Globo brazilbased 83m softbank Ventures, a venture arm of Brazil’s Globo Group, led the financing round, along with existing investors. Advent, the largest global acquirer of Amazon FBA brands, is also a core investor. SoftBank has previously invested in several Latin American online platforms, including Olist and Petlove.
Descomplica
A Brazilian EdTech startup Descomplica has raised $83 million in a round led by SoftBank Group Corp. The company is the first Brazilian EdTech company to enter the higher education market. Descomplica operates on an online-only model to provide preparatory courses, high school reinforcement, and undergraduate degrees. It counts five million monthly users.
Brazilbased 83m Softbank
Descomplica was founded in 2011 by three Brazilian entrepreneurs, and initially focused on the vestibular exam, a standardized exam for university admission. It expanded its offering in 2013 and launched a mobile app. In 2015, it was acquired by education company Grupo A. This round of funding from Softbank Group and other investors enables the company to increase its staff and expand into new categories, such as higher education. In addition, it will explore the acquisition of complementary technology.
The latest round of funding for Descomplica will go towards its ambitious plans to become the leading online university in Brazil. It will use the money to expand its graduate program, make acquisitions, and develop new courses.
Afya
The Japanese conglomerate is expanding its focus on healthcare startups in Latin America, including Brazil. Last year, it invested in Brazilian healthtech firm iClinic. In addition to the latest deal, the Japanese firm is investing in Brazilian education startup Afya. This deal will provide Afya with additional funding to expand its medical education services.
Afya is one of the largest medical education groups in Brazil. It delivers an end-to-end ecosystem of services that empowers students and physicians. These services start with recruitment, and go all the way through medical residency preparation and graduation. The company also offers digital products to support physicians in their work.
Globo Ventures
Globo Ventures is a Brazilian private equity firm that has invested in a wide range of early stage companies. Its portfolio includes companies in health, technology, and financial services. In its last funding round, the company secured $127 million in total capital from Softbank and existing shareholders. The funding will be used to invest in the company’s technology and services.
Globo Ventures is a Brazilian early stage investment firm founded by two former employees of SoftBank. The company has been backed by investors including SoftBank, Tencent, and Ribbit Capital. Its most recent financing round, the US$190 million Series E, was led by SoftBank and included investors such as Ribbit Capital, Lakewood Capital, and monshees. Globo Ventures is currently investing US$150 million in a Brazilian online home goods platform called Merama.
Balderton Capital
Japanese tech giant SoftBank has made a new investment in Brazil-based bus company Buser. The company, founded in 2012, is a provider of digital services for the final consumer. The deal also involves investments from Globo Ventures, Canary, Valor Capital, and Monashees. The new round of funding aims to expand the company’s network of operating partners. This brazilbased 83m softbank investment follows the previous round of financing in November 2018. During the first nine months of this year, the company has grown more than 1,500%. While traditional bus drivers have disputed Buser’s legality in Brazil, investors are confident that the Brazilian startup will succeed.
The funding round is led by the SoftBank Latin America Fund. It values the company at $2.1 billion, making it the largest investment in a Latin American crypto company. It follows Bitso’s recent funding round and shows that the market is becoming increasingly interested in the emergence of cryptocurrencies in Latin America.
SoftBank is also evaluating several investments in Brazil. The brazilbased 83m softbank firm has already invested in several companies in the country. It is likely to continue deploying capital rapidly in Brazil. It is also likely to expand its operations in Colombia and Mexico.
MAYA Capital
MAYA Capital, a Brazilian 83 million softbank, recently announced the launch of its second fund with a US$100 million target. Maya has made investments in 29 startups in Latin America, including NotCo and Merama. Other portfolio companies include Kovi and Gupy.
The fund focuses on investing in early-stage companies in Brazil and Latin America. In its first round, the firm invested $40 million. The second round closed with $100 million in capital commitments. In total, the first fund invested in 29 companies in 12 sectors across Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Latin America. MAYA Capital also invested in agtech company Clicampo, healthcare startups Alice and Nilo Saude, e-commerce firm Nana Delivery, and mobility startup Kovi.
The company has already made five investments with its second fund, and is expected to announce more soon. Some of the investments include Tarken, a Brazilian agtech startup that has created a grain marketplace. In addition, the fund has led an investment round in Finkargo, a Colombian fintech company.
Advent International
Advent International, one of the world’s largest private equity firms, has invested US$83 million in Merama, a leading direct-to-consumer company in Latin America. The deal includes participation from SoftBank and Globo Ventures, the venture arm of a Brazilian media conglomerate. The financing was three times oversubscribed.
The company will use the funding to expand its brand portfolio and provide working capital for its existing brands. It will also use the capital to build new features on its platform, including demand planning automation and supply management from multiple international sources. It will also welcome Alex Szapiro to its board of observers.
Advent International is an international private equity firm founded in 1984. It has investments in over 380 companies in 42 countries. As of June 30, the firm has US$81 billion in assets under management. It has 14 offices globally and a team of 245 investment professionals. Its brazilbased 83m softbank investment philosophy focuses on investing in five core sectors. Its strategy is to work closely with management teams and provide strategic guidance to drive revenue growth.
