Canary

Canary is the partner of choice of the best founders in Latam. We are founded and managed by entrepreneurs. With funding, insights, connections and talent, we back the companies that are shaping the future of the region’s economy — and beyond.  Canary provides the first venture capital round to tech companies that operate in Latam.

How we see the world

There is a meaningful funding gap at the very early stages in Brazil. No investor is fully focused on it and entrepreneurs unduly suffer because of it. Filling this gap is the opportunity Canary is focused on. We believe the first round is the best time to start a long-term relationship with a founder, especially in a young startup ecosystem like Brazil.

We believe our ecosystem is at a tipping point. The quality of founding teams is already world-class and improving at an accelerating pace, the entrepreneurial mindset is permeating universities and younger generations and our nation’s top talent is founding companies rather than looking for traditional jobs.

All over the world technology is changing the way people do business and live their lives. Brazil is no different. Every major industry and company will be transformed over the next decade, and this transformation will be ushered in by fearless leaders and bold entrepreneurs.

We are at a crossroad and the outcome of this confluence of factors is clear to us: In the next few years we will witness the birth and coming of age of our generation’s great companies.

How we invest

We are an operator fund: Our partners are technology and investment entrepreneurs that have first-hand experience – and battle scars – from building and scaling products, teams, and organizations.

Our approach is simple and supportive of founders.

• Our goal is to lead the first institutional round and then support founders with advice and follow-on capital in subsequent rounds
• Founders should own the vast majority of their companies and avoid excessive dilution at the early stage​. We aim for a minority ownership at the first venture round
• Fundraising should not waste the founder’s precious time and focus. Our process takes from 1 to 3 weeks on average and every founder that reaches us gets a proper answer at a proper speed
• After the investment we get out of the way. Our founders should focus on their business and not waste time with long meetings nor frivolous requests and other “homework”
• We encourage an accessible environment where founders can reach our partners and network when needed, with agile and transparent interactions
• We know how challenging and rewarding the entrepreneurial journey is, and we’d love to ride it with you if you give us a seat in your rocket ship.

What we look for in a founding team

We focus disproportionately on the founders and the quality of the early team:

• Entrepreneurs with a clear and compelling vision
• Empathetic towards customers and thoughtful about market dynamics
• A passionate team with the grit and hustle to win
• Strong reputational equity and high opportunity cost
• Resourceful, connected, tenacious founders