Sogrape launches fund to accelerate Innovation in the wine and beverage sector
Sogrape, Portugal's leading family-owned wine company, announces the launch of its first Venture Capital Fund, Sogrape Ventures, a strategic investment that strengthens the company's ongoing commitment to innovation. The fund will be managed in partnership with Beta Capital, a leading Venture Capital player in Portugal, and aims to invest in and accelerate the ecosystem of disruptive start-ups with innovative solutions within the value chain of the wine industry in particular, and beverages in general.
The Sogrape Ventures Venture Capital Fund will play a strategic role in the path of innovation that Sogrape has been accelerating in recent years. With an initial capital of 5 million euros, it aims to invest in disruptive start-ups and early-stage projects with a positive approach to ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) and innovative products or business models with scalability potential.
For this fund, which is international in scope but with a special focus on Portuguese start-ups, Sogrape is counting on the fund manager Beta Capital, a leading player in the field of Venture Capital in Portugal, with vast experience and a global network. The Fund's Investment Committee is comprised of Sogrape staff and independent members with experience in venture capital and agro & foodtech.
In addition to its monetary investment, Sogrape is committed to actively contributing its expertise, partnerships, and established relationships, as well as its position as a national market leader and its strong international presence.
"We are very optimistic about the launch of the Sogrape Ventures Fund and the opportunity to give innovators, entrepreneurs and start-ups the support they need to test, develop and expand innovative solutions capable of creating a real impact on the wine industry. This project continues the legacy that was born of my grandfather's dream and that has been built over 80 years through several generations. For our family, wine, more than a business, has always been a way of being in life and this Fund is another natural step in that direction," says Fernando da Cunha Guedes, President of Sogrape.
"We believe that active collaboration, combined with financial investment, is the key to accelerating innovation as a source of transformation and sustainability for our business, which contributes to the growth of the wine sector," adds the leader of Portugal's largest wine company.
Sogrape is already in the process of identifying and analysing start-ups, in Portugal and other countries, and is also involved in an ecosystem of open innovation initiatives and working on the creation of a venture builder structure that will be launched in 2024.
More info at https://ventures.sogrape.com/en.
