2026 Private Capital Deal of the Year

BTG Pactual is recognized for its investment in Conta Azul, a leading Brazilian provider of cloud-based financial management and ERP software for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). With support from BTG Pactual, Conta Azul expanded its integrated financial services ecosystem. The company launched an integrated business account and scaled it from zero to approximately 17,000 active clients, expanding access to financial services for SMEs. Conta Azul was acquired by Visma, a leading European software consolidator.

2026 Environmental Responsibility

Deetken Impact is recognized for its investment in Dispower, a Colombian solar energy company delivering energy solutions to underserved communities. Dispower’s three system types — Solar Home Systems, Solar Schools and Water Hubs — have benefitted more than 45,000 people while displacing about 9,600 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Approximately 63% of school administrators reported significant quality- of-life improvements following installation.

2026 Social Impact

Grupo Pegasus is recognized for its investment in Calucé-Habitat, a Colombian senior living platform providing assisted living and residential care for older adults. The platform operates more than 810 beds, has served over 1,000 families and generated approximately 700 operational jobs and more than 1,000 construction jobs. Around 80% of service-center are held by lower-income women, while wages for most employees increased 2.1x between 2019 and 2026, outpacing regional inflation.

2026 Innovation

Patria is recognized for its investment in Entrevias, a Brazilian toll road concessionaire that operates 570 km of highway across the state of São Paulo. Entrevias deployed one of Latin America’s largest open-access Wi-Fi networks, covering its entire 570-km concession and enabling motorists to connect with emergency services and the Operational Control Center even in areas with limited mobile coverage. The adoption of nanotechnology-based pavement (RoadCem) extended pavement lifespan from approximately eight years to more than 20 years while reducing construction costs by about 15%.

2026 Better Tech

Valor Capital Group is recognized for its investment in Principia, an AI-enabled operating system for education in Latin America that combines an academic ERP with embedded financial products. Principia has financed more than 500,000 students, 64% of whom lacked sufficient credit card limits, expanding access to education financing. AI-driven interventions cut six-month dropout rates from 41% to 17%, demonstrating the connection between financial inclusion and improved educational outcomes.