Palco Sebrae Discusses Investment for Black Founders at Rio Innovation Week
The last day of Rio Innovation Week was marked by a discussion on diversity and representation in innovative entrepreneurship. Mentor and investor Lívia Félix and UnicaInstancia CEO Gilmar Bueno attended the Sebrae Like a Boss space.
The relaxed conversation was led by Douglas Vidal, ecosystem manager at the Black Enterpreneurs Club. With extensive market experience, they shared insights and provided advice on how and where to look for investments to make as a black founder, a phrase used to identify black entrepreneurs who run businesses, such as startups. .
According to investor and mentor Livia Felix, Brazil still has a long way to go when it comes to loans for Afro entrepreneurs. According to her, there are more than 14 million black businessmen in the country, but they are three times less numerous when it comes to credit.
“When we look at the Afro entrepreneurship ecosystem, unfortunately, we don’t get as much attention as it should. So the fundraising programs that I’m part of, like BlackWing, for example, are supposed to highlight these I think we are moving forward and there is a lot of strength in this movement”, he analyzed.
All three agreed on the importance of building networks and maintaining consistency of goals. “There are things that I only learned on the battlefield that I can say are very different from what is shown in movies or live. For me, relationship precedes investment. It’s like a courtship that will turn into a marriage, because According to the investment fund, the partnership can last up to 10 years.
On the other hand, Livia gave advice on how entrepreneurs can properly deal with investors. “Since being on the other side and being an educator, I can see the moment of investing from other perspectives.
I usually ask the right questions because entrepreneurs usually just focus on the dream and forget achievements. So as an investor, I want to know how the company intends to be sustainable and how that will affect life directly and indirectly,” she explained.
Speakers also emphasized the importance of understanding that an investor is not someone who is going to make their money grow. “It is necessary to have the vision that he also has the intellectual capital which can last much longer than the financial resource itself and be much richer in the end,” Livia said.
Gilmar noted that putting “smart money” into the contract is very difficult and therefore the contractor must be prepared to deal with different types of investors. “I draw this analogy with a meeting just before marriage, because in practice that is what happens. That is why it is always good to know the investor well beforehand. There is an investor involved in everything and another in a consulting position,” he warned.
During the four days of Rio Innovation Week, Sebra Theater presented discussions on various topics, in the presence of market professionals, influencers and well-known entrepreneurs. Additionally, Sebra 300 startups hosted the event, which is considered the largest meeting of technology, innovation and business in Latin America.
