The Brazilian startup BackChannel announced the raising of US$5 million in a seed round led by Sunna Ventures, with the participation of international funds. Through the operation, the company founded by Guillermo Arslanian and Guillermo Freire seeks to consolidate its marketplace focused on the sale of surplus inventories, a historically fragmented segment in the region.
The company connects large brands and distributors with small and medium-sized businesses, facilitating the marketing of unsold stock. Through artificial intelligence, the platform optimizes prices, negotiations and recommendations, with the aim of improving the liquidity of these assets.
BackChannel: Growth and strategy
The round comes after a pre-seed of approximately US$3.4 million raised in 2024, focused on technological development and initial expansion. Since then, the company has gained traction, especially in the fashion sector, where it already has more than 100 active sellers.
In 2025, BackChannel reached an annualized GMV close to US$5 million, with more than 300 thousand products transacted and a base of more than a thousand active buyers. By 2026, the goal is to scale that volume to US$30 million, driven by commercial growth and greater operational efficiency.
Model and automation in an impact market
The company’s approach seeks to transform excess inventories into predictable revenues. As part of this strategy, the company expects that more than 50% of transactions will be carried out without direct human intervention in 2026, supported by automation and artificial intelligence. “The key is to structure liquidity with control, margin and speed,” says Guillermo Freire.
The model aims to resolve a structural inefficiency in retail, where large volumes of products remain unmarketed. At the same time, it expands small businesses’ access to large brand inventory under more competitive conditions.
BackChannel’s commitment reflects a growing trend in Latin America: digitizing traditional markets with low operational efficiency. With capital and focus on technology, the startup will seek to consolidate itself in a segment where execution will be key to sustaining growth.
