FUNDEPAR

What FUNDEPAR does

FUNDEPAR (Fundep Participações S.A.) is a privately held Brazilian investment fund manager founded in 2013 and headquartered at UFMG's campus in Belo Horizonte, organized and maintained by Fundep, the Support Foundation of the Federal University of Minas Gerais. It operates as the investment arm of Fundep/UFMG and was the first investment company created by a Brazilian support foundation. The firm specializes in early-stage equity investments in deep tech and impact businesses, preferably those originating from universities and research centers, addressing the seed-stage funding gap and the academic-to-market technology transfer chasm in Brazil.

FUNDEPAR manages multiple investment vehicles and programs. Seed4Science is the primary vehicle, a venture capital fund initiated in 2018 with R$ 38 million in committed capital that charges 3.25% p.a. management fees capped at R$ 1,196,000/year on committed capital and has executed 13 investments out of 2,900+ companies evaluated since inception. Arapy is the impact investment program launched in 2024, focused on businesses aligned with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, with its first investment in Sem Frascos deployed in May 2026. Motirõ is a nine-week business acceleration program co-implemented with UFMG and BH-TEC, running two cycles in 2024–2025 with over 220 combined participants. In H1 2025 FUNDEPAR acquired BiotechTown, an 850m² ANVISA-certified biotechnology hub with Open Lab and CMO capacity. Deal flow is sourced primarily through academic partnerships with UFMG, Fundep, CTIT (technology transfer office), and BH-TEC, with active management support including mentorship, fundraising assistance, and corporate connections as the core service offering alongside capital. Portfolio realizations include Kunumi's 2024 acquisition by Grupo Bradesco, providing a validated exit case for the strategy.

The business model combines management fees from Seed4Science (subscription-style recurring revenue on committed capital), variable investment returns (capital appreciation and exits such as the Kunumi/Bradesco transaction), and emerging operating revenue from the BiotechTown facility. Distribution is direct to qualified investors and portfolio startups via university ecosystem referrals and structured program applications (Motirõ, Arapy) — no retail fundraising. Key partnerships include Fundep as parent organization and capital return conduit, plus state development partners Fapemig, Codemig, BDMG, Bandes, Funarbe, and Mergus, and ecosystem co-implementers BH-TEC and Unimed BH. The core team comprises Carlos Lopes (Executive Director), Felipe Godoi (Director of Management), investment analysts Felipe Faria and Lucas Castro, and communications advisor Ennio Rodrigues.

Name

FUNDEPAR

Legal name

Fundepar Participações S.A.

Website

https://fundepar.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FUNDEPAR (Fundep Participações S.A.) is a Belo Horizonte-based Brazilian investment fund manager founded in 2013 that invests equity capital in early-stage deep tech and impact companies originating from Brazilian universities, primarily through the Seed4Science fund, Arapy impact program, Motirõ acceleration program, and BiotechTown biotech hub.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Management

NAICS

Other Financial Vehicles (525990), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

SDG / Thematic Sustainable Investment Funds (FSANAJAN), Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA)

Keywords

• Venture capital funding
• Deep tech investing
• Seed stage investment
• Impact investing
• Startup acceleration

Headquarters

HQ city

Belo Horizonte

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Management Fees (Seed4Science): Seed4Science fund charges management fees of 3.25% per annum on committed capital during investment period, limited to annual remuneration of R$ 1,196,000.00. During divestment period, fees are charged on invested capital at R$ 9,000/month (adjusted annually by IGPM).
2. Investment Returns: FUNDEPAR generates returns through capital appreciation and exit events from its investment portfolio, including successful exits like Kunumi's acquisition by Grupo Bradesco.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FUNDEPAR is a Brazilian investment fund manager that operates the Seed4Science seed-stage venture capital fund (R$ 38M committed capital since 2018), the Arapy impact investment program aligned with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the Motirõ impact business acceleration program. It also owns and operates BiotechTown, a biotechnology startup hub acquired in 2025. The firm invests in and actively manages early-stage deep tech and impact businesses originating from Brazilian universities and research centers.

Product overview

FUNDEPAR operates as an investment fund manager with three main programs: Seed4Science (early-stage tech venture fund), Arapy (impact investment program aligned with UN SDGs), and Motirõ (business acceleration program). The portfolio includes logistics technology products (Revolog YMS/WMS, Aura safety system), AI solutions (Jurema 7B legal LLM), and supports deep tech companies across sectors including agribusiness, health, industry, and retail.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Seed4Science: Seed-stage investment fund (FIP) focused on deep tech companies originating from universities and research centers in Brazil. Commenced with R$ 38 million in committed capital in 2018.
• Arapy
• Motirõ

Products and services

• Seed4Science Venture capital fund focused on early-stage businesses with technological differentiation, preferably originating from universities or research centers. Manages R$ 38 million in committed capital since 2018 and has made 13 investments from 2,900+ companies evaluated.
• Arapy Impact investment program targeting businesses aligned with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Focus areas include housing, urban mobility, health, education, climate change, creative economy, digital transformation, environmental impact reduction, access to justice, and democracy defense.
• Motirõ

Quantifiable outcome

• 13 successful investments from 2,900+ companies evaluated
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UFMG (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UFMG's Pró-reitoria de Extensão and CTIT (Coordenadoria de Transferência e Inovação Tecnológica) for innovation ecosystem development, technology transfer, and joint programs including Motirõ business development program.
• BH-TEC (Parque Tecnológico de Belo Horizonte)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBH-TEC is a co-implementer of the Motirõ program and key ecosystem partner for startup development. FUNDEPAR operates in partnership with the technology park for acceleration activities and business development.
• FunarbeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport foundation listed as partner for ecosystem collaboration.
• MergusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company listed as partner for ecosystem collaboration.
• Unimed BH / Horizontes HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Unimed BH's innovation hub for 'Juntos Inovamos.Coop' acceleration program targeting medical cooperative doctors' entrepreneurial projects. FUNDEPAR contributed methodology and acceleration process expertise.
• Quintessa and CietecminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFUNDEPAR supports the Deepclimate program, executed by Quintessa in partnership with Cietec, aimed at developing climate-focused deep techs in Brazil. FUNDEPAR provides investor perspective and ecosystem support.
• BiotechTowncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiotechTown, a biotechnology and life sciences startup development hub with 850m² facility, was acquired by FUNDEPAR in first half of 2025. FUNDEPAR now manages this asset to intensify national innovation ecosystem support.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Anjos do Brasil: Brazilian angel investor network that aggregates individual angels into syndicates for early-stage Brazilian startups. Similar pre-seed sourcing role across the ecosystem and overlapping target founder population.
• Vox Capital: Brazilian impact VC fund focused on low-income market solutions with measurable social outcomes. Highly analogous to FUNDEPAR's Arapy/UN-SDG vehicle in mandate, geography and stage.
• Bossanova Investimentos: One of Brazil's most active early-stage tech VCs investing in Brazilian startups from pre-seed to Series A. Comparable ticket sizes and target stage to FUNDEPAR's Seed4Science, making it a direct head-to-head for thesis-aligned founders.
• Canary: Brazilian early-stage VC fund investing in tech-enabled businesses across multiple sectors. Directly comparable in stage, geography, and sector mandate to FUNDEPAR's Seed4Science vehicle.
• Quintessa: Brazilian early-stage deep tech and climate tech investor, explicitly named as FUNDEPAR's partner in the Deepclimate program. Operates a structurally similar fund-of-funds and direct-investment model focused on university-and-research origin deals in Brazil.
• SP Ventures: Brazilian agtech and food-tech focused VC. Direct overlap with FUNDEPAR's sector focus (agribusiness being a Seed4Science priority) and similar early-stage, science-backed deal sourcing model.

Broad incumbents

• Wayra Brasil: Telefónica's corporate venture arm operating an accelerator and seed investment program in Brazil. Broader Latin American corporate platform, but directly comparable at the early-stage tech-startup sourcing and acceleration layer (analogous to Motirõ).
• DILA Capital: Latin American growth-equity and venture debt platform founded by ex-employees of leading Mexican and US firms. Operates at later stages than FUNDEPAR but competes for the same talent pipeline of Latin American deep tech founders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundep-participa%C3%A7%C3%B5es-s-a-
• Instagraminstagram.com/motiro.fundepar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments12 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FUNDEPAR