The Latin American Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (LAVCA) is proud to announce the formation of a strategic partnership with Coller Capital.

The Coller Capital/LAVCA LP Survey on Latin America Private Equity will generate an important source of original research on global and Latin American institutional investors. The survey report will highlight critical areas of concern for international investors considering future commitments to Latin American funds, as well as for Latin American pension funds and family offices in Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Chile.

“Coller Capital is an important partner for LAVCA as we expand our research on the current and future investment environment in the region. The report will be the first to compare the views of limited partners in the US, Europe and other developed markets with those of the emerging universe of LPs in Latin America,” notes Cate Ambrose, President & Executive Director of LAVCA.

The survey will be conducted throughout June and July, with the results presented during a special session at the 2012 LAVCA Annual Summit and Investor Roundtable in New York City on September 12-13, 2012.

The final report will be available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

The annual LAVCA Scorecard ranks business environments for private equity and venture capital activity of 12 countries in Latin America on a scale of 1-100 (with 100 being the most investment friendly) based on indicators including taxation, minority shareholder rights, restrictions on institutional investors, entrepreneurship and capital markets development.

Chile, Brazil and Mexico lead the annual ranking in the seventh edition of the LAVCA Scorecard.

Rounding out the top five countries in this year’s ranking were Colombia and Uruguay, with no change in overall scores. Click here { } to read the 2012 LAVCA Scorecard press release.

The seventh edition of the Annual LAVCA Scorecard was produced in collaboration with the Economic Intelligence Unit, the Multilateral Investment Fund and the Andean Development Corporation.

The 2012 LAVCA Scorecard is available for download here.

New Online Platform

LAVCA worked with Latin American startup Junar to develop an online platform with information from the 2012 Scorecard.

William E. Conway, Jr., Co-founder and Managing Director of The Carlyle Group and Chairman of the firm’s investment committees, will provide the keynote remarks during the Private Equity Program of the 2012 LAVCA Chile Private Equity & Venture Capital Forum, being held on June 4-5 in Santiago.

Now in its third year, the LAVCA Chile Forum will feature two programs, one dedicated to Venture Capital and one focused on Private Equity. The program on June 4th will feature Chilean and Latin American venture capital firms and provide networking opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors.

The Private Equity program will begin on June 5th, featuring the keynote presentation by Mr. Conway.

LAVCA hosted over 200 local, regional and international GPs, LPs and business owners in 2011. For more information on the 2011 LAVCA Chile Forum, click here.

Additional program and registration details for the 2012 LAVCA Chile Forum will be available soon.

Patrice Etlin, a Managing Partner of Advent International, was elected Chairman of the Latin American Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (LAVCA)* and will take up this role in January.

“LAVCA’s membership and influence have grown dramatically, and I am honored to be a part of the leadership team at such an important time in the development of the industry. While LAVCA has made great strides in advocating for and supporting the development of private equity and venture capital throughout Latin America, our work today is more critical than ever. Private equity and venture capital are enabling local companies to become competitive, not just locally, but regionally and globally,” said Etlin.

Mr. Etlin succeeds Eduardo Elejalde, Founding Partner of Latin America Enterprise Fund Managers, L.L.C. (LAEFM), who served as Chairman from 2006. Mr. Elejalde led the organization during a time of great transformation of the region’s significance as a private equity and venture capital market.

“Eduardo’s commitment to LAVCA has been unparalleled. We will miss his leadership, but look forward to his continued participation in the Association,” noted Cate Ambrose, President and Executive Director of LAVCA. “We are excited to welcome Patrice as LAVCA begins a new chapter in its growth. Under his leadership, LAVCA will continue to generate proprietary data and independent research for the region’s private equity and venture capital practitioners. In addition, we will be focusing on the launch of new products in response to investor demand, and expanding initiatives to support the region’s entrepreneurs and early-stage ecosystem.”

To view full press release, click here.

The Latin American Venture Capital Association (LAVCA), in partnership with the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), will host a private discussion and reception on venture capital investing in Latin America on Tuesday, January 24, 2012.

Brazil & Latin America in 2012: Opportunities for US Venture Capital Investors
With rising interest in Latin American start-ups and venture capital, Cate Ambrose, President & Executive Director of LAVCA will present the most recent information on investment trends, industry analysis and VC deals in the region, drawing from proprietary LAVCA data and insights from key fund managers in Latin America.

Please note: This event is by invitation only. Full Members of LAVCA are welcome to attend. If you are a Full Member of LAVCA and are interested in attending, please contact Lindsay Walsh at lwalsh@lavca.org.

Additional details
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Rosewood Sand Hill
Sycamore Room
2825 Sand Hill Road
Menlo Park, CA

LAVCA has released dates for its three major industry conferences focused on Latin America PE/VC. Please mark your calendars for the following dates:

LAVCA Chile Private Equity & Venture Capital Forum
June 4-5, 2012 – Santiago, Chile

LAVCA Annual Summit & Investor Roundtable
September 12-13, 2012 – New York, NY

LAVCA Colombia Private Equity & Venture Capital Forum
November 7, 2012 – Bogota, Colombia

For more information on the above events, click here.

LAVCABase, the Latin American Investor Network, is the only comprehensive online database of Latin America private equity and venture capital fund managers.

Developed by LAVCA in partnership with Globant, LAVCABase will be available in 2012.

More than a directory, LAVCABase offers:

• A fully-searchable database of more than 170 private equity and venture capital firm profiles including areas of expertise by investment stage, country and sector
• Up-to-date information on fundraising, investment and exit activity
• Customizable graphs and charts on the latest data, formatted for use in investor presentations and conferences

For access details, please contact LAVCA’s Research Director, Juan Savino, at jsavino@lavca.org

LAVCA, in partnership with the Americas Society/Council of the Americas, will host a panel discussion on Latin America private equity and venture capital in New York on Wednesday, December 7.

Private Equity & Venture Capital in 2012: A Look at Technology Deals in Latin America

Investments in technology-related businesses have been growing at triple digit rates since 2008 among private equity and venture capital funds active in Latin America. From e-commerce to software development, data storage to mobile applications, a wide range of investors are backing IT businesses. A panel of technology investors and entrepreneurs will talk about drivers of growth, opportunities and risks going forward.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, Founding Partner, Riverwood Capital
• Michael Nicklas, Managing Director, IdeiasNet
• Jon Karlen, General Partner, Flybridge Capital Partners
• Andres Barreto, President and Co-Founder, OnSwipe
• Cate Ambrose, Latin American Venture Capital Association (Moderator)

For registration details, click here.

Additional details:

Wednesday, December 7, 2012
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Registration: 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Presentation: 5:30 to 7:15 p.m./Reception: 7:15 to 8:00 p.m.

AS/COA
680 Park Avenue
New York, NY