Gustavo Pinheiro

Gustavo Pinheiro is a Principal at Riverwood Capital, a technology-focused growth-equity firm founded in 2008 with roughly $6.1 billion in regulatory assets under management (as of March 2024) and offices in Menlo Park, New York, Miami, and São Paulo. He is based in the firm's São Paulo office on Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima and focuses on software and internet opportunities, primarily across Latin America.

Before Riverwood, Gustavo built a career spanning venture capital, operating, and private equity. He led the Brazil investing effort at Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP), and subsequently joined BVP portfolio company Enjoei, where he led product development — giving him hands-on operating experience inside a growth-stage tech company. Earlier in his career he worked at GP Investimentos, one of Brazil's most established private equity houses, where he focused on the information technology and retail sectors.

On the technical and academic side, Gustavo holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA), one of Brazil's most selective engineering schools. He also served as a research assistant at MIT and at Tsinghua University, reflecting a strong technical foundation that complements his investing work.

In his current role he manages a portfolio of Latin American technology companies and takes board involvement in Riverwood-led deals, including a board seat at identity-security company Segura.

• Stage: Growth equity — Riverwood "evaluates and leads investments ranging from $25–$250+ million per company," targeting proven businesses (profitable or with positive unit economics), not pre-revenue seed bets.
• What makes them say yes: The firm screens for "Scalability, Profitable Growth, Culture, and Teamwork," and looks for technology companies with large addressable markets and demonstrated, working business models.
• Sectors: Software, internet, cybersecurity, SaaS, e-commerce/marketplaces, fintech, and tech-enabled infrastructure — consistent with Gustavo's stated focus on "software and internet opportunities."
• Geography: A clear Latin America / Brazil emphasis for Gustavo specifically, within Riverwood's broader global mandate.
• Deal structure: Riverwood does both minority and control deals, positioning itself as an operational/strategic partner via its "Scalability Playbook" and advisor network — so founders should expect hands-on involvement, not passive capital.