LAVCA | The Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America
  • About
    • About LAVCA
    • Board, Team, & Advisors
    • Media
    • Contact
  • Members
    • Membership Benefits
    • Current Members
    • Member Access
  • Education & Programs
    • About
    • LAVCA Week
    • Calendar & Past Programs
    • LAVCA Education
  • Research & Directories
    • LAVCA Research
    • Industry data
    • LP Survey
    • Directories
  • ESG & Impact
    • Deal Book
    • LAVCA ESG Deal Awards
    • Impact Report
    • ESG Guidelines
  • Articles
    • Featured Articles
    • Industry News
  • VC
  • Member Login
  • Member Access

LAVCA | The Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America

A non-profit member organization

  • About
    • About LAVCA
    • Board, Team, & Advisors
    • Media
    • Contact
  • Members
    • Membership Benefits
    • Current Members
    • Member Access
  • Education & Programs
    • About
    • LAVCA Week
    • Calendar & Past Programs
    • LAVCA Education
  • Research & Directories
    • LAVCA Research
    • Industry data
    • LP Survey
    • Directories
  • ESG & Impact
    • Deal Book
    • LAVCA ESG Deal Awards
    • Impact Report
    • ESG Guidelines
  • Articles
    • Featured Articles
    • Industry News
  • VC

Executive Briefing: LatAm Deal Making in 2015-Amateurs Need Not Apply

March 18, 2015

With record fundraising for LatAm PE last year, the question now is, how will managers put money to work in 2015? Plummeting oil prices and slowing growth have created new challenges, and currencies have devalued around 20% across the region – does this mean that it is the worst of times, or maybe the best of times for LatAm deal making?

Brazil dominates Latin American private equity, consistently capturing about two-thirds or more of fundraising and investments, so it’s important to understand how the current challenges in that market are affecting the environment for deals. Managers I spoke with over the last week all reported falling valuations and increasing opportunities; according to one mid-market manager based in São Paulo, “In the past we looked at about 10 deals a month, and in the first half of March we saw 24 – it is a buyer’s market. Companies are in dire need of cash, of course this includes both good companies and bad companies.”

Latin America Growth

The same investor went on to say that today the cost benefit of Brazil is tough to beat compared to other LatAm and emerging markets, and this is consistent with comments I have been hearing in recent months regarding valuations in Brazil in particular.

But a veteran manager with offices in multiple LatAm markets highlighted that falling valuations are associated with increased risk: “It is not only devaluation but the increased volatility in FX affecting the PE industry in emerging markets. Let’s not lose sight that most of the LPs are dollar denominated. They want their dollars back with the adequate return. Volatility makes investment decisions more complex. The natural consequence should be a reduction in asset prices to compensate for the increased risk.”

He also pointed out the effects of currency devaluation at the macro (country) and micro (company) level in LatAm: “There is also the FX impact related to the region’s economies – on GDP growth, inflation and consumer spending. For example, if a business was an importer of cars into one country and was selling a certain volume, today their product has become intrinsically more expensive in local currency because of the devaluation and therefore it is likely to suffer a decline in demand. Each market will be exposed to a different set of circumstances depending on the nature of the economy and business. And then there is the impact at the company level – each business will be affected differently depending on its sourcing mix (imported versus local), client mix (domestic market versus exports), and debt structure (borrowing in US dollars or in local currency).”

Another common theme among managers I spoke with is the challenge posed by rising interest rates in Brazil and tightening credit markets across the region, which is complicating financing for new deals and existing portfolio companies.

In Brazil, investors have a new opportunity to invest in distressed companies, with Eike Batista’s assets, energy companies, and the bankruptcy of valve maker Lupatech in the mix. But one global PE investor with an office in Brazil pointed out that Brazil is not easy for turnarounds, given legal risks (sometimes inefficient judges and prosecutors), high severance costs and union risk for layoffs, and high taxes.

Long-term demographic and market trends mean that companies in sectors including technology, healthcare, and education continue to be attractive plays. And well managed businesses in these and other industries that are challenged from a restructuring, or are running out of cash, can efficiently be taken over by PE portfolio companies, allowing for sector consolidation. One manager also speculated that we may see the de-listing of some public companies in Brazil with a wave of public-to-private deals.

Major markets outside of Brazil, such as Mexico, Colombia, and Peru, have not seen the same shift in valuations, and competition for deals continues to be intense among local, regional, and international players, especially in Colombia and Peru. The excitement over Mexico has tempered with the drop in oil prices, as the opening up of the country’s energy sector has been a major driver, drawing the interest of global energy investors such as Riverstone. But Mexico’s close correlation with the growing US economy and other ambitious reforms targeting telecoms and other sectors mean that flights to Mexico City continue to be over-booked in business class. Regional and global PE players that I spoke with consistently referred to Mexico as a priority.

A range of new and different opportunities are emerging in Latin America tethered to a complex set of macro and micro challenges. For seasoned local GPs knowledgeable about the market and global firms looking to do their first deal in the market, the timing is favorable.

Executive Briefing: LatAm Deal Making in 2015-Amateurs Need Not Apply was last modified: April 13th, 2017 by Editor
0
Facebook Twitter Google +

Sign up for LAVCA’s bi-weekly Latin American Private Capital Update and the LatAm Venture Bulletin, produced specifically for venture investors, entrepreneurs, and technology startups in the early stage ecosystem.






Which LAVCA Newsletter would you like to receive?

VC Partner Events

  • VC Trends in Latin America: H1 2022

    August 23, 2022–August 23, 2022
  • LAVCA Encontro Anual Brasil 2022

    August 30, 2022–August 30, 2022

Tweets

  • Nicolás Szekasy https://t.co/kMv2IUnfbA

    11-Aug-2022

    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • #LAVCAWeek2022 is taking place in person Oct. 11-14 in NYC! Speakers include: Tania Sztamfater Chocolat (… https://t.co/uNg10qSqwx

    09-Aug-2022

    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • Today's top takeaways from the #LatAmVentureBulletin: https://t.co/JY9CRvO0hW https://t.co/KUabMLOT2U

    05-Aug-2022

    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • Leading VCs and tech investors active in Brazil are invited to join LAVCA's #EncontroAnualBrasil. Program highlight… https://t.co/9vWiCTnyuh

    05-Aug-2022

    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • Registration for #LAVCAWeek2022 is now open for all qualified institutional investors LAVCA Members and non-members… https://t.co/iiv4YQSuUc

    03-Aug-2022

    Reply Retweet Favorite

Submit VC News

Have private equity or venture capital related news that you would like to share? Submit your press releases and news to [email protected].

VC Industry News

  • Monashees and Andreessen Horowitz Lead USD10m Seed Round for NG.CAS

    August 2, 2022
  • Canary Leads USD6m Pre-Seed Round for Colombia’s Bia

    July 27, 2022
  • Swvl To Acquire Mexico’s VC-backed Urbvan for USD82m

    July 11, 2022
  • Tiger Global Leads USD15m Series A for Colombia’s treble.ai

    July 1, 2022
  • Goldman Sachs Asset Management Leads ~USD38m Series C for Brazil’s Conexa Saúde

    June 27, 2022
  • Vine Ventures Reaches USD140m Final Close for Seed-stage Venture Fund

    June 22, 2022
  • Ecuadorian Fintech Kushki Raises USD100m Series B+ at USD1.5b Valuation

    June 7, 2022
  • Vinci Partners Acquires USD20m Stake in Brazilian Credit Provider DMCard

    February 21, 2022
  • 8VC Leads ~USD35.4m Round for Brazilian Insurtech 180 Seguros (em português)

    February 2, 2022
  • Glade Brook Capital Leads USD125m Series C for Chilean Insurtech Betterfly

    February 2, 2022
  • SP Ventures and Acre.VC Lead USD10m Series A for Brazilian Carbon Trading Marketplace Moss (em português)

    January 31, 2022
  • Brazilian Healthtech Nilo Saúde Raises USD10m Series A from Canary, MAYA, SoftBank, GFC and Tau Ventures

    January 28, 2022
  • Valor Capital Group Leads ~USD16m Series A for Brazilian Agtech Agrolend (em português)

    January 23, 2022
  • DILA Capital and Kayyak Ventures Lead USD15m Series A for Mexican Financing Platform Fairplay

    January 18, 2022
  • Astella Investimentos Leads ~USD4.6m Seed Round for Brazilian Blockchain Trading Platform Gavea (em português)

    January 12, 2022
  • SoftBank Leads USD48m Series B for Colombian E-commerce Laika

    January 12, 2022
  • KASZEK Leads USD13.2m Round for Mexican Fantasy Sports Platform Draftea

    January 7, 2022
  • IDC Ventures Leads ~USD5m Series A for Brazilian Microcredit Platform SuperSim (em português)

    January 6, 2022
  • Mexican Verification Platform MetaMap Raises USD70m Series B

    January 5, 2022
  • DRADS Capital Leads USD7m Pre-Series A for Chilean Foodtech The Live Green Co. (en español)

    January 3, 2022
  • SoftBank Leads USD127m Round for Brazilian Healthcare Provider Alice

    December 21, 2021
  • DILA Capital and ALIVE Ventures Lead USD14m Series A for Edtech Slang

    December 20, 2021
  • Astella Investimentos and SoftBank Lead ~USD3m Seed Round for Brazilian Automation Platform BotCity (em português)

    December 20, 2021
  • GIC Leads USD80m Round for Colombian POS Lending Platform ADDI (em português)

    December 20, 2021
  • Yara Growth Ventures Leads USD30m Series C for Argentine Agtech Agrofy (em português)

    December 16, 2021
  • Tiger Global Leads USD60m Series B for Mexican Freight Platform Nowports

    December 16, 2021
  • SoftBank Leads ~USD120m Round for Brazilian Fintech OpenCo (em português)

    December 15, 2021
  • DN Capital Leads ~USD22.2m Series A+ for Brazilian Healthtech Sami

    December 14, 2021
  • Riverwood Capital Leads ~USD52m Series B for Brazilian Fiscal Management Platform Arquivei (em português)

    December 14, 2021
  • KASZEK Leads USD2.7m Seed Round for Peruvian Edtech Crack the Code

    December 13, 2021
  • GIC Leads ~USD32m Series C for Brazilian Delivery Platform Shopper (em português)

    December 13, 2021
  • Tiger Global Leads USD20.5m Round for Mexican Freight Platform Nuvocargo

    December 10, 2021
  • Advent International and SoftBank Lead USD60m Series B+ in E-Commerce Aggregator Merama

    December 9, 2021
  • Volpe Capital Leads ~USD5m Series A for Brazilian Corporate Governance Platform Atlas Governance

    December 8, 2021
  • Lachy Groom Leads USD14.8m Series A for Brazilian Fintech Stark Bank (em português)

    December 8, 2021
  • Prosus Ventures Leads USD60m Series B for Colombian Edtech Platzi

    December 6, 2021
  • KASZEK Leads USD10m Series A for Brazilian Workspace Marketplace Beer or Coffee (em português)

    November 30, 2021
  • Galapagos Capital Invests ~USD20m in Brazilian Cosmetics MedBeauty (em português)

    November 18, 2021
  • Oak HC Leads USD27m Series A for Mexican Payment Platform Aplazo

    November 15, 2021
  • Colombian E-commerce Fulfillment Platform Melonn Raises USD4.5 Seed Round

    November 3, 2021
  • DNA Capital, Temasek and Fit Participações Lead ~USD20m Round for Brazilian Healthtech Memed

    November 1, 2021
  • Astella Investimentos Leads ~USD5m Round for Brazilian Proptech Homelend (em português)

    October 28, 2021
  • KASZEK Leads USD8m Round for Brazilian Car Documentation Platform Gringo

    October 27, 2021
  • SoftBank Leads USD75m Series C for Brazilian BPO Platform Pipefy

    October 26, 2021
  • Mexican Delivery Platform Skydropx Raised USD20m Seres A from Cometa, Base10 Partners, 645 Ventures

    October 26, 2021
  • Brazilian Car Insurtech Justos Raises ~USD35.8m Series A from SoftBank, KASZEK and Others

    October 25, 2021
  • Andreessen Horowitz and Base Partners Lead USD15m Series A for Colombian Foodtech Foodology

    October 22, 2021
  • Unbox Capital Leads USD30m Series B for Brazilian Marketing Platform Rock Content (em português)

    October 22, 2021
  • L Catterton Leads Investment in Mexican DTC Eyewear Brand Ben & Frank

    October 21, 2021
  • Anthos Capital Leads USD18m Series A for Venezuelan Delivery Platform Yummy

    October 21, 2021
  • Flourish Ventures and GFC Lead USD10m Series A for Brazilian Wholesale Marketplace Merce do Bairro

    October 21, 2021
  • Tiger Global Leads USD35m Series A for Argentine Fintech Pomelo

    October 21, 2021
  • Brazilian Wholesale Marketplace Inventa Raises ~USD6m Seed Round (em português)

    October 20, 2021

About LAVCA

 

LAVCA is the Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America, a not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to supporting the growth of private capital in Latin America and the Caribbean through research, education, networking and advocacy.

LAVCA Office

    New York City:
    589 8th Ave, 18th Floor
    New York, NY 10018

Explore LAVCA.org

  • About LAVCA
  • Board, Team, & Advisors
  • Media
  • Contact Us
  • Membership Benefits
  • Members Only Access
  • Education and Programs
  • Research
  • Policy
  • LAVCA VC
  • Contact Us

@2020 - LAVCA. All Rights Reserved.


Back To Top