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WHO WE ARE

WHO

WE ARE

We are a VC firm investing  in angel and early-stage rounds.

We have experience investing in great startups, but we are also entrepreneurs who know first-hand how tough it is to build something from nothing.

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We are international. We help bridge the capital and experience gap between the startup ecosystems in North and South America.

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WHO

WE ARE

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HOW WE

CAN HELP

1. We will leave you alone.

You need to focus on building your business.
That being said, if you do want help, there are a lot
of ways we can plug in...

 

2. Fundraising

We put the fun in fundraising. Just kidding… fundraising sucks, but we will make it suck less.  

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We are not afraid to be your first commitment. Once we are committed, we will help you navigate the daunting fundraising process, introducing you to our extensive network of angels and early-stage VCs in Brazil and the U.S. and helping you make your case to them.

 

3. Refining your pitch

Come to us first. Test your pitch with us. We care way more about your team than we do about how pretty your deck is. We will help you refine your pitch.

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4. Ideation

We want to meet great entrepreneurs as soon as possible, even before they have an idea. Chat with us to test different ideas. 

 

5. MVP Design

You probably do not need to start coding yet. Let us help you design a no-code MVP.     
 

6. HR

We have an extensive network of talented professionals to introduce to you. 

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7. Founder 'therapy' 

Being an entrepreneur is really hard. We know from first-hand experience. Sometimes you just need someone to talk to. Call us, maybe?

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HOW WE CAN HELP
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OUR PROCESS
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VERY TRANSPARENT

OUR INVESTMENT

PROCESS

Ideally we will meet founders while they are speaking with angels or as they are preparing to raise a pre-seed round. If we invest, we will help set you up for fundraising.

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1

We will go over your pitch deck and/or any other materials you send us. We understand the deck will likely be a work in progress - we are focused on your team and idea. 

2

If we do not want to move forward, we will let you know. 

3

If we do want to move forward, we will reach out to schedule a call. Most of this call will be to ask you specific questions.

4
 

If we are inclined to invest, we will run a quick diligence process. This may include another call or sending you further questions.

5
 

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If we want to invest in you, we will let you know how much and under what general terms. We will then work with you to put together your round.

THE TEAM

Alex is a seasoned global investor with over a decade of experience investing in and backing startups accross the world. He started his career at Goldman Sachs, later serving as the Head of J. Mendes Investment Office in New York, building a strong network of top-tier American VCs and investing in several U.S.-based VC funds and startups. In 2022, Alex founded 1616 Ventures, investing in and advising early-stage, highly scalable tech startups. Alex holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from UFMG, a Master’s in Finance from HEC Paris, an MBA from The Wharton School, and a Master’s in International Studies from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently expanding his expertise through a Executive Master’s in AI for Business at the University of Oxford.

Jay Lanners
Partner - São Paulo

Mendy  is an operator-turned-investor with entrepreneurial experience and expertise in marketing and operations. Mendy has held positions across a number of industries in companies such as AMBEV, BRG Capital, and Bausch Health Companies (formerly Probiotica - Valeant Pharmaceuticals). He later transitioned into tech, working in Sales & Marketing at Wellhub (formerly Gympass) and Product and Partner Marketing at DocuSign. He then became COO at Ânimo, a venture-backed wellness startup, before joining Alex to start 1616 Ventures in 2022. A Fundação Estudar scholarship recipient, Pedro holds a BA in Economics and International Studies from Yale University and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Jay, Venture Scout, is an experienced entrepreneur and venture investor with global experience focused especially on Latin America. Born and raised in Georgia in the U.S., Jay began his career as a consultant at Bain & Company in Atlanta before moving to Buenos Aires where he did Corporate Development, Strategy, and Investor Relations at Mercado Libre. He later joined the investment team of Amadeus Capital Partners, a global venture firm based out of the UK, opening their LATAM office in São Paulo and helping lead the firm’s Series C investment in Creditas. Jay left Amadeus to found  nimo, a venture-backed wellness startup in São Paulo. Jay holds a BA in Economics from Davidson College, an MBA from The Wharton School, and a Masters of International Studies from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.

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THE

TEAM

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Alex Nogueira 
Partner - Miami

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Pedro Mendonça
Partner - Durham

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Jay Lanners 
Venture Scout - São Paulo

PORTFOLIO

PORTFOLIO

We focus on B2B businesses but, most importantly, we invest in the best entrepreneurs and we will consider any tech startup that can scale quickly in an enormous market.

OYA CARE

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         femtech

FLOKI

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b2b saas

GENIAL CARE

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healthtech

Acquired by Praso

KURI SAÚDE

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healthtech

COMP

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HR tech

ASSIS

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fintech

COVALENTY

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b2b marketplace

NEOFIN

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fintech

IGLU

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b2b saas

IGUAL

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legaltech

NUVIA

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b2b saas

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FAQ

FREQUENTLY 

ASKED QUESTIONS

What are the basic requirements to qualify for investment from 1616 (Sixteen Sixteen Ventures)?

  • Angel, Pre-seed or Seed round

  • Tech DNA

  • Clear solutions for real problems
     

What else do you look for in an investment?

Talented entrepreneurs who are also really good people, an enormous market, and a highly-scalable model. We are especially interested in founders who have been founders before, even if they “failed.”  

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We invest in companies that we believe can be HUGE. We may pass on an excellent company if we do not think it can grow fast enough or attract many future rounds of capital. 

 

Do you focus on specific sectors or business models?

We have a strong bias toward B2B businesses. We are open to consider a potential investment in any extraordinary team building a highly-scalable tech company in a huge market. 

 

Do you lead rounds?

We can, but we do not expect to.

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© 2025 BY 1616 VENTURES | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

         LEGAL

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