Gerdau Next Ventures

ActiveVenture Capital

Updated: Dec 20, 2025 ·

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Investments Made

Date	Company	Round	Lead Investor(s)	Co-Investor(s)
May 1, 2022	VantedgeAI	$3.0M Seed	—	Canary Ventures, Dux Capital, Graph Ventures, Iluminar Ventures, i/o Ventures, KRM Interests LLC, Latitud, Magma Partners, SV Latam Fund, Tokai Ventures, Ahmed Chaudhary, Daniel Raynaud, Jorge Faraj, Jorge Uribe, Manolo Atala, Ricardo Weder, Santiago Aldana, Tono Mandly
Apr 1, 2022	Koltin	$650K Seed	—	Canary Ventures, Dux Capital, Graph Ventures, Iluminar Ventures, i/o Ventures, KRM Interests LLC, Latitud, Magma Partners, SV Latam Fund, Tokai Ventures, Ahmed Chaudhary, Daniel Raynaud, Jorge Faraj, Jorge Uribe, Manolo Atala, Ricardo Weder, Santiago Aldana, Tono Mandly
Feb 1, 2022	3Box	$30.0M Series A	—	1776, 75 & Sunny, Kevin Hartz, AirAngels, Allegory, Altos Ventures, Ambush Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Awesome People Ventures, Battery Ventures, BITKRAFT Ventures, Buckley Ventures, Canary Ventures, City Light Capital, Climate Capital, Coatue, CoinFund, Convective Capital, Coughdrop Capital, CRV, Daft Capital, Decibel Partners, Divergence Ventures, Draft Ventures, Dux Capital, Flex Capital, FounderPartners, Founders Fund, Framework Ventures, Leslie T., Goat Capital, Graph Ventures, Gutter Capital, Iluminar Ventures, Infinite Niches, Infinity Ventures Crypto, Invariantes Fund, i/o Ventures, Jetstream, KRM Interests LLC, Lampros Capital Partners, Latitud, Logos Labs, Magma Partners, MATR Ventures, MS&AD Ventures, Neu Venture Capital, Northzone, Otherwise Fund, ParaFi Capital, Pareto Holdings, Pioneer Fund, Polychain Capital, Robot Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, Seed Club Ventures, Sequoia Capital, SID Venture Partners, Solana Ventures, SRB Ventures, SV Latam Fund, Symbolic Capital, The Hit Forge, Thirty Five Ventures, Todd and Rahul's Angel Fund, Tokai Ventures, Tribe Capital, True Ventures, Union Square Ventures, Unusual Ventures, Variant, Y Combinator, YOBE Ventures, Ahmed Chaudhary, Alexander Salnikov, Andre Iguodala, Andrew Steinwold, Artia Moghbel, Bob Bickel, Bob Pasker, Bradley Horowitz, Daniel Raynaud, Emily Kramer, Erik Blachford, Greg Isenberg, Jonathan Swanson, Jorge Faraj, Jorge Uribe, Joshua Reeves, Joshua Webster, Julia Hartz, Karl Peterson, Loic Le Meur, Manik Gupta, Manolo Atala, Marc McCabe, Mike Hudack, Ricardo Weder, Russell Smith, Ryan Shea, Sacha Labourey, Sahin Boydas, Sam Corcos, Sam Parr, Santiago Aldana, Scott Belsky, Shayne Coplan, Stani Kulechov, Stefan George, Steve Schlafman, Suhail Doshi, Tegan Kline, Tono Mandly, Tony Sheng, Tyler Scott Ward, Will Szczerbiak, Zachary Sims
Jan 1, 2022	FairPlay	$15.0M Series A	—	Canary Ventures, Caravela Capital, Dux Capital, Goat Capital, Graph Ventures, Iluminar Ventures, i/o Ventures, KRM Interests LLC, Latitud, Magma Partners, Streamlined Ventures, SV Latam Fund, Tokai Ventures, Ahmed Chaudhary, Carlos Julio Garcia, Daniel Kan, Daniel Raynaud, Emil Michael, Jorge Faraj, Jorge Uribe, Justin Mateen, Manolo Atala, Pedro De Garay, Ricardo Weder, Santiago Aldana, Tono Mandly
Nov 1, 2021	Cubbo	$4.0M Seed	—	ALLVP, Alpha4 ventures, Bow Capital, Buckley Ventures, Caffeinated Capital, Canary Ventures, Comal Ventures, Connolley, Dux Capital, DVx Ventures, Eunoia Capital Partners, Goodwater Capital, Graph Ventures, Homebrew, Iluminar Ventures, i/o Ventures, KRM Interests LLC, Latitud, Launch Capital, Liquid 2 Ventures, Magma Partners, NFX, Niu Ventures, Oak HC/FT, One Way Ventures, Plug & Play Ventures, SV Latam Fund, Tokai Ventures, Vera Equity, Ahmed Chaudhary, Brandon Krieg, Carlos Julio Garcia, Daniel Raynaud, David Vélez, Guilherme Bonifacio, Immad Akhund, Jay Vijayan, Jorge Faraj, Jorge Uribe, Karim Atiyeh, Manolo Atala, Ricardo Weder, Santiago Aldana, Sri Batchu, Tono Mandly
Oct 1, 2021	ZAX	$6.0M Series A	—	Adverb Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Canary Ventures, Cedar Capital Group, Dux Capital, Global Founders Capital, Graph Ventures, Iluminar Ventures, i/o Ventures, KRM Interests LLC, Latitud, Magma Partners, Rethink Impact, Silence, Soma Capital, SV Latam Fund, Tokai Ventures, Ahmed Chaudhary, Alex Anton, Daniel Raynaud, Israel Salmen, Johannes De Waal, Jorge Faraj, Jorge Uribe, Manolo Atala, Ricardo Weder, Santiago Aldana, Tono Mandly
Mar 1, 2021	Neivor	$900K Seed	—	Canary Ventures, Dux Capital, Graph Ventures, Iluminar Ventures, i/o Ventures, KRM Interests LLC, Latitud, Magma Partners, SV Latam Fund, Tokai Ventures, Ahmed Chaudhary, Daniel Raynaud, Jorge Faraj, Jorge Uribe, Manolo Atala, Ricardo Weder, Santiago Aldana, Tono Mandly
Mar 1, 2021	Cubbo	$2.0M Seed	—	1984 Ventures, 75 & Sunny, ALLVP, Alpha4 ventures, Angel Ventures, Caffeinated Capital, Canary Ventures, Comal Ventures, Cometa, Connolley, Craft Ventures, Dux Capital, Friále, Graph Ventures, Hack VC, Homebrew, Iluminar Ventures, i/o Ventures, Kaszek Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, KRM Interests LLC, Latitud, Magma Partners, NFX, NTT Venture Capital, One Way Ventures, Renegade Partners, SV Latam Fund, Tokai Ventures, Ahmed Chaudhary, Carlos Julio Garcia, Daniel Raynaud, David Vélez, Fernando Gadotti, Guilherme Bonifacio, Hadi Partovi, Immad Akhund, Jorge Faraj, Jorge Uribe, Karim Atiyeh, Manolo Atala, Marcelo Sampaio, Michael Ma, Ran Makavy, Ricardo Weder, Santiago Aldana, Simon Borrero, Sri Batchu, Tono Mandly
Dec 1, 2019	FairPlay	$5.0M Seed	—	Canary Ventures, Dux Capital, Foundation Capital, Graph Ventures, Iluminar Ventures, i/o Ventures, KRM Interests LLC, Latitud, Magma Partners, SV Latam Fund, Tokai Ventures, Ahmed Chaudhary, Daniel Raynaud, Jorge Faraj, Jorge Uribe, Manolo Atala, Santiago Aldana, Tono Mandly

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Leadership Team

Key people at Gerdau Next Ventures.

Leadership Team

Key people at Gerdau Next Ventures.

Deep Dive

High-Level Overview

Gerdau Next Ventures is the corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of Gerdau, a major Brazilian steel producer, focused on investing in startups that are transforming the built environment. Its mission centers on supporting entrepreneurs innovating in industrial technology, construction, and sustainability sectors, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, green energy, and circular economy solutions. The firm aims to be a trusted partner for founders, emphasizing growth without predatory terms and aligning investments with Gerdau’s strategic interests in Industry 4.0 and sustainability[1][2].

Origin Story

Gerdau Next Ventures originated as a collaboration between Gerdau and the US-based Touchdown Ventures to manage its CVC activities. After a few years, Gerdau decided to bring the venture unit fully in-house to have direct control over investment decisions and strategy. Arthur Alves, who joined in 2022 as corporate venture capital manager, leads the unit and has shaped its renewed focus on AI, industrial tech, and sustainability. Alves’s background includes corporate venturing and innovation management, which helped evolve the unit’s approach to be more founder-friendly and aligned with Gerdau’s core business[1][2].

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Operates as an in-house CVC fully integrated with Gerdau’s business units, enabling strategic alignment and operational synergies.
Network Strength: Leverages Gerdau’s industrial expertise and global footprint, combined with partnerships with other venture firms and co-investors.
Track Record: Has made 12 investments across seed to growth stages, including proptech, logistics, prefabricated construction, and document management startups.
Operating Support: Focuses on long-term partnerships with portfolio companies, emphasizing trust and growth support rather than quick exits or acquisitions.
Sector Focus: Strong emphasis on Industry 4.0 technologies, AI/ML, sustainability (solar, wind, green hydrogen, carbon capture), and circular economy innovations[1][2].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Gerdau Next Ventures rides the wave of digital transformation and sustainability trends reshaping industrial and construction sectors. The timing is critical as global industries pivot toward decarbonization, automation, and smarter infrastructure. By investing in startups that advance these trends, Gerdau not only modernizes its own operations but also influences the broader ecosystem by validating and scaling innovative technologies. This positions the firm as a key player in bridging traditional heavy industry with cutting-edge tech and sustainability solutions[1].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Gerdau Next Ventures is likely to deepen its focus on AI-driven industrial applications and green technologies, reflecting global market shifts and regulatory pressures. Its founder-friendly approach and strategic integration with Gerdau’s core business provide a strong foundation for sustained impact. As Industry 4.0 and sustainability continue to accelerate, Gerdau Next Ventures could expand its influence by fostering startups that redefine the built world’s future, reinforcing its role as a catalyst for innovation in heavy industry and infrastructure[1][2].

Sources

High-Level Overview

Origin Story

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Operates as an in-house CVC fully integrated with Gerdau’s business units, enabling strategic alignment and operational synergies.
Network Strength: Leverages Gerdau’s industrial expertise and global footprint, combined with partnerships with other venture firms and co-investors.
Track Record: Has made 12 investments across seed to growth stages, including proptech, logistics, prefabricated construction, and document management startups.
Operating Support: Focuses on long-term partnerships with portfolio companies, emphasizing trust and growth support rather than quick exits or acquisitions.
Sector Focus: Strong emphasis on Industry 4.0 technologies, AI/ML, sustainability (solar, wind, green hydrogen, carbon capture), and circular economy innovations[1][2].