Pepper Acquires YC-Backed Alima, Doubling Down on AI and Product Content Capabilities

This acquisition unites companies with a shared vision and positions Alima’s founders to lead critical AI and data platform functions for the food distribution industry

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pepper, the leading technology partner for food distributors, today announced it has acquired Alima, a Y Combinator-backed startup focused on modernizing food distribution for small distributors. The acquisition reflects a shared vision to create a platform distributors rely on to run all of their core operations, with Alima’s founders joining the Pepper team to continue building together.

Alima CEO and co-founder Jorge Vizcayno joins Pepper to lead efforts on Pepper’s product content platform and data infrastructure, which leverages AI to match and enrich content at scale for distributors and manufacturers who must contend with sprawling, fragmented product catalogs.

“As we got to know Pepper, it became clear that our missions were deeply aligned and that Pepper is positioned to win this category. Joining forces felt like the most honest continuation of Alima’s journey,” said Vizcayno.

Blanca Espinosa, CMO and co-founder of Alima, joins Pepper at the forefront of reimagining how customer implementation is delivered in the AI era. Her background in customer acquisition and onboarding bolsters Pepper’s market leadership in delivering successful implementations, now poised for greater acceleration with AI tooling.

“Jorge and Blanca are exceptional builders who deeply understand the food industry and the challenges distributors face every day, and we’re thrilled to welcome them to the team,” said Bowie Cheung, CEO and co-founder of Pepper.

Founded in 2021, Alima works closely with food operators and suppliers to bring modern platforms and data to an industry that has long relied on manual processes. Over time, both companies recognized a shared belief: independent distributors are the future of food distribution and AI-driven systems and workflows will power their core operations.

“Pepper is building the platform we wish existed when we started Alima,” added Espinosa. “Joining the Pepper team allows us to focus on building, accelerating innovation, and helping customers through agentic tools and streamlined implementation processes.”

With this acquisition, Pepper continues to invest in innovation and foundational technology, reinforcing its commitment to serving distributors across every critical piece of their operations.

About Pepper

Pepper is the end-to-end technology platform for distributors, powering ordering, sales and marketing, accounts receivable, and embedded payments workflows in one unified system. The company’s AI-enabled technology helps distributors increase revenue, boost productivity, and modernize operations. Pepper is headquartered in New York City, NY.

About Alima

Alima is a Y Combinator–backed startup focused on improving how the food industry sources, plans, and operates through modern software for SMB distributors in Latin America.

In these markets, more than 85% of B2B suppliers and distributors lack digital sales capabilities, relying heavily on in-person outreach and manual processes. Alima addresses this gap by offering an intuitive and affordable sales platform, enabling businesses to streamline operations, increase efficiency, and accelerate revenue growth.