Mercado Único

Mercado Único operates an AI-powered B2B platform designed to reduce food and beverage waste by connecting industries with surplus inventory to potential buyers. The company was founded in 2023 by CEO Leonardo Mencarini and CTO Lucas Rolim, who met in 2022 during an Executive Education program at Stanford University. Mencarini previously founded and sold a wine brand, Veroni, and holds a law degree and an MBA from FGV. Rolim has a master's degree in computer engineering and has held director-level positions at technology companies in Brazil, with prior experience at CERN.

The platform serves suppliers by offering an outlet for products with short-shelf lives or aesthetic defects, which might otherwise be discarded. This allows suppliers to generate revenue from excess stock and avoid disposal costs. Buyers, such as markets, distributors, and hotels, gain access to discounted products. The technology uses data and AI to match available products with the most suitable buyers, adhering to commercial criteria set by the industries to prevent channel cannibalization or brand depreciation. In addition to food and beverages, the company also facilitates the liquidation of surplus apparel from past collections and incomplete size ranges.

In March 2024, Mercado Único secured a R$ 2 million pre-seed investment round led by the US accelerator TechStars, with participation from the Brazilian accelerator Strive and several angel investors. The company was the only Brazilian startup selected for the Techstars Los Angeles accelerator program funded by JP Morgan. The company operates in several Brazilian regions, including DF, GO, SP, and RJ, with plans to expand. For 2025, it aims to intermediate R$ 50 million in sales.

Keywords: excess inventory, B2B marketplace, food waste reduction, surplus stock, liquidation, supply chain solutions, AI-powered platform, inventory management, discounted products, apparel overstock, tech startup, commercial liquidation, supplier-buyer network, stock optimization