Espresso Labs makes a minority investment in Sudo

Espresso Labs is announcing a minority investment in Sudo, the digital product studio behind products such as Crowly, Softdex, Parly and Kanjica. The investment marks another step in Espresso's strategy of backing products and studios within its ecosystem, and it comes with a commitment that was part of the deal from day one: Sudo remains fully independent.

Why we invested in Sudo

Over the past few years, Espresso Labs has been building around a simple thesis: beyond developing software on demand, we want to take part in creating our own products and back those who already do it well. After more than 8 years and 220+ clients served, the product-building know-how accumulated in-house now also translates into capital, engineering capacity and a distribution network for early-stage businesses.

Sudo is exactly the profile we look for. The studio repositioned itself from a software house into a digital product studio and started shipping niche products with speed and a distinct identity: Crowly, a SaaS for brand visibility in AI tools, Softdex, today the largest directory of software houses in Brazil, Parly, a multilingual plugin for WordPress, and Kanjica, a kanji reading app for Japanese learners.

It is a portfolio that starts lean, validates fast and scales when it makes sense. That kind of product discipline is rare, and it was decisive in our decision to invest.

Full independence, separate management

The most important point of this announcement: the investment is minority, and Sudo continues to operate fully independently.

In practice, this means:

• Sudo's management remains entirely with the Sudo team. Espresso Labs will not take part in operations, roadmap definition or product decisions.
• The two companies keep completely separate structures, teams and brands. No employees, processes or systems will be shared as a result of the investment.
• Sudo remains free to serve any client, sign any partnership and pursue any strategic direction its team decides, including in areas where the two companies might eventually compete.

We believe the value of a studio like Sudo lies precisely in its creative autonomy and in the decision speed of a small team. Interfering with that would destroy what motivated the investment in the first place.

Espresso Labs' role will be that of a minority shareholder and an available partner: patient capital, support when requested and open doors across our network in Brazil and Europe.

What changes for clients and partners

For Espresso Labs' clients, nothing changes: we remain fully focused on custom development, squad allocation and system maintenance.

For users of Sudo's products, nothing changes either: the products continue to be built, maintained and supported by the Sudo team, under the same brand and through the same channels.

What changes is the horizon: Sudo gains room to accelerate its portfolio, and Espresso moves forward in building an ecosystem where services and products reinforce each other without blending into one another.

About Sudo

Sudo is a digital product studio that creates and operates niche products, including Crowly, Softdex, Parly and Kanjica. Learn more at sudo.com.br.

About Espresso Labs

Espresso Labs is a São Paulo-based software house founded by University of São Paulo (USP) alumni, with more than 8 years in the market, 220+ clients served, including Unilever, C&A, Sabin Diagnósticos and Vinci Partners, and more than 57 systems under continuous maintenance. Since 2025, Belgian software house Dink BV has been among its shareholders. Learn more at espresso-labs.com.