Investment conglomerate pours a colossal $3.1 billion into Brazil's iFood app
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In a significant move, iFood, the leading food delivery platform in Brazil, has announced direct investments of 17 billion reais ($3.1 billion) in Brazil from April 2025 to March 2026. The expansion is aimed at leveraging technology, enhancing products and services, and increasing market penetration, with strong backing from its parent company, Prosus N.V.
The Central Bank of Brazil is making constant efforts to keep inflation at a low level, a factor that iFood's CEO, Diego Barreto, believes will contribute positively to the economy. Despite global uncertainties from geopolitical tensions, Barreto remains optimistic about Brazil's economy.
The new capital will be directed towards technology and innovation segments, as well as for providing credit for clients and restaurants. This investment represents a 25% increase compared to the previous 12-month period, with iFood investing 13.6 billion reais in 2025, considering the 12-month period ending in March.
iFood serves 55 million customers and operates in 1,500 cities, working with 400,000 online and offline establishments. The company anticipates a consistently low unemployment rate in Brazil, operating on three-year cycles.
Key expansion plans include technology improvements, product feature enhancements, demand generation and market presence, and service quality enhancement. The primary focus of the investments is to boost platform traffic, increase repeat purchases within the app, and expand operational areas.
iFood reached 120 million orders per month in 2025 and aims for a monthly volume of 200 million orders within three years. The company is adding 1,100 new direct employees to its workforce, with over half in technology. After this expansion, the total workforce of iFood will exceed 8,600 employees.
It's worth noting that the new investment figure does not include resources set aside for possible acquisitions. Recently, there have been media reports that iFood was eyeing Alelo, a major employee benefits card provider. However, the CEO declined to comment on these reports.
Barreto believes that the geopolitical discussion will pass, and iFood plans to expand significantly in Brazil between April 2025 and March 2026. The article was reported by Luciana Magalhaes and edited by Stephen Coates.
[1] Source: iFood's official announcement and Prosus N.V.'s press release.
Technology investments will significantly increase, with iFood allocating a larger portion of its funds towards technology and innovation during the expansion period. This move is expected to further enhance iFood's business operations and financial growth.
The new investment in technology will enable iFood to improve its platform, foster demand, and strengthen its market presence, thus contributing to financial growth and a positive economic impact on Brazil.
