> 🦄 #UNICORNS Gympass, a Brazilian B2B gym membership platform with global operations, raised US$300m at a reported valuation over US$1b. Investors include SoftBank Vision Fund, SoftBank Latin America Fund, and existing investors General Atlantic, Atomico, and Valor Capital Group.
- Gympass calls itself the largest gym network globally, with ~47,000 gyms across the Americas and Europe.
🦄 FYI Venture-backed tech unicorns in LatAm include: 🇧🇷 Gympass, 🇧🇷 Loggi, 🇦🇷 Auth0, 🇨🇴 Rappi, 🇧🇷 Nubank, 🇧🇷 99, 🇧🇷 Movile and iFood.
> Nubank raised R$375m using a Brazilian form of a fixed-income issuance.
> #CVC Brazilian geo-precision startup In Loco raised a US$20m Series B led by Valor Capital and Unbox Capital, the Trajano family office, with participation from Naspers and others. Naspers invested US$5m in 2017.
- In Loco sells consumer geo-behavioral data to retailers, big banks and apps, and says they are already profitable, with 170+ employees.
> Andreessen Horowitz invested US$12.5m in ADDI, a Colombian point-of-sale lending startup, with participation from previous investors monashees, Village Global, and Sinai VC. ADDI raised US$3.8m in 2018.
- TechCrunch: “Latin America is the only region outside of the U.S. where [Andreessen] is routinely investing capital.”
> Swiss VC Bulb Capital invested US$7m in Brazilian direct-to-consumer fashion label Amaro.
- Founders Lodovico Brioschi and Dominique Oliver say Amaro is the largest DTC brand in Latin America, selling more than 1 million items in 2018.
- Bulb Capital was formerly known as the PE arm of Sallfort Privatbank, established by Michael Bornhaeuser in 2012. LatAm investments include Trocafone.
> Foundation Capital invested US$6m in Colombian edtech Platzi. Other investors include Omidyar Network, Mountain Nazca Chile, Y Combinator and 500 Startups.
> #IMPACT Mexico City based impact startup Sistema.bio raised US$12m from DILA Capital, Shell Foundation, Engie RDE Fund, EcoEnterprise Fund, EDFIMC (ElectriFI), Endeavor Catalyst, CoCapital, Triodos, Alpha Mundi, Lendahand, and others.
- Sistema.bio provides biodigester tech to smallholder farmers in India, Kenya, Mexico, and South America.
> #CVC DNA Capital invested R$20m in Feegow Clinic, a Brazilian software provider to medical clinics.
> #CVC Globant Ventures invested US$500k in CamonApp (AR), AvanCargo (cargo transport), and TheEye (HRtech).
> HCS Capital invested US$3m in RedCapital, a Chilean crowdfunding platform.
> Chilean big data startup Odd Industries raised a US$2m seed round from undisclosed investors. Odd Industries is founded by serial entrepreneur Leo Prieto.
> ALLVP made an undisclosed investment in Boston-based edtech Slang and partnered with the startup to launch a free English course on entrepreneurship for Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs.
> Bossa Nova Investimentos announced new deals in Automobi, Certus, Eats for You, GearUp, Mettzer, Meu Atendimento, Pedala, Social Wave, Smarthint, Standout, and real estate startups Desaperta and Play2Sell.
> Magma Partners made an undisclosed investment in Truora, a Colombian fraud detection startup providing instant background checks. Truora participated in the W19 Y Combinator.
> Maltese VC Vereeni Investments acquired a 25% stake in Caleta Gaming, a Brazilian gaming content development studio, for an undisclosed amount.
> #ANGEL #HRTECH Harvard Angels Brazil invested in Jobecam, a Brazilian job matching platform. Jobecam founder and CEO Cammila Yochabell previously worked in HR for global IT companies.
> Travel startup Jubel raised ~US$300k on 🦈Shark Tank Mexico in exchange for a 20% equity stake.