Warburg Pincus Acquires Minority Stake in Contabilizei for $125 Million
Investment highlights next phase of growth for the accounting technology services company
São Paulo, Brazil, October 14, 2024 – Contabilizei, a leading accounting firm in Brazil, today announced a $125 million investment from Warburg Pincus, a leading global growth investor. Founded in 2013, Contabilizei automates accounting services, focusing on small businesses and self-employed professionals. Contabilizei currently serves more than 50,000 clients, operates at break-even, and generated total revenue exceeding R$ 300 million.
With this transaction, Warburg Pincus is the largest shareholder of Contabilizei, acquiring stakes from venture capital funds that had invested in Contabilizei starting in 2014, including Kaszek.
Contabilizei’s main service is providing free company registration and accounting services with a 99% automated process to calculate and pay taxes, fulfill tax obligations, and handle accounting records for micro and small businesses, as well as self-employed individuals. This is done considering various geographical and sector-specific realities, as tax regulations differ depending on the state, municipality, and industry. The company also offers an integrated bank account solution that links to its accounting services, a key differentiator to simplify its clients’ financial routines. Recently, it began offering health plans, creating a comprehensive platform for micro and small business owners.
“Contabilizei strengthens Warburg Pincus’ thesis of investing in scalable technology companies in sectors that still have low technology adoption and growing demand. We see great potential in the company, especially in a market still dominated by manual processes, with ample room for automation and the use of artificial intelligence. Additionally, there is significant room for further monetization through the expansion of financial services offered on the platform,” says Bruno Maimone, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus. “The investment in the company is also aligned with our global strategy, as we have a long history of investing in companies in the tax automation space in the United States, such as Avalara and Chipsoft.”
According to Vitor Torres, CEO and founder of Contabilizei, the entry of Warburg Pincus is another important validation of the company’s cash-generation-focused growth strategy over the past few years. “In a highly fragmented market, dominated by traditional companies relying on manual processes, we have reached more than 50,000 clients thanks to the superior quality of our services, increased efficiency through time savings, and, most importantly, offering the complete range of services that entrepreneurs need,” he says.
“More than just accounting and tax payments, small business owners and freelancers have many other management needs. For this reason, we also offer business checking accounts, financial services, health plans, and important partnerships to even support the physical and mental health of entrepreneurs. Our focus is to increasingly meet the needs of small business owners through a seamless journey on our platform, empowering them with better management, efficiency, and financial health. We are working hard to ensure Contabilizei continues its high growth rate in the coming years and maintains its delivery of high-quality, trustworthy services to help small business owners succeed. Warburg Pincus has extensive experience supporting high-growth companies in scaling within their markets, and we are confident this will be crucial for our next phase of growth,” adds the CEO.
“We are very excited to collaborate with Warburg Pincus in this next phase of Contabilizei’s growth. We share their conviction in the thesis and in Vitor’s ability to execute. We are pleased to continue being part of this journey,” says Rodrigo Costa, partner at Softbank Latin America Funds.
With the investment in Contabilizei, Warburg Pincus now has a portfolio of 11 Brazilian companies, 8 of which are in the technology sector.
About Warburg Pincus
Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global growth investor. The firm has more than $83 billion in assets under management. The firm’s active portfolio of more than 225 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector, and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Since its founding in 1966, Warburg Pincus has invested more than $117 billion in over 1,000 companies globally across its private equity, real estate, and capital solutions strategies. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.warburgpincus.com. Follow us on LinkedIn.
About Contabilizei
Contabilizei is the largest accounting firm in Brazil, serving over 50,000 clients. It is a leader in company formation and CNPJ management, offering complete, exclusive, and integrated solutions in one place for micro and small entrepreneurs, as well as self-employed professionals. Founded in 2013, Contabilizei offers cutting-edge technology and the expertise of more than 1,200 specialists across various fields to provide reliable accounting services, free company formation, business checking accounts, and health and wellness benefits for entrepreneurs.
