Investors seek partners in Brazil
Valor Econômico
The founders of the private equity fund manager Oxford Capital Partners Edward Mott and David Mott pay their first visit to Brazil this week. Besides going to banks and ministries, investors meet with Brazilian innovation companies to assess partnerships and technology transfer agreements. Founded in 1999, the British company manages five investment funds with participation in 22 companies and has nearly US$ 100 million in funds but it plans increasing such amount to US$ 150 million raising the funds in the market. For Brazil, the company foresees an investment of up to US$ 15 million in the joint ventures it intends to establish among the British companies in which the fund has participation and the Brazilian companies, says the Executive Officer of Oxford Capital Partners, Edward Mott.
The funds of the company normally make investments between US$ 1 million and US$ 5 million. Regarding Brazil, the company says it is studying investments in at least five partnerships in the areas of bioenergy, health, software and telecommunications. According to the Chief Financial Officer, David Mott, so far there are four British companies of the portfolio of Oxford Capital that began their internationalization process and are willing to form joint ventures to operate in the Brazilian market.
Among the British companies decided to settle in Brazil is Oxitec, which was born at Oxford University. The company specialized in developing insects for biological control of plagues that affect crops and the human health. For Brazil, the plan is to produce a sterile female of the dengue mosquito. The company also has plans to visit the 12 largest ethanol plants in the country this week to stimulate the entering into of a partnership with Green Biologics. The company has developed a bacterium capable of producing alcohol from sugar cane molasses. According to Edward Mott, it already has customers in Brazil, India, China and the United States. Another British with capital of the fund in search of a Brazilian partner is Helveta, which develops software for the control and traceability of products. Arieso, which produces software for the telecommunications area, completes the team of companies interested in Brazil.