Brazil's iFood App Invests $3.1 Billion in Capital to Drive Growth and Innovation
SAO PAULO — In a daring bid reflecting confidence in Brazil's economic prospects, food delivery behemoth iFood, which is owned by Dutch investment house Prosus, has committed straight investments of 17 billion reais (about $3.1 billion) in Brazil over the 12 months from April 2025 through March 2026. The amount reflects a 25% jump from last year's investment period.
Capital injection aims to increase the user activity on the platform, boost the frequency of in-app purchases, and expand operations into new geographies throughout Brazil. With the expansion, iFood continues to strengthen its leadership in the highly competitive Latin American food delivery market.
Firmly Believing in Brazil's Economic Stability
In spite of widespread worldwide uncertainties brought about by geopolitical tensions, iFood CEO Diego Barreto had a rosy prognosis for the economy of Brazil. In an exclusive interview, he underscored the strength of the domestic market.
"This geopolitical debate will pass," Barreto said. "We are convinced of a steadily low unemployment rate, stable inflation managed by the Central Bank, and steady national growth."
iFood's three-year strategic planning cycles are placed on long bets about the country's macro fundamentals, especially in tech-oriented industries.
Historical Investments and Future Plans
iFood invested 10.3 billion reais in 2024 and 13.6 billion reais in 2025 and demonstrated an increasing trend. The recent investment round will continue to bet on deepening the company's technology and innovation strengths, as well as broadening credit services for users and partner restaurants.
A large part of this investment will also be used to add 1,100 new direct employees, over half of whom are anticipated to be added to the technology group, increasing the company's employee count to over 8,600 employees.
Barreto also intimated potential acquisitions but stopped short of discussing recent press speculation regarding a possible takeover of Alelo, one of Brazil's leading employee benefit card providers.
Market Reach and Growth Targets
As of 2025, iFood is operating with more than 400,000 establishments—both offline and online—serving 55 million customers in 1,500 cities of Brazil. It is currently serving 120 million orders monthly and planning to achieve 200 million monthly orders in the next three years.
This strong growth path validates iFood's plan to solidify its leadership in Brazil's digital food service market.
FAQs: Brazil's iFood $3.1 Billion Investment Announcement
Why is iFood investing $3.1 billion in Brazil?
iFood plans to improve platform performance, increase user engagement, grow new operational territories, and foster innovation and credit services for customers and restaurants.
What are the main areas this investment will go towards?
The investment will be utilized to:
Drive repeat purchases and app traffic
Increase geographic coverage
Deepen the technology and innovation units
Offer credit facilities to users and partner businesses
Expand the company's staff, particularly in technology
What number of new positions will be filled by iFood?
iFood will be expanding by 1,100 direct staff, more than half of them in technology, increasing the number of employees to over 8,600.
Is iFood making any acquisitions?
Although iFood has allocated funds for possible acquisitions, CEO Diego Barreto would not confirm or deny reports of acquiring Alelo, a large benefits card issuer.
How will iFood expand its number of orders?
The firm currently processes 120 million orders a month and aims to hit 200 million monthly orders in three years through technology advancements on the platform, credit offerings, and expansion geographically.
With this historic investment, iFood not only reasserts itself as a tech-infused leader in Brazilian innovation but also makes it clear that despite global chaos, faith in opportunities locally remains intact.
