Jun. 18 at 11:58 PM
SoftBank said it is finding fewer Latin American startups that meet its investment criteria, highlighting how much the region’s venture-capital market has cooled since the pandemic-era tech boom. The company, which invested
$8 billion through dedicated Latin America funds, has completed only two new investments in the region over the past two years.
According to Alex Szapiro, SoftBank’s managing partner for Brazil, the firm is currently evaluating four to five potential investments but is struggling to find companies large and mature enough for its preferred deals of
$50 million or more. He cited limited AI infrastructure, smaller talent pools, and reduced access to capital compared with the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
SoftBank remains invested in about 80 Latin American companies and expects several portfolio holdings to be ready for IPOs when market conditions improve. Major investments include Rappi, Kavak, QuintoAndar, Creditas, and Nu Holdings.
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