Claure Group Acquires Significant Stake in eB Capital, One of the Leading Alternative Investment Firms in Brazil

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- eB Capital, a leading Brazilian investment firm founded by Eduardo Sirotsky Melzer, Luciana Antonini Ribeiro and Pedro Parente, announces that Claure Group has acquired a significant stake in the firm. Following the investment, Marcelo Claure will join the firm as Vice Chairman and Managing Partner, and a member of the investment committee.

Mr. Claure is a preeminent investor, operator and entrepreneur, and the founder and CEO of Claure Group, a global investment firm with approximately USD $4 billion under management in various sectors. Mr. Claure will leverage his entrepreneurial expertise and his experience leading global companies as part of the investment in eB Capital, with the objective to further eB Capital’s growth strategy. Mr. Claure will be integral to helping eB Capital expand its investment thesis and access to global capital, in addition to enhancing the firm’s portfolio management as eB Capital operates from its new office in New York, along with its headquarters in Sao Paulo.

"The arrival of Marcelo Claure represents a new, exciting chapter in eB Capital’s story and validates the work we have been doing to grow the firm. Marcelo’s belief in the Brazilian market and his impressive career as an investor, entrepreneur and executive at large global companies will be highly beneficial to our go-forward strategy and the management of our current and future portfolio, besides helping us discover new investment opportunities. It is an honor to have Marcelo on board and I look forward to the contributions he will make to eB Capital’s strategy and operations," says Eduardo Sirotsky Melzer, Co-Founder, Executive Chairman and CEO of eB Capital, who celebrates Claure’s arrival with the other Partners.

“This investment further solidifies Claure Group’s belief in Brazil, a country with tremendous opportunities ahead. Brazil is poised to benefit from being one of the largest food and commodities producers in the world, with the cleanest energy grid, and an emerging green power. This is coupled with its ongoing tax reforms, ranking as the seventh most populous nation globally, and enjoying a strategically advantageous geopolitical position on the world stage. I look forward to joining eB Capital as Vice Chairman and partnering with Duda, Luciana and Pedro, who I hold in the highest regard. I am committed to driving the successful realization of our shared vision," Mr. Claure affirms.

eB Capital has approximately BRL 5 billion (USD $1 billion) under management and invests in companies that are leaders in the segment in which they operate, such as Alloha Fibra, one of the leading independent fiber optic providers in the country; Proz, a professional education platform; Loja do Mecânico, the largest tool and machinery e-commerce business in Latin America; as well as Hilab and Blue Health, companies that specialize in diagnostic medicine. The company has also built a plastics recycling platform through investments in Green PCR and Global PET. eB Capital is at the forefront of corporate climate discussions in Brazil and has recently expanded into real estate by launching a fund in partnership with JHSF Capital, JHSF's investment management company.

"Throughout my long business career, I have rarely met a professional with Marcelo’s range. His track record of boldness and execution capacity is unmatched, and I am confident that he will establish a new era for our company," says Pedro Parente, Co-Founder and Senior Managing Partner of eB Capital.

Luciana Antonini Ribeiro, Co-Founder, Managing Partner and CIO of eB Capital, who is about to launch the second investment fund focused on climate in Brazil, celebrates Claure's arrival: “I’m very excited about partnering with Marcelo. We have a shared vision of betting on transformational opportunities for Brazil across a wide range of sectors, including the climate agenda, in which our country can be a protagonist. This move unlocks a path to new opportunities for eB Capital. Marcelo joining the partnership followed an in-depth process, which allowed us to get to know each other and leaves us certain that we are making the right move with the right person."

About Marcelo Claure

Marcelo Claure is a Bolivian-American technology entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Claure Group, a multi-billion-dollar global investment firm spanning multiple high-growth sectors including telecom, technology, media, real estate, infrastructure, energy transition, fashion, and sports.

Through his global investment firm, Claure Group, Mr. Claure provides strategic capital and expertise to many of his portfolio companies’ management teams, including through his role as Group Vice Chairman of SHEIN, the global, integrated online marketplace of fashion, beauty and lifestyle products, and as Executive Chairman of Bicycle Capital, a leading Latin America-focused growth equity firm he launched in June 2023.

Mr. Claure is a well-known entrepreneur and operator after building Brightstar in 1997 and growing it to become the largest global wireless distribution and services company in the telecommunications industry. In 2014, Claure sold Brightstar to SoftBank and became the Chairman and CEO of Sprint, where he led its turnaround and delivered the strongest financial results in the company's 120-year history. Later, he led the $195 billion merger between Sprint and T-Mobile, which created what is now one of the world's most valuable telecommunications companies.

Following the merger of Sprint and T-Mobile, Claure was promoted to CEO of SoftBank Group International, where he had direct oversight of over 40 companies in SoftBank's portfolio, including ARM, Fortress, SoftBank Energy, and Boston Dynamics, among others. He also launched the $8 billion SoftBank Latin America fund, the largest VC fund in the region, and the SoftBank Opportunity Fund, a $100 million fund dedicated to entrepreneurs of color.

Claure received a B.S. in Economics and Finance and an honorary Doctorate of Commercial Science from Bentley University, and an honorary Doctorate of Law from Babson College. He is an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School and the Co-Chair of the Digital Data Design (D^3) Institute at Harvard University, an organization which focuses on digital and AI-driven business initiatives.

About eB Capital

eB Capital is a leading Brazilian investment firm, recognized for transforming Brazil's structural challenges into profitable business opportunities. eB Capital’s DNA combines both investment and operational backgrounds, a key competitive advantage for high value creation and high returns. The company has a proven track record creating national market leaders through a buy and build strategy, and by leveraging its deep knowledge on Brazil.

With consistent top quartile returns since its inception, eB Capital’s investments include: Alloha Fibra, the largest independent fiber optic provider in the country; Proz, the leading professional education platform; Loja do Mecânico, the largest e-commerce for tools and machines in Latin America; Green PCR and Global PET, forming the country’s largest bottle to bottle plastic recycling company; and Hilab and Blue Health, both in diagnostic medicine, among others. eB Capital is also a frontrunner in the country's climate investment agenda.

https://www.ebcapital.com.br/

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