After just over five years as managing partner for Latin America and head of Brazil at Softbank , Alex Szapiro is leaving the fund. The operation will now be led by Juan Franck, who was already Szapiro's partner. Rodrigo Costa, a Brazilian partner who was based in Miami and was repatriated at the end of 2025, will assume the role of head of Brazil.
“I’m 56 years old, I have 15 years of high energy ahead of me to produce different things,” Szapiro told NeoFeed , explaining that the decision is personal and linked to the desire to return to directly operating a company.
The decision to leave Softbank matured over the course of this year. The final decision was made in June, during Brazil Week in New York, when he agreed on the terms to leave the fund. "Mission accomplished," says Szapiro, regarding his time leading the Latin American operation.
The process will be gradual and will extend until August, with Szapiro supporting the change. "He has CEO blood," says a source who knows the executive. "In a short time, he should be at the helm of some large company."
For over three decades, Szapiro led several technology operations in Brazil, including Palm, Apple, and Amazon. Despite leaving, Szapiro will remain a partner and is expected to act as an advisor to some companies. Currently, he sits on the boards of 10 companies invested in by Softbank.
During his tenure, Szapiro was responsible for transforming the Latin American operation into a global investment platform, integrating local investments into Softbank's global strategy.
Previously, Softbank had funds dedicated to Latin America. There were two funding cycles that, in total, invested over US$8 billion in the region, creating the main Latin American unicorns.
The Latin American operation has offices in Brazil, Mexico, and the United States (Miami). The number of employees is not disclosed, but according to NeoFeed , it has approximately 15 people dedicated to the Latin American region and another 25 focused on Latam, within Softbank's global platform.
Since it began investing in Latin America in 2019 through a fund dedicated to the region, Softbank has built a portfolio of over 70 startups. The list includes names such as Wellhub , Rappi , QuintoAndar , Kavak, Unico, MadeiraMadeira, Creditas , Ualá, Petlove , Merama , Omie, Olist, Blip, and Asaas , among others.
Szapiro's departure announcement comes at a time of strategic change for Softbank in the region. After years marked by rapid growth and the pursuit of unicorns, the fund has rewritten its investment playbook and reduced the volume of investments.
The new guideline demands financial discipline, cash generation, and predictability. Today, 96% of the companies in the portfolio have the capacity to generate cash and have a runway of more than 18 months, compared to 70% in 2021.
The new investments follow more rigorous criteria, focusing on artificial intelligence, products that are difficult to replicate, and robust cash generation models.
In an interview with NeoFeed in March of this year, Szapiro reflected on this new dynamic in the Latin American market. "The question is what it means to continue investing," Szapiro stated.
He added: “If we continue looking at companies, building pipelines , and understanding new business opportunities, the answer is yes. But we haven't allocated capital for several months because we simply haven't found any.”
The fund has also been working on preparing companies for initial public offerings (IPOs), with several already in advanced stages. "You know, we have 10 companies there that are IPO-ready ," Szapiro said in the same interview.
