army of the best international ethical hacker’s because they build commitment, trust and inspiration. They are a unique, and serious case on the cybersecurity industry and deserve our maximum support."
Noteworthy achievements: Ethiack has collected several accolades, most recently being named the “Most Promising Startup” at Web Summit 2023.
Socials: LinkedIn, Twitter & Website
Finvero
Location: Mexico
Industry: FinTech
Founders: Erika Quezada & Mario Hernández
Investors: COREangels Pacific
Co-investors: ManaFund, Brainstorm Ventures, GFVP
Finvero, a digital-native startup founded by CEO Mario Hernández, emerged from his personal experience witnessing family members' struggles to access formal loans in Mexico. Leveraging technology and artificial intelligence, Finvero offers a unique marketplace connecting consumers, lenders, and merchants for point-of-sale and e-commerce financing. Their innovative approach has already attracted over 150,000 registered users and a network of 30,000 nationwide stores. Finvero's mission is to promote financial inclusion through technology, making loans accessible and fostering economic growth.
According to Nils Galdo, COREangels Pacific Fund Leader, “Finvero is a game-changer in the LATAM consumer credit market, with a first focus in the 60M people in Mexico who lack access to credit cards or loans, and expanding to other countries in the region, all under the highest accuracy and efficiency in the credit management process.”
Noteworthy achievements: Nils Galdo, COREangels Pacific Fund Leader, presented Finvero´s growth as such: “In a very short period, Mario, Erica and Yuri and the whole Finvero Team have effortlessly reached: a close to 90% QoQ Revenue growth and became cash flow positive in November ‘23, offering a solid software platform for POS consumer credit origination in the market!”
Socials: LinkedIn, Website, Facebook, Instagram & Google Play
Nezasa
Location: Switzerland & Portugal
Industry: TravelTech
Founders: Manuel Hilty
Investors: COREangels Pacific
Co-investors: Alpana Ventures
Nezasa, a renowned travel technology company, has made a significant impact in the Americas with its TripBuilder platform. Launched in 2012, Nezasa's TripBuilder empowers users, including operators, travel agents, and DMCs, to customize itineraries and packages seamlessly. This cutting-edge booking platform integrates local and international vendors, streamlining the purchasing process, all within a single platform. The company gained prominence in North and South America by introducing its cost-effective platform in early 2020, simplifying package organization and reservations for travel companies of all sizes. Nezasa has gathered investment from entities such as Alpana Ventures, Liquid Partners, Credit Suisse and Zürcher Kantonalbank.
COREangels Pacific Fund Leader, Nils Galdo, put it as such: “Nezasa provides a top-level travel platform that allows companies to easily manage itineraries from start to finish. Thus, they are thoroughly working to become the global leader in opening up the power of digital transformation for travel businesses.”
Noteworthy achievements: Nils Galdo, COREangels Pacific Fund Leader, spoke on Nezasa´s financial strategy: “After the closing of its Series A, and despite the recent major restructuring, the company is highly focused on high-margin markets from Europe and US (including Canada, Australia, Germany, and Austria); all in order to make Nezasa profitable in the short term.”
Socials: LinkedIn & Website
Sizebay
Location: Portugal
Industry: Retail
Founders: Marcelo Bastos & Janderson Araujo
Investors: COREangels Atlantic
Co-investors: Bossa Invest
Sizebay, founded by Marcelo Bastos and Janderson Araújo in 2016, emerged from the frustration of buying ill-fitting clothes online. The duo conceived a virtual fitting room solution where customers input their weight, age, height, and body-related data. Through virtual intelligence, the platform recommends clothing sizes that would fit them accurately, taking into account different brand measurements. Sizebay collaborates with a wide range of brands and suppliers to develop customized size charts. The startup serves online retailers of all sizes, charging a monthly fee based on usage. Sizebay is also financially backed by the Banco Português de Fomento.
Noteworthy achievements: Lucas Oliveira, COREangels Atlantic Fund Leader, highlighted the following landmarks: “They have reached the milestone of 450 million recommendations per month. The service is already available in 30 languages and in 52 countries”.
Socials: LinkedIn, Instagram, Youtube & Website
Vurdere
Location: Netherlands & Brazil
Industry: E-commerce
Founders: Daniel Pisano, Jaime de Toledo & Thiago da Cruz
Investors: COREangels Atlantic
Co-investors: Collider
Vurdere, represented by Daniel Pisano, utilizes artificial intelligence in innovative ways within the realm of Social Commerce. Their approach involves generating AI-driven tags based on technical and nutritional information found on product pages, aiding consumers in understanding the factors influencing their purchasing decisions. By using geolocation technology, Vurdere tailors the shopping experience to prioritize individuals with similar social profiles and geographical regions, enhancing trust and personalization, ultimately contributing to e-commerce success.
Noteworthy achievements: COREangels Atlantic Fund Leader, Lucas Oliveira, gave us the following landmarks: “They closed deals with 6 top marketplaces in Brazil. Just one more to solidify their position as the leading engagement tool for marketplaces in the country. They billed 2.25 times the amount from 2022, with over 10 million people interacting with our tool. They've generated incremental revenue of over US 35$ million for their clients”.
Socials: LinkedIn & Website
Webel
Location: Spain
Industry: At-home services
Founders: Carlos Estévez, Guillermo Urquijo, Javier Ginés & Nacho Tejero
Investors: COREangels Barcelona
Co-investors: Trind VC, Zaka Venture Capital & Decelera Ventures
Webel, an application catering to home services like education, cleaning, and care, reported a successful 2023, achieving a turnover exceeding 2.5 million euros with over 250,000 registered users. Currently operational in Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, and Zaragoza, Webel serves as a platform for professionals to expand their client base, facilitating approximately 75,000 transactions in the past year. Professionals on the platform maintain control over pricing, offering services 25% cheaper than the market average, ensuring flexibility and security, while clients face a commission not exceeding 10%. CEO Nacho Tejero envisions further growth in 2024, with plans to expand to additional cities like Malaga, Seville, Bilbao, and Palma de Mallorca.
Noteworthy achievements: Regarding their overall growth, Urs Rothmayr, Leader of COREangels Barcelona, added this: “Webel grew their monthly turnover (GMV) from 50k $ to more than 300k $ during the last 12 months and they want to reach 3,1M $ MRR by the end of 2024 thanks to the funding round of 2,2M $ from investors such as Trind VC, Zaka Venture Capital and Decelera Ventures”. Urs Rothmayr concluded with “They want to become the Amazon of home services!".
Socials: LinkedIn, Instagram, Website & Facebook
Wsense
Location: Italy
Industry: Blue climate
Founders: Chiara Petrioli
Investors: COREangels Climate
Co-investors: Axon Partners Group, CDP Venture Capital, Katapult Ocean, Moonstone, RunwayFBU, SWEN Capital Partners
Originating as a spin-off from the University of Sapienza, WSense's team initially consisted of engineering scholars. Over the years, the company has expanded, incorporating business professionals and growing its teams. Today, with a 50-member strong team, WSense is set to double in size within the next three years, supporting its ambitious growth plans. Their goal is to provide a communication infrastructure for sustainable ocean resource exploitation, contributing to the blue economy's growth.
Noteworthy achievements: COREangels Climate Fund Leader, Federico Giannetti, describes the startup as “A unique technology that is helping our understanding of the ocean and seas”. Federico Giannetti also spoke on the startup´s rapid expansion, explaining that: “WSense are increasing in revenue and expanding to different countries, with top level partnerships with Fincantieri and Alcatel”.
