(Business Wire) 99designs, the largest online graphic design marketplace in the world, today announced it has acquired LogoChef, one of Brazil’s leading design marketplaces. 99designs has also launched a Portuguese version of its site at 99designs.com.br, and will now offer Portuguese-language support and local currency capability to customers and designers throughout the country.

“I’ve always admired 99designs and held it as a benchmark for LogoChef”
“On the back of our successful launch last week of Swiftly, which significantly broadens our design product offering, we’re excited to be taking the next step in our globalization strategy with the acquisition of LogoChef,” said 99designs President and CEO Patrick Llewellyn. “With small businesses and startups driving 99 percent of Brazil’s economy, we have an extraordinary opportunity to connect a new group of our core customers with designers there and around the world.” Llewellyn is in São Paulo this week to deliver a keynote address at The Next Web Conference Latin America.

LogoChef is 99designs’ second acquisition; in August 2012, 99designs acquired Berlin-based European design marketplace 12Designer. The acquisition and new site are part of 99designs’ expansion strategy in Latin America, which kicked off in March 2013 with the launch of Spanish-language versions of 99designs in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile. LogoChef co-founder Dan Strougo has been named 99designs’ Country Manager for Brazil, and will oversee the company’s efforts from its Rio de Janeiro office.

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Dan and the LogoChef community to 99designs. Dan’s experience in our industry, gleaned not only through building a successful marketplace but also as a long-time graphic designer himself, makes him a perfect fit for growing our Brazilian business,” added Llewellyn. “We’re very pleased with the strong momentum we’ve seen in Europe since acquiring 12Designer last year and localizing in five local languages. We have high expectations that with Dan at the helm in Brazil we’ll also see rapid adoption of our services there.”

“I’ve always admired 99designs and held it as a benchmark for LogoChef,” said Strougo. “Joining forces offers LogoChef designers and customers a wide range of new benefits and opportunities. Customers now have access to 99designs’ extensive global designer community, including a strong group of designers here in Brazil, and designers have the opportunity to work with tens of thousands of additional potential clients.”

In conjunction with the introduction of 99designs.com.br, 99designs has partnered with Startup Circuit Brazil to provide special promotions for its members. Startup Circuit organizes dozens of networking events annually in cities across Brazil to bring together entrepreneurs, startups, investors and accelerators.

99designs has hosted more than 235,000 graphic design contests for startups, small businesses and other organizations worldwide since its founding in 2008. In the same period, the company has paid out more than $60 million to its global community of more than 245,000 graphic designers. Earlier this month 99designs launched Swiftly, a first-of-its-kind, flat-fee service for small design tasks.