Brazil-Based Payroll Startup Tako Raises $18M

Gunderson Dettmer represented client Tako, a Brazilian payroll and workforce management platform, in its new $18 million financing from Ribbit Capital and a16z. Tako uses specialized AI agents trained on Brazil’s intricate labor laws that autonomously manage routine payroll, compliance checks and risk identification, escalating complex decisions to human operators.

 

The platform blends deterministic systems for accuracy with LLM-powered agents that learn from company-specific data. Customers can also ask agents questions in their natural language and automate core HR and finance workflows.

 

The company plans to use the funding to roll out additional agents for compliance, payments, company policy and employee benefits, targeting both mid-market firms and large enterprises.

 

In the announcement of the transaction, Tako co-founder Sebastián Mejía said, “In the pre-AI world, you had an army of people doing the work. Enter LLMs, and they allow you to serve a customer with a much more advanced system that thinks and acts.”

 

The Gunderson deal team was led by Randall Clark and included Rosie Stein, Tuca Bihari, Christina Chen and Olivia Aulicino.

 

Companies

Tako 

Ribbit Capital 

a16z