EqSeed
EqSeed is a CVM-regulated Brazilian equity crowdfunding platform, founded 2015, that has intermediated R$129M+ across 86 offerings to 92,000+ investors, generating revenue through company success fees and a 10% carry on exit gains.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersRio De Janeiro, Brazil
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What EqSeed does
EqSeed is a CVM-regulated Brazilian equity crowdfunding platform, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, that connects individual investors with early-stage Brazilian startups. Operating under Resolução CVM nº 88 — Brazil's formal equity crowdfunding regime — EqSeed has intermediated more than R$129M across 86 concluded offerings to a registered base of 92,000+ investor accounts, with an average ticket size of approximately R$13k. The platform provides issuer screening, a proprietary valuation methodology (VC Pricing), and a deal-execution stack that includes partnerships with DocuSign and a network of 21+ advisory firms. It has produced six successful exits to date, including DinDin (acquired by Bradesco), Pegaki (Intelipost), Greenant (AES), IOUU (Letsbank), App Renda Fixa (Hurst), and MeuPortfolio (Warren).
The business model combines a company-side success fee on each successfully closed primary offering with a 10% performance fee on capital gains realized by investors at exit. Distribution has historically been organic, but EqSeed is now embedded inside the Itaú íon retail banking app, providing access to one of Brazil's largest banking user bases. The platform is also partnered with B3, the Brazilian stock exchange, on tokenization infrastructure to support a forthcoming secondary market product (EqSeed Marketplace) that would allow trading of crowdfunded equity. Leadership comprises founder and chairman Greg Kelly, CEO Igor Monteiro (PhD in Finance, PUC-Rio), CMO Rafael Marino, and co-founder Brian Begnoche. Headcount sits in the 11-50 range.
The platform's strategic focus in 2024-2026 has been on three vectors: deepening institutional distribution (Itaú, B3), enabling secondary liquidity (Marketplace, tokenization), and continuous capital recycling via four progressively larger self-rounds (R$2.5M, R$5M, R$7.295M, R$7.5M between 2018 and 2025). The product surface also includes educational content (EqSeed Academy, podcast, blog) aimed at broadening the retail investor base beyond sophisticated early adopters.
EqSeed firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- EqSeed
- Legal name
- EqSeed S.A.
- Website
- https://eqseed.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- EqSeed is a CVM-regulated Brazilian equity crowdfunding platform, founded 2015, that has intermediated R$129M+ across 86 offerings to 92,000+ investors, generating revenue through company success fees and a 10% carry on exit gains.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
EqSeed industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Equity Crowdfunding Platform
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Sales Financing (52222)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Captive CVC Fund (Dedicated corporate fund structure) (FSANAHAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cross-Margin, Portfolio Margin & Risk Engine Providers (FSADAGAH), B2B Crypto Payouts, Mass Payments & Treasury Disbursements (FSADAIAF)
Keywords
Where EqSeed is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rio De Janeiro
- HQ country
- Brazil
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
EqSeed business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Investor performance fee (carry): 10% success-based performance fee charged on the investor's capital gain (profit) only when an exit is realized. No fee to register, hold an account, or invest. Aligned with 'ganha-ganha' model.
- Company-side success fee on rounds: One-time fee charged to the company only on successfully funded rounds, calculated over the amount actually raised through the platform. No fee for publishing a round.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Free for investors; 10% performance fee on capital gain only at exit |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | One-time success fee on companies raising capital |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
EqSeed product offering
Product offeringCore offering
EqSeed operates a CVM-regulated online equity crowdfunding marketplace that connects individual investors to early-stage Brazilian startups and growth companies through vetted, time-bound public investment rounds. The company runs a two-sided platform: a free investor side that signs contracts 100% online via DocuSign, and a company-side module ('Captação via EqSeed') that runs rounds of up to R$15 million per year for Brazilian limitadas and S.A.s. The company charges a 10% performance fee on investor capital gains at exit and a one-time success fee on successfully funded company rounds.
Product overview
EqSeed is a single, unified equity crowdfunding platform — not a suite of separate point products — anchored on its CVM-authorized core platform (the 'EqSeed Equity Crowdfunding Platform') that splits into two sides: an investor side ('Invista em Startups') and a company-side module ('Captação via EqSeed') for rounds of up to R$15 million. Around this core sit complementary offerings: the 'EqSeed Academy' educational hub, the 'EqSeed Blog' content portal, and the announced 'EqSeed Marketplace' for secondary trading of startup equity. Investor economics are governed by the 'Taxa de Desempenho EqSeed', a 10% success-only fee on realized gains, and contract execution is delegated to an integrated DocuSign flow.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use EqSeed
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
EqSeed technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature6 records
EqSeed partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
26 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Itaú (íon Itaú)flagshipNative integration of EqSeed directly inside the Itaú app, allowing clients of Brazil's largest bank to access startup investment opportunities from their primary banking interface.
- B3 (Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão)flagshipPioneering partnership developing tokenized solutions for the secondary market of startup equity, enabling potential future trading of EqSeed-issued equity on Brazil's exchange.
- Major Brazilian investment-advisory officescoreExclusive deals offered to one of the largest investment-advisory offices in Brazil, integrating EqSeed rounds into the advisors' portfolio recommendations for HNW clients.
- Dynamics InvestimentosminorAuthorized disclosure partner that distributes EqSeed offerings to its investor clients.
- WiserminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- SacreminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- Norte InvestminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- Invest Money CapitalminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- Somus CapitalminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- Cash WiseminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- Meridional InvestimentosminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- Equity Rio InvestimentosminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- Allure CapitalminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- L.A. Gestão Financeira UnipessoalminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- WenvestminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- GENTE INVESTminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- L7 WEALTHminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- DNA INVESTminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- JOBIN INVESTIMENTOSminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- ROUTE INVESTIMENTOSminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- FEA AngelsminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings to the FEA Angels investor network.
- ACÁCIAS PARTNERSminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- PROGREDIR INVESTIMENTOSminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- BEST3 HOLDINGminorAuthorized disclosure partner distributing EqSeed offerings.
- DocuSigncoreTechnology integration used to enable 100% online signing of investment contracts by retail investors on the EqSeed platform.
- Comissão de Valores Mobiliários (CVM)flagshipBrazilian securities regulator that authorizes and regulates EqSeed as a 'Plataforma Eletrônica de Investimento Participativo' (equity crowdfunding platform) under Resolução CVM nº 88.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
EqSeed competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kria: Brazilian online equity investment platform focused on private companies and startups, operating under CVM regulations. Direct head-to-head competitor to EqSeed in the Brazilian equity crowdfunding category.
- StartMeUp: Brazilian equity crowdfunding platform regulated by CVM offering curated startup investment opportunities to retail investors. Closely comparable business model and target customer base to EqSeed.
- Broota: Brazilian startup investing platform that connects investors to early-stage companies through online rounds. Shares the same CVM-regulated equity crowdfunding model and Brazilian retail-investor focus as EqSeed.
- 12Minutos: Brazilian equity crowdfunding platform that aggregates small-ticket startup investments for retail investors. Comparable in regulatory framework, target investor, and curated deal-flow approach.
Broad incumbents
- Wefunder: US-based online equity crowdfunding platform operating under Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF), connecting retail investors to early-stage startups. Comparable marketplace mechanics, though operating in a different regulatory regime.
- Republic: US-based private investing platform offering equity, revenue-sharing, and tokenized assets to retail and accredited investors. Comparable curated-deal marketplace model with broader product scope.
- Crowdcube: UK-based equity crowdfunding platform connecting individual investors to scale-ups and early-stage businesses. Comparable curated, regulated retail-investor marketplace; operates under FCA rules rather than CVM.
- SeedInvest: US-based equity crowdfunding platform connecting accredited and retail investors with vetted startup deals. Comparable curation standards, fee model, and online investment infrastructure.
Others
- B3 (Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão): Brazilian stock exchange operator and infrastructure partner. Comparable as both a regulator-adjacent ecosystem participant and a strategic partner of EqSeed for tokenized secondary-market development.
- Itaú: Brazil's largest private bank and EqSeed's flagship distribution partner via the íon Itaú app integration. Relevant as a distribution channel partner rather than a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
EqSeed social profiles
Digital presenceEqSeed compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
EqSeed financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
EqSeed leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
EqSeed funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
EqSeed M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments82 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about EqSeed
What does EqSeed do?
EqSeed operates a CVM-regulated online equity crowdfunding marketplace that connects individual investors to early-stage Brazilian startups and growth companies through vetted, time-bound public investment rounds. The company runs a two-sided platform: a free investor side that signs contracts 100% online via DocuSign, and a company-side module ('Captação via EqSeed') that runs rounds of up to R$15 million per year for Brazilian limitadas and S.A.s. The company charges a 10% performance fee on investor capital gains at exit and a one-time success fee on successfully funded company rounds.
Is EqSeed a public or private company?
EqSeed is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was EqSeed founded?
EqSeed was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is EqSeed based?
EqSeed is headquartered in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in the Latin America region.
How does EqSeed make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Investor performance fee (carry) is the primary driver. The others are company-side success fee on rounds.
Who are EqSeed's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kria, StartMeUp, Broota and 12Minutos. Broad incumbents are Wefunder, Republic, Crowdcube and SeedInvest. Others are B3 (Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão) and Itaú.
Does EqSeed have an API?
No public API is recorded for EqSeed.
What industry is EqSeed in?
EqSeed's product category is Equity Crowdfunding Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAHAB, Captive CVC Fund (Dedicated corporate fund structure), with a secondary code of FSADAGAH, Cross-Margin, Portfolio Margin & Risk Engine Providers. Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 6211.