ABOUT US

W Capital was founded under the belief that private capital markets can and should be one of the main agents fighting climate change.

With that in mind, we decided to depart from vague mainstream “ESG investing” to pioneer in Brazil objective, trackable and committed decarbonization within our portfolio companies. By doing so, we are able to commit to decarbonization linked to every single capital deployment while objectively reporting such results to our investors.

We are able to do that by partnering with selected entrepreneurs who value our unique expertise to structure a medium/long-term capital investment adapted to their individual needs and are also committed to fighting climate change leveraging on the best of W Capital decarbonization capabilities and know-how.

Walk the talk: since its founding year, W Capital neutralizes its carbon footprint and is a Pending B Corp. The Pending B Corp status is designed to give companies with less than one year time to prepare for the full B Corp Certification process. Taking this step signals that a company measures and manages its social and environmental performance with the best tools available. It also demonstrates strong governance as the company must adopt a legal framework to protect mission and brand equity.

For more information on the advantages of decarbonization vs. “ESG investing”:

The Economist: ESG should be boiled down to one simple measure: emissions.

OUR TEAM

GUI W - FOUNDING PARTNER

Gui founded W Capital in 2022, bringing a high-performing team that had previously worked together as part of other institutions. Before founding W Capital, Gui was a partner at Bela Vista Invest, a Brazilian middle market private equity firm focused on consumer goods companies. Gui was also part of the initial team who established the New-York-based investment bank boutique Moelis & Co. (NYSE: MC) in Brazil in 2014. Gui started his career in 2005 as an M&A lawyer at Pinheiro Neto Advogados, a leading Brazilian law firm. He received his bachelor’s in law and post graduate degree from Universidade de São Paulo (Largo São Francisco) and has an MBA from the Tuck School Of Business at Dartmouth. Gui is a fund manager certified by the Brazilian Financial and Capital Markets Association (ANBIMA) and a lawyer certified by the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB). He currently serves as Dartmouth College Brazil District Enrollment Director, supporting the undergraduate admissions office in all Brazil-related admissions efforts.

YOUSSEF YASSINI - ANALYSTWZ

Youssef joined W Capital since its beginning, in 2022. Before joining W Capital, Youssef was an analyst at XP investment banking division, where he worked on both equity and debt capital market deals. Before XP, he worked at Bela Vista Invest alongside Gui W. Youssef started his career at Spectra Investimentos, a leading asset manager specialized in Latin American alternative investments. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Insper.

CLIMATE INVESTING

First, what we don’t do: we don’t do “ESG investing”. We understand that, although well-meaning, it is deeply flawed and permissive of greenwashing. We don’t rely on qualitative criteria that lumps together a dizzying array of objectives (environmental, social and governance) “tracked” by various scoring systems have gaping inconsistencies and that are easily gamed.

Then, what we really do: we measure carbon footprint, set objective mitigation targets, track their achieving (or not, in which case W Capital buys and retires Amazon rainforest-backed carbon credit) and report it all to our investors. Transparency and objectivity are key to us.

The whole carbon analysis process follows GHG Protocol international gold standards, is carried out by our best-in-class business partners and supervised by our investment team. And, of course, reported to our investors. Our investment thesis promotes directly or indirectly thirteen out of the seventeen United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Predominantly, we see our investment methodology contributing most significantly to the following goals:

Climate Action:

take urgent action to combat climate change be reducing the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent our portfolio companies generate

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure:

our investments promote what the UN calls “industry retrofit”. We update the businesses we investment in to make them more carbon efficient

Partnerships for the Goals:

that’s precisely what we do. We partner with entrepreneurs, companies, investors and climate experts to promote climate change mitigation

Secondary SDGs supported by our investment thesis are:

Zero Hunger:

climate change generates disruptions to global food production chains, posing a heavier impact on lower-income populations

Good Health and Well-Being:

climate change generates adverse effects on mental and physical health as a consequence of environmental degradation

Clean Water and Sanitation:

climate change generates adverse impact on rain regimen, further reducing access to clean water and sanitation

Affordable Clean Energy:

by fostering a more carbon-efficient operations within portfolio companies, promotes larger-scale usage of clean energy

Decent Work and Economic Growth:

climate investing promotes economic growth and increased resources usage efficiency

Reduced Inequalities:

climate change disproportionately affects lower-income populations

Sustainable Cities and Communities:

promotes sustainable mobility and reduces deaths caused by climate change

Responsible Consumption and Production:

by fostering a more carbon-efficient operations within portfolio companies, promotes sustainable consumptions and circular economy

Life Below Water:

oceans temperature increase could potentially eliminate e/or reduce many species

Life on Land:

climate change generate adverse effects in many biomes around the world