There is good news in the air! Bossa Nova Investimentos became a partner of the ABES Startup Internship Program, an initiative that seeks to strengthen companies, generate synergy between investment funds, incubators and accelerators, in addition to helping businesses overcome the challenges of the markets in which they operate.
The startups participating in the ABES Startup Internship Program will now have more than 33 years of experience at ABES in the legal, regulatory, tax and marketing areas for a period of 6 months, free of charge. The package includes access to the legal-tax office, legal advisors, guides, complete compliance infrastructure, market research and committees on relevant topics in the sector; in addition to certificates for participation in bids, health and dental plans (these services have costs involved).
Bossa Nova Investimentos was founded in 2011 and currently has Pierre Schurmann (founder), João Kepler, Grupo BMG and Thiago Oliveira as partners. The company's strategy is to invest in technology businesses in the pre-seed stage (we invested from R$ 100 thousand to R$ 500 thousand) that are B2B or B2B2C, innovative, digital and scalable. Startups need to have more than a year of life, offer products/services that are already validated, operating, earning (even if little) and close to break-even (or with a clear vision to get there).
“We prefer businesses that have received an angel investment or have already been accelerated; that have technology solutions that use software and the internet, such as solutions for SMEs and specific markets. We do not invest in government businesses, e-commerce (which only sell products), games or hardware and that compete directly with startups that are already in our portfolio”, explains Rodolfo Santos, CEO of Bossa Nova. In addition, he explains that the company prefers synergistic business models to the portfolio and we consider points such as: traction, team and TAM (Total Available Market = Total Market). Check out the complete interview that the portal conducted with Rodolfo:
How do you evaluate this partnership with ABES for the projects of startups supported by Bossa Nova?
The partnership with ABES, for Bossa Nova, is of great value, as our startups, which are in the initial stage, constantly need smart money in their businesses. In addition, most of our startups have a SaaS model and having a partnership with a Brazilian Association of Software Companies can connect them with important players in the market and help them grow and scale more assertively. Therefore, all the support offered by ABES to us is very welcome.
How many startups and companies are invested and what are the main projects supported by Bossa Nova currently underway?
We currently have more than 500 startups invested in our portfolio, with investments in the five regions of Brazil. The main projects supported, therefore, are related to our Rede Bossa (community of entrepreneurs of invested startups), in which the objective is the acquisition, retention and engagement of its members. For this, we use some strategies such as: offering free and exclusive quality content; benefits and partnerships, events, valued connections, mentoring program, among other actions that we develop for our portfolio in order to add more and more value to it. To promote the national ecosystem, Bossa Nova also supports and maintains institutions such as the Associação Brasileira das Startups, in addition to being a sponsor of large events such as CASE, Startup Summit, Sky.One Connect, among others.
Do you have any success stories you would like to mention?
An interesting success case within our portfolio was the investee startup Vai.Car, a company specializing in the car rental sector that announced, at the end of February 2020, a new round of raising R$ 380 million, led by XP Investimentos and also with the participation of Bossa Nova, Banco BMG and BTG Pactual, through Boostlab. Vai has already made more than 40,000 leases and its main differential is the driver approval system, which consists of a system of algorithms that crosses several different data to screen candidates to use its services.
Why does Bossa Nova focus on projects in the pre-seed phase? What are the main challenges for the entrepreneur and investor at this stage? How to get a return on investment?
At Bossa Nova Investimentos, despite being a Venture Capital, we work with the concept of Pre-Seed, because we believe that this is the scarce and necessary resource for startups to develop strategically and consciously in the market. In addition, we also believe that this way Bossa Nova positions itself in the gap that exists between angel investors and Venture Capital companies in Brazil. I emphasize that we maintain relationships with several Venture Capitalist, so that the startups in our portfolio can be introduced and reach the Series A milestone. The principles and guidelines we put together helped several of these startups with guidance, training and information that are used and applied for the levels required in a highly competitive Serie A stage.
What are the challenges and perspectives for Venture Capital (VC) with the pandemic?
The behavior of investment rounds, which will be longer. There is already a slowdown in the market and there will be a decrease in capital for new investments. Valuations will be lower due to the great concern on the part of the founders for the need for capital to face these uncertainties and maintain a healthy cash flow. In this moment of crisis, it is recommended that investors seize the opportunities, understand the importance of portfolio diversification, as a priority.
However, it is important to remember that humanity has shown itself to be resilient and adaptable in times of crisis. Some of the biggest innovations have come from times of tremendous stress and new opportunities arise from drastic changes in people's lives. We are confident that we will all come out of this crisis stronger and will continue to support each other along the way.
What are the tips for investors and entrepreneurs right now?
The tip for those who want to invest in venture capital (startups) is to try to connect with people who already have experience in the field, such as a company specialized in investments, such as Bossa Nova. Another important tip, especially in times of crisis, is to diversify your investment portfolio, avoiding putting all your money into just one startup, as spreading out reduces risk.
The tip for those who want to undertake amidst the pandemic is to seek the areas less affected by the crisis and try to offer some solution that is related to some pain in this chosen market (ex: online sales, digital marketing, telemedicine, etc.). Furthermore, it is essential to choose a competent team to execute the idea and, of course, everything will be easier if the entrepreneurs also already have a background in this segment that they will work on.
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