With the investment in Home Agent, Performa Investimentos, a seasoned Brazilian venture capital firm, starts to deploy its third fund, which aims at supporting promising middle market companies to address the main social and environmental gaps in Brazil.
Performa is a member of the Capria Network of impact fund managers in Emerging Markets, a global network of managers who deeply collaborate to achieve superior financial returns with scaled impact.
The deal with Home Agent was made possible by Capria’s innovative warehousing program, available exclusively to Capria Network fund manager partners.
Alongside Performa and Capria, this round of financing also counts with Gavea Angels, the most traditional angel investment group in Brazil. Through this convertible notes funding, Home Agent intends to invest in fast-tracking growth for the upcoming years.
Home Agent, the first and only work at home contact center in Brazil, has developed a model that gathers higher quality customer service with a positive social impact, by employing professionals that are not usually available to the traditional contact center industry, such as stay-at-home mothers, retirees, more experienced and specialized professionals.
Founded in 2011, Home Agent has pioneered the Customer Relationship industry transformation in Brazil by adapting the WAHA (Work at Home Agents) model to the complex local regulatory conditions. The company currently employs more than a hundred agents, formed by 93% women, average age of 35 years and 60% with college degree.
Home Agent has female inclusion in the workplace as its main driver, giving women access to employment opportunities and the chance help increase family income, enabling them for more empowerment and self-esteem. In addition, the company also generates an important quality of life and significant mobility impact in urban transportation.
Home Agent has female inclusion in the workplace as its main driver, giving women access to employment opportunities and the chance help increase family income, enabling them for more empowerment and self-esteem. In addition, the company also generates an important quality of life and significant mobility impact in urban transportation.
On average an employee saves 4hs a day on commute time, what translates into 60 extra days of life per year. During the last 2 years alone, Home Agent has returned more than 12,500 days of life in their agents lives, avoided more than 270,000 commute trips and saved 140 tons of carbon emissions. Some other positive impacts of this model are increase in personal safety, wealth distribution in neighborhoods, improved health, less stress and healthier meals.
According to Fabio Boucinhas, Home Agent’s CEO “Brazil is now living a good and positive business environment, result from a significant boost in confidence on the economy, so the timing is perfect! With this financing we plan to implement initiatives that will help us grow much faster, expecting to duplicate our size on a yearly basis for the next 3 years”. In addition, the fact that this is an impact investment is very important for the company
“since the traditional Customer Service sector in Brazil is known for providing unfavorable work conditions, Home Agent on the opposite direction generates positive impact naturally by its business model without any additional effort. Having Capria and Gavea Angels alongside on this journey, is a very important validation of our impact proposition” – Boucinhas complements.
According to Patrick Cannel, partner at Performa Investimentos “Home Agent offers an unique combination of positive social impact with high growth and profits, led by a powerful and cohesive entrepreneurial team. We are glad to be a part in helping the company unlock its full-scale potential in the coming growth cycle”.
ABOUT HOME AGENT
Founded in 2011, Home Agent has innovated in Brazil by being the first company to operate on the home based customer service model, providing a value proposition that offers more quality with a more cost effective service, at the same time generating a positive impact in quality of life, urban mobility, health, pollution and other aspects. Home Agent provides services like inbound and outbound customer services, sales, social networks customer service, quality assurance, technical support, and others. Home Agent currently provides services for 16 clients, national and multinational brands like Volvo, Nike, Natura, Delivery Center and others. More at: www.homeagent.com.br
ABOUT PERFORMA INVESTIMENTOS
Performa Investimentos is a venture capital and private equity firm that backs outstanding entrepreneurs in Brazil focused on bringing innovative and disruptive solutions to the market. We invest in social and environmental solutions that have positive impact while being profitable. We provide support, resources and connections which come as a result of our partners’ combined years of investment experience in investing in Brazil. Performa Investimentos portfolio currently counts on 12 active investments in sectors such as healthcare, logistics, affordable housing, and energy efficiency, among others.
ABOUT CAPRIA VENTURES
Capria is a global investment firm leading the largest network of fund managers collaborating to deliver superior returns in emerging and frontier markets, using flexible capital, advanced investment systems, and deep partnerships. Through its network fund, Capria invests in venture capital, private equity, and other debt and equity funds backing early-growth businesses. Capria applies global best practices of impact investment and ESG management in order to increase resilience of its portfolio. Capria and its global network deliver profits with scaled impact aligned with United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Capria has offices in Seattle, Bangalore, Singapore, and Nairobi.