- The companies are looking for startups that operate with innovation in payment methods, investments, credit, crypto assets, foreign exchange, and insurance;
- Honey Island’s first two investment vehicles made 15 investments, with BRL 15 million invested.
Brazil‘s venture capital firm Honey Island Capital – created by EBANX‘s founders – and the manager 4UM Investments, announced on Friday a new investment fund of BRL 100 million to invest in fintechs and B2B SaaS startups.
The fund intends to invest in up to 15 early-stage technology companies, with pre-seed and seed contributions between BRL 1 million and BRL 5 million, and co-invest in Series A and B rounds over the next 4 years.
The companies are looking for startups that operate with innovation in payment methods, investments, credit, crypto-assets, foreign exchange, and insurance.
For Leonardo Jianoti, partner at Honey Island Capital, the innovation agenda of Brazil‘s regulators, with initiatives such as PIX and Open Banking, and the maturing of new technologies such as blockchain open up space for the development of new solutions. “Digital financial services enable companies in other sectors to have an increase in scale and efficiency, reaching new customers, markets, and verticals,” he said in a press release.
“Understanding and being inserted in the innovation and technology ecosystem is increasingly important for identifying the best investment opportunities, both in nascent companies, the focus of Honey Island by 4UM, and in public companies, the focus of our equity funds, which increasingly coexist with threats and opportunities coming from this space,” added Leonardo Boguszewski, partner and CEO of 4UM.
Honey Island Capital partner Mariana Foresti explains that the fund is “made by and for entrepreneurs and has the purpose of helping founders make the best decisions from day one, with the hands-on experience of those who have already undertaken and led companies.”
Honey Island’s first two investment vehicles have made 15 contributions, with BRL 15 million invested. In the company’s portfolio are or have been startups such as Omnichat, Juno, TROC, Tecnofit, Kyte, Comunica In, and Transfeera.
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The BRL 100 million fund is in its final fundraising stages. Investors will include 4UM and Honey Island Capital partners, family offices, and individual investors, including mentors and entrepreneurs active in the Brazilian innovation ecosystem.