Patrice Etlin, a Managing Partner of Advent International, was elected Chairman of the Latin American Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (LAVCA)* and will take up this role in January.

“LAVCA’s membership and influence have grown dramatically, and I am honored to be a part of the leadership team at such an important time in the development of the industry. While LAVCA has made great strides in advocating for and supporting the development of private equity and venture capital throughout Latin America, our work today is more critical than ever. Private equity and venture capital are enabling local companies to become competitive, not just locally, but regionally and globally,” said Etlin.

Mr. Etlin succeeds Eduardo Elejalde, Founding Partner of Latin America Enterprise Fund Managers, L.L.C. (LAEFM), who served as Chairman from 2006. Mr. Elejalde led the organization during a time of great transformation of the region’s significance as a private equity and venture capital market.

“Eduardo’s commitment to LAVCA has been unparalleled. We will miss his leadership, but look forward to his continued participation in the Association,” noted Cate Ambrose, President and Executive Director of LAVCA. “We are excited to welcome Patrice as LAVCA begins a new chapter in its growth. Under his leadership, LAVCA will continue to generate proprietary data and independent research for the region’s private equity and venture capital practitioners. In addition, we will be focusing on the launch of new products in response to investor demand, and expanding initiatives to support the region’s entrepreneurs and early-stage ecosystem.”

To view full press release, click here.

The Latin American Venture Capital Association (LAVCA), in partnership with the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), will host a private discussion and reception on venture capital investing in Latin America on Tuesday, January 24, 2012.

Brazil & Latin America in 2012: Opportunities for US Venture Capital Investors
With rising interest in Latin American start-ups and venture capital, Cate Ambrose, President & Executive Director of LAVCA will present the most recent information on investment trends, industry analysis and VC deals in the region, drawing from proprietary LAVCA data and insights from key fund managers in Latin America.

Please note: This event is by invitation only. Full Members of LAVCA are welcome to attend. If you are a Full Member of LAVCA and are interested in attending, please contact Lindsay Walsh at lwalsh@lavca.org.

Additional details
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Rosewood Sand Hill
Sycamore Room
2825 Sand Hill Road
Menlo Park, CA

LAVCA has released dates for its three major industry conferences focused on Latin America PE/VC. Please mark your calendars for the following dates:

LAVCA Chile Private Equity & Venture Capital Forum
June 4-5, 2012 – Santiago, Chile

LAVCA Annual Summit & Investor Roundtable
September 12-13, 2012 – New York, NY

LAVCA Colombia Private Equity & Venture Capital Forum
November 7, 2012 – Bogota, Colombia

For more information on the above events, click here.

LAVCABase, the Latin American Investor Network, is the only comprehensive online database of Latin America private equity and venture capital fund managers.

Developed by LAVCA in partnership with Globant, LAVCABase will be available in 2012.

More than a directory, LAVCABase offers:

• A fully-searchable database of more than 170 private equity and venture capital firm profiles including areas of expertise by investment stage, country and sector
• Up-to-date information on fundraising, investment and exit activity
• Customizable graphs and charts on the latest data, formatted for use in investor presentations and conferences

For access details, please contact LAVCA’s Research Director, Juan Savino, at jsavino@lavca.org

LAVCA, in partnership with the Americas Society/Council of the Americas, will host a panel discussion on Latin America private equity and venture capital in New York on Wednesday, December 7.

Private Equity & Venture Capital in 2012: A Look at Technology Deals in Latin America

Investments in technology-related businesses have been growing at triple digit rates since 2008 among private equity and venture capital funds active in Latin America. From e-commerce to software development, data storage to mobile applications, a wide range of investors are backing IT businesses. A panel of technology investors and entrepreneurs will talk about drivers of growth, opportunities and risks going forward.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, Founding Partner, Riverwood Capital
• Michael Nicklas, Managing Director, IdeiasNet
• Jon Karlen, General Partner, Flybridge Capital Partners
• Andres Barreto, President and Co-Founder, OnSwipe
• Cate Ambrose, Latin American Venture Capital Association (Moderator)

For registration details, click here.

Additional details:

Wednesday, December 7, 2012
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Registration: 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Presentation: 5:30 to 7:15 p.m./Reception: 7:15 to 8:00 p.m.

AS/COA
680 Park Avenue
New York, NY

LAVCA welcomed over 150 investors at its fourth annual Colombia Private Equity and Venture Capital Forum in Bogota on November 16, 2011.

Panels led by industry leaders provided in-depth insight into topics including creating the next generation of multilatinas, the significance of forming local partnerships, the current deal environment and the critical elements needed to strengthen the local PE/VC ecosystem.

In addition, the forum featured three case studies of successful private equity-backed businesses from around the region, including Senior Solution (Stratus Group), Grupo Energía de Bogotá (CVCI) and Refinancia (Access SEAF International).

The full day event also featured speakers from Advent International, Alta Group, Altra Investments, Arcano Group, Aureos Capital, Concerto Advisors, Conduit Capital Partners, Helm Banca de Inversión, LAEFM, Linzor Capital, Megeve Investments, Neuberger Berman, Positive ID, Porvenir, Promotora, Quilvest, Skandia, The Founder Institute, Tribeca Asset Management and Ubiquo Telemedicina.

LAVCA would like to extend a thank you to its sponsors Bancoldex, FOMIN, CAF, Conduit Capital, CVCI,  Brigard & Urrutia, Gómez-Pinzón Zuleta, DMGT and S&P Capital IQ.

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has launched a Global Engagement Call for Proposals. OPIC is inviting proposals from private equity fund managers that invest in emerging markets via debt, direct equity, and equity-related instruments (including convertible loans, mezzanine debt, and loans with equity warrants or options), as well as from fund of funds managers investing in emerging markets. 

OPIC seeks to provide $35-150MM in financing per selected fund, up to 1/3 of total fund capitalization.

For details, see www.opic.gov or contact OPIC at GEC@opic.gov.

LAVCA met with two delegations of visiting Brazilian business owners in New York during October. Cate Ambrose, president of LAVCA, provided an overview of the private equity and venture capital industry in Latin America and Brazil to the different groups, the first a delegation of IT entrepreneurs and the second, a group of small business owners from the Northeast of Brazil.

Discussion focused on broad topics including the evolution of PE/VC investing in Brazil and Latin America and the value PE/VC investors bring to companies beyond capital, as well as specific topics such as recent investments by Silicon Valley firms in Brazilian IT companies and the importance of corporate governance.

Participants were in the US to develop new ties to potential US investors and business partners.

The missions were organized by the Brazilian Embassy, the American Chamber of Commerce in Brazil, the Brazilian Consulate of New York and the Brazilian-American Chamber in Recife.

LAVCA welcomed nearly 300 investors in New York last week at the 2011 LAVCA Summit and Investor Roundtable on September 27-28, 2011.

The first day featured seasoned PE fund managers discussing topics such as the best strategy for global firms investing in the region, the current deal environment and viable exit strategies. The day also included a special session on Mexico, with Francisco Gil Díaz, Executive President of Telefónica Mexico and Central America providing keynote remarks.

The second day kicked off with a special session on Brazil, featuring Glenn Hutchins, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Silver Lake interviewed by Joseph Leahy, Brazil Bureau Chief of the Financial Times. The day then moved into an Investor Roundtable with valuable insights from LPs on setting expectations for Latin America.

Once again, the event closed with an afternoon session dedicated to Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship, tackling areas such as exiting early stage deals, what US VCs need to know when sourcing their first deals in Latin America and the opportunities for impact investing. The session also featured an Update on Argentina.

LAVCA would like to extend a thank you to its sponsors KPMG,  FOMIN , CAF, Advent International, Brookfield, Fondo de Fondos, ABVCAP, Invest in Argentina,  Baker & McKenzie and Citi.

Click here to view the final agenda from the 2011 LAVCA Summit & Investor Roundtable.

Photos courtesy of Maria Casotti.

LAVCA Mid-year Data and Analysis, an Update on Latin American Private Equity and Venture Capital is now available.

The PDF report provides an in-depth analysis of fundraising, investments and exits in Latin America for 1H 2011, as well as charts highlighting historical trends, sector and country breakdowns and 1H2010 comparisons.

LAVCA data and research represents the most comprehensive and accurate source of regional industry data on private equity and venture capital investment available to date.

The report is complimentary for members and available for purchase for US$195.00 by non-members. Contact Lindsay Walsh for details or purchase online by clicking the purchase button: