Baru Capital Partners is a value-oriented alternative investment manager, focused Private Equity, Real Estate and Infrastructure investments in Latin America. Our key strength is our Network and Relationships in the Region, which basically evolves around the largest entrepreneurial families in Latin America. Because of our relationships and our intellectual capital we are able to source unique valuable opportunities that are “off the radar screen”.
Rafael Benavente
Managing Partner
Has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry and over 12 years of experience in portfolio management. Started his career at Merrill Lynch, as a Financial Consultant in 1992 for their Emerging Markets Group covering retail and institutional accounts. Worked at RBC as a Vice President of Asset Management for the Private Bank, developed their first securities operation, focused in non-discretionary Asset Management in Miami. In 1997 Joined Citibank, where he became a Managing Director and ran the Special Situations Group for Latin America, a $500 million portfolio dedicated to Distress Debt, Mezzanine Financings and Private Equity Investments. Currently serves on the board of InterEnergy, Compañia Electrica de Punta Cana Dominican Republic. Mr. Benavente received his B.A. in Finance and International Business from Loyola University. He currently resides in Key Biscayne with his wife Clara and 3 children.
The partnership was established in early 2013, but the experience of our partners dates back over four decades of successful investment management experience, combined with experience in emerging markets working in countries for more than 25 years.
We are very conscious of the socio-economic impact we have in the countries, cities and communities where we invest. We strive to provide and develop education, health and entrepreneurship to people of scarce resources in the communities where we invest. We strongly believe that to be successful we must help improve the lives and conditions of the working people.
Part of our guiding principles and core foundations is the wealth creation by also providing a win win socio-economic benefit to our stakeholders, and the community where invest our capital. This enduring qualities and shared convictions is the core of our professional and personal conduct, in the end the strength of our business.
Transparency and Disclosure are the only fundamental way we do business. We are focused in providing our investors with the outmost level of transparency, and we strive to innovate to continually produce real time, up to speed information on all of our investments.
We have a team highly experienced and seasoned professionals in the business of investing capital in the region. We have a unique network in the region that is composed of the top families in the respective countries as we leverage the access we have from our circle of shareholder partners.
We continually strive to question how to stay ahead of the curve, we realize that the only way to create value is to continually change in the respective business and adapt to the ever changing global economic conditions. We strive to stay humble and not feel that we have reached the pinnacle, we continue to strive to get the top and improve thereafter.
We value and strive to work with our network of relationships, that continually provide us with a unique “Off the Radar” type opportunities that are not typically available to the typical private equity managers.
We are very conscious of the socio-economic impact we have in the countries, cities and communities where we invest. We strive to provide and develop education, health and entrepreneurship to people of scarce resources in the communities where we invest. We strongly believe that to be successful we must help improve the lives and conditions of the working people.
We Invest alongside our investors and put ourselves in “their shoes” and “skin in the game”
We focus in investing capital over long term periods of time in order to give management the necessary time to execute their plan. This comes with a partnership approach and monitoring in order to make sure that the objective is reached and we stay “On Course”
Our objective is to reach Equity type returns BUT with a focus on preserving capital and not incurring losses, we realize that potential losses is not worth the incremental risk sometimes.
we strive to have NO leverage or very minimal Financial leverage. We believe in having and getting the leverage from optimizing and improving the operational leverage of the business.
Our team has led some of the most successful private companies in the region.
Our team has managed capital for some of the biggest financial institutions in the distress and special situations proprietary capital business, and experience in turn around businesses.
We have the ability to reach the top families and entrepreneurs in the region, thus be able to source deals and build relationships that will help us stay in course and evade opportunities that may present trouble down the line.