(Press Release) Intel Capital, Intel’s global investment and M&A organization, announced a new investment in Geofusion. Based in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and founded in 1996, Geofusion provides “OnMaps” – a geographic data-based market intelligence, analytics and decision support (“Geomarketing”) platform to enterprise customers of all sizes across a variety of industry verticals.

The cloud-based OnMap platform combines geographic data with relevant market information, such as industry specific consumption statistics and census-based demographics, offering its customers a suite of cost-effective updated social, demographic and market information via a graphically rich, easy to use web interface. The platform’s robust analytics capability improves the quality of available business intelligence, thereby helping to improve customer decision making on key issues such as placement of key assets, distribution channel coverage and product pricing strategies.

Geofusion’s platform is able to deliver value by seamlessly combining maps of over 5,000 Brazilian cities with relevant information from over 250 external databases from both public and private sources. The company currently serves more than 200 customers in Brazil primarily in the retail, food service, real estate, education and industrial segments. Well-known customers like McDonalds, Boticario and Coca-Cola FEMSA use Geofusion’s tools to, for example, prepare geographic expansion strategies, analyze performance of specific points of sale, measure consumption potential in specific areas and plan coverage for their sales and trade marketing teams.

In a single interface, Geofusion’s customers can utilize demographic profiles (social and economic information) and sector consumption data in various geographic scales (from country-wide to city blocks), as well as mapping of retail networks and traffic generation cores. OnMaps allows users to combine this detailed information with their own internal data and intelligence, which can be added to OnMaps to further enhance the information available regarding points of purchase, retailers and territories.

Intel Capital’s investment will enable Geofusion to expand its go-to-market capability and expand its sales and marketing teams. “Intel Capital’s expertise and resources will help Geofusion capitalize on the momentum it has built here in Brazil. Companies are searching for data-driven ways to grow sales and increase profitability, by realizing the full potential of their investments across Brazil. The use of Geomarketing tools such as OnMaps is essential for companies to achieve those objectives”, said Pedro Figoli, CEO of Geofusion.

“We see significant opportunities in the business analytics market in Brazil, where companies are increasingly paying attention to the many ways in which technology can help business,” explained David Thomas, managing director for Intel Capital in Latin America. “Geofusion’s solutions can be useful for a large variety of industry verticals and their software as a service cloud-based business model enables offerings for customers of all sizes, not just large corporations.”

Joining Intel Capital in this funding round in Geofusion, is original investor Criatec, an investment fund targeting innovative startups whose investors are the National Bank for Social and Economic Development (BNDES) and Banco do Nordeste (BNB), managed by SP Ventures, based in São Paulo. “Geofusion is very well positioned in the current cloud computing revolution. Its solutions bring essential market intelligence tools for companies of all sizes in several different sectors. Even if their client portfolio is currently based in Brazil, we believe their technology will find success in the global market,” commented Francisco Jardim, regional manager at Criatec. Geofusion currently has approximately 60 employees.

David Thomas is Executive Director for Intel Capital, in charge of all Intel Capital investment activities in Latin America. The Intel Capital team in the region includes professionals Alexandre Villela, Fábio de Paula and Ricardo Arantes, all of based in São Paulo. Alexandre is the Investment Director responsible for Geofusion in collaboration with US-based Investment Director Mark Rostick. Intel Capital has a strong history of activities in the region, with a local presence since 1999 and over 40 investments in Latin America in this period. In 2012, Intel Capital announced seven new investments, six of which in Brazil.

About Geofusion
With 17 years of activities, Geofusion is the top Geomarketing company in the country, offering innovative solutions in the areas of market intelligence, expansion, marketing, sales, and others. Using an online platform called OnMaps, the company enables development of customized market analysis, data cross-referencing, audience mapping and features to manage the specific needs of its customers.
More information: www.geofusion.com.br

About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a global leader in innovation. The company designs and manufactures essential technologies that are the basis for computer devices across the world. More information about Intel is available at http://newsroom.intel.com/community/pt_br.
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About Intel Capital
Intel Capital, Intel’s global investment and M&A organization, makes equity investments in innovative technology start-ups and companies worldwide. Intel Capital invests in a broad range of companies offering hardware, software, and services targeting enterprise, mobility, health, consumer Internet, digital media and semiconductor manufacturing. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested more than US$10.8 billion in over 1,276 companies in 54 countries. In that timeframe, 201 portfolio companies have gone public on various exchanges around the world and 317 were acquired or participated in a merger. In 2012, Intel Capital invested US$352 million in 150 investments with approximately 57 percent of funds invested outside North America. For more information on Intel Capital and its differentiated advantages, visit www.intelcapital.com or follow @Intelcapital.