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- The age of alliances & partnerships is here
The age of alliances & partnerships is here
What Meituan’s move into Brazil tells us and why even the strongest players are choosing partners over solo plays.
EVOLVE Commerce Club
June 01, 2025
Welcome to This Week’s dispatch
In this week’s edition:
The week ahead - Exits, Capital, Growth: What Every Tech Leader Should Know About M&A
The age of alliances is here
Community Round Up
Featured EVOLVE Sponsor
Airmeet - Built for Real Engagement
Airmeet stands out by designing for connection in a sea of platforms chasing leads. It’s used by companies like Walmart, Accenture, and the University of Toronto, yet it works just as well for emerging communities like ours. We’ve trusted and partnered with Airmeet to run 60+ expert sessions. It’s reliable, intuitive, and built for human interaction, not just metrics.
If you host events where relationships matter more than registrations, Airmeet is worth a closer look
Now onto this week’s newsletter
🗓️ The Week Ahead
What every tech commerce leader should know about M&A’s Ignacio Villanueva,Senior Director & Partner at L40º | In today's dynamic market, mid-sized tech companies are increasingly becoming prime targets for international acquirers seeking strategic expansion. Understanding the intricacies of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is crucial for founders and executives aiming to position their companies for a successful exit. What we will explore
When: 5/05 - 1 pm CET |
China’s Meituan Enters Brazil. The Age of Global Alliances Is Here.
Modern commerce moves fast.
Relationships, speed, trust, and adaptability are no longer optional.
They’re survival.
I officially launched EVOLVE a year ago, but I’ve spent 15 years helping companies expand across borders.
And if there’s one lesson that keeps proving itself true:
“If you don’t move into new regions, someone else will.”
Let’s look at Brazil.
A market long dominated by iFood, a local giant with 120 million monthly orders, deep AI capabilities, and reach across 1,500+ cities.
They’ve earned their spot and expanded beyond food into groceries, payments, and logistics.
But now comes Meituan, one of China’s most powerful super apps, with 30 billion deliveries a year and with a R$5.6 billion bet on Brazil.
Not a pilot. A full-on campaign.
50,000 couriers in 12 months.
They come with full government alignment.
And tech is trusted by 70% of Shanghai.
This is not theory.
BTG Pactual estimates iFood could lose up to 20% of the market.
That’s not hype.
That’s pressure.
So what does iFood do?
They partner with Uber.
Yes, the same Uber they once fought in court.
Why? Because they know the game.
Strategic alliances win wars that solo players lose.
This isn’t just about food delivery.
Look at:
Amazon and Stripe – global payments alignment.
Mercado Libre and PayPal – cross-border fintech plays.
Carrefour and Uber – retail x last-mile synergies.
L’Oréal and Verily – beauty meets health tech.
Even the giants are joining forces.
Not because they’re weak. But because it’s smart.
At EVOLVE, we keep this front and centre.
Many of our members are navigating expansion, acquisition, M&A, and regional partnerships right now.
They know it’s not just about building. It’s about aligning.
This is what we cover every week:
Real-world strategy.
Real conversations.
And real people are already living what most are just starting to Google.
If that’s where you want to be, join us.
Come to a session.
Meet our mentors.
Get to know the programs.
And see what’s possible when you stop going at it alone.
Carlos Monteiro
Founder
EVOLVE Commerce Club
What We’re Watching
Global Commerce Alliances & Tech Partnerships
WiseTech Acquires e2open for $3.25 Billion to Expand U.S. Logistics Reach
Australian logistics software company WiseTech Global announced a significant $3.25 billion acquisition of U.S.-based supply chain software platform e2open. This strategic move aims to enhance WiseTech’s position as a leading provider of end-to-end supply chain solutions, expanding its network to over 500,000 connected enterprises.
Source: E2open
Technology & Future of Work
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Calls AI Job Fears 'Alarmist' Amid Internal Shifts
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff dismissed fears about AI eliminating a large number of jobs as “alarmist,” even as the company’s internal shifts reflect AI’s growing impact on employment. Salesforce has redeployed 500 employees to data-heavy roles and is hiring fewer engineers while expanding its sales force focused on promoting AI products.
Source:SFGate
Meta Plans to Expand Retail Footprint with Physical Stores
Meta has been working on plans to open physical retail stores and hire retail workers, aiming to boost sales of hardware products like its smart glasses. This move indicates a strategic shift to enhance its retail presence and customer engagement
Source: Retailwire
Some of our club members currently lead or have led world leading commerce organizations
Community Round Up
Evolve Expert Sessions
Expert Session #62 - Ron Thurston
With over 30 years of leadership at iconic brands like Apple, Gap, Saint Laurent, and Bonobos, Ron Thurston has consistently built high-performing teams and cultures. His Amazon bestseller, Retail Pride, has become a go-to guide for retail professionals seeking purpose and confidence in their careers.
VOICES Podcast
#028 - From Programmer to Content Creator
Karina Tronkos, founder of the Nina Talks channel, UI/UX designer, and TEDx speaker. Karina shares her journey from computer science to an internship at Apple, her experience working at major companies like Globo and Accenture, and her role as a content creator. They also dive into topics like artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and her impact on the female tech community.
**Episode in Brazilian portuguese, with captions in english
#027 -Shaping wealth with Purpose
Marguerite Ch. B, an expert who has spent the last 30 years navigating the world of high-net-worth investing, explore the evolution of private banking and wealth management
From the Community
Events from our partners
June - Digital 1:1
Alicante Spain - 18th and 19th june
a closed ecosystem and location exclusively for top digital industry leaders.Leaders in the digital industry with all the amenities and the right format to connect and cooperate with each other effectively.
Learn more
Our Upcoming Expert Sessions
Aytun Alakus- Insights Expert -Turkey
Former Head of Global Consumer Insights MEA & GBD (JDE)
 12 /06 - Rodrigo Cerón - Mex |  19/05 -Zoe Roswell - U.K |
Time to Evolve
We now have an official map of our meetups for 2025:
London.
Berlin.
Copenhagen
Madrid.
São Paulo.
Cairo.
Bucharest.
Dubai.
Riyadh.
Each one is an invitation to step outside the silo and into real conversations with senior operators shaping the future of commerce.
If you're interested in partnering with EVOLVE, sharing your events, activating our community, or co-creating something with purpose
Click below to explore how we collaborate.
No noise. Just alignment.
Keep the conversation going in our WhatsApp group and Exclusive Mighty Networks community, that’s where real connections happen.
Make sure to follow our newsletter, where we highlight what’s shaping our club. In the coming months, we’ll be announcing new partnerships, events, meetups, and the opportunities our members are creating together.
