Criatec Fund


Criatec is a pioneering seed-capital fund created by the Bank to invest in emerging companies focused on innovation, with annual sales lower than R$ 6 million. Criatec was launched in 2007 and has committed assets of R$ 100 million – of which, some R$ 80 million comes from the BNDES and R$ 20 million from the Banco do Nordeste (Northeastern Bank). From the beginning, the fund contracted investments in 36 companies, based on the analysis from regional managers inserted in innovation ecosystems in the states of Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, Ceará and Pará.

Companies supported by Criatec provide solutions in various sectors, such as biotechnology, software, nanotechnology, new materials, automation and microelectronics. The fund’s challenge lies in developing and inserting these companies into the market. From the moment the investment is made, the companies in this portfolio receive assistance in different aspects of the business, such as financial planning, hiring qualified executives and structuring intellectual property strategies.

The investment period of the fund expired in late 2011, when the main focus changed to the acceleration of sustainable growth of the companies in the portfolio.