Trendo's Search Engine Gathers Uruguay's Online Fashion Stores

In a market where finding a specific item often means hopping between a dozen different storefronts, a new kind of search engine is trying to map the terrain. Trendo, founded in Montevideo in May 2024, is not another e-commerce platform. It is a discovery layer, a central index aiming to gather the best brands and online clothing stores in Uruguay and, eventually, across Latin America [Trendo: Buscador de moda]. For shoppers, the promise is simple: one place to search by word, color, style, or price across a fragmented retail landscape. For the company's founders, Joaquín Pérez and Bahía Carreira Marcó del Pont, the bet is that discovery must be solved before transaction can truly scale [LinkedIn, Joaquín Pérez] [Luis Bonomi Isola - Universidad de la República - Uruguay | LinkedIn].

The Discovery Wedge

The product's initial surface is a search bar. Users can type in a query or, in a more visual twist, upload a photograph to find similar clothing items [El Google de la moda uruguaya: así funciona la web que crearon dos uruguayos para centralizar la búsqueda de productos]. This functionality positions Trendo as a utility first, a tool for comparison and inspiration rather than a destination for checkout. The company's stated technology is for the fashion industry, but its initial customer is the consumer navigating an increasingly crowded digital marketplace [Sofía Sampietro - Universidad de Montevideo | LinkedIn]. This focus on aggregated discovery, as opposed to operating its own inventory, is a deliberate wedge. It allows the startup to onboard retail partners without immediately competing with them for the final sale, a critical consideration for building trust in a local ecosystem.

Building the Index

The foundational work for Trendo is less about flashy AI and more about the unglamorous task of data aggregation and normalization. Creating a reliable central directory requires consistent partnerships with local brands and influencers, which the founders report are underway [LinkedIn, Joaquín Pérez]. The founding team brings a mix of technical and analytical grounding to this challenge. CEO Joaquín Pérez studied computer engineering and holds a master's in finance, a background that suggests an eye for both system architecture and the unit economics of a discovery-based business model [LinkedIn, Joaquín Pérez] [Joaquín Pérez | Grant Thornton]. The absence of announced funding or a large team underscores the early, bootstrap-heavy phase of the venture. Traction, at this stage, is measured in the completeness of their catalog and the accuracy of their search.

The Fragmented Landscape

The opportunity Trendo is pursuing is defined by the problem it seeks to solve. Online fashion retail in many Latin American markets, including Uruguay, is characterized by a long tail of independent brands and small boutiques, each with its own digital storefront. This fragmentation makes comprehensive shopping a chore. The competitive landscape for a pure-play discovery engine is not yet crowded with dedicated players, though large regional marketplaces and global social platforms inherently offer discovery features. Trendo's differentiator rests on a localized, vertical-specific focus and a neutral stance,it doesn't sell, it points.

However, this model carries inherent challenges that will shape the next phase.

• The chicken-and-egg dynamic. A search engine is only as useful as its index. Convincing a critical mass of retailers to list their inventories is essential before the site becomes a habitual destination for shoppers.
• Monetization pathways. As a free consumer tool, the path to revenue is not immediately clear. Future models could include featured listings, affiliate commerce, or data insights for brands, but each requires significant scale to become meaningful.
• Scalability of curation. The hands-on work of partnering with local brands in Uruguay may not translate smoothly to larger, more complex markets like Brazil or Mexico without a different operational playbook.

The company's collaboration with local brands and influencers is the first test of its partnership motion [LinkedIn, Joaquín Pérez]. Success in Uruguay will provide the proof point needed to attract the capital and talent required for a broader Latin American rollout.

For the fashion shopper in Montevideo or Buenos Aires, the standard of care today is a manual, multi-tab process. Finding a specific pair of jeans or a dress in a particular shade requires visiting numerous standalone websites, each with its own navigation, search quality, and inventory accuracy. There is no regional equivalent to a consolidated, neutral product search. Trendo is attempting to build that utility for a patient population of style-conscious consumers and digitally-native retailers who are ready for a better map. The next twelve months will be about proving that a search engine can become the trusted starting point before the buy button anywhere else.

Sources

1. [LinkedIn] Joaquín Pérez | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jperezrealini
2. [Trendo: Buscador de moda] Trendo: Buscador de moda | https://trendo.uy/
3. [El Observador, 2026] El Google de la moda uruguaya: así funciona la web que crearon dos uruguayos para centralizar la búsqueda de productos | https://www.elobservador.com.uy/cafe-y-negocios/el-google-la-moda-uruguaya-asi-funciona-la-web-que-crearon-dos-uruguayos-centralizar-la-busqueda-productos-n6014767
4. [LinkedIn, 2026] Luis Bonomi Isola - Universidad de la República - Uruguay | https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-bonomi-isola-241061314/
5. [LinkedIn, 2026] Sofía Sampietro - Universidad de Montevideo | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sof%C3%ADa-sampietro/
6. [Grant Thornton, 2026] Joaquín Pérez | Grant Thornton | https://www.grantthornton.com.uy/en/meet-our-people/joaquin-perez/