Investor Profile: Maya Capital — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

MAYA Capital is a Sao Paulo based, female founded venture firm that set out to be the first truly pan Latin American seed fund. Founded in 2018 by Lara Lemann and Monica Saggioro, it backs founders in Brazil and across Spanish speaking Latin America from the very first cheque. For founders exploring Maya Capital funding, here is its thesis, funds, portfolio and how to approach the team.

Thesis

MAYA Capital was born from a gap its founders saw first hand: strong early stage teams in the region struggled to find local seed capital and a clear path to the next round. Rather than wait for international funds, they built a local firm with deep regional knowledge. Its central belief is that Latin American winners tend to be pan regional, scaling from Brazil into Spanish speaking markets and back again.

Sectors and stages

MAYA Capital is sector agnostic and invests at pre-seed and seed stage, aiming to lead the first institutional cheque. Its first fund backed companies in 12 sectors across Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Chile. Its published portfolio spans fintech, healthtech, foodtech, agtech, e-commerce, logistics, HR tech, edtech, proptech, SaaS and cybersecurity. The through line is stage and geography: early teams with regional ambition.

Fund size and cheque size

MAYA Capital raised $40 million for its first fund in 2018 and closed $100 million for its second fund in 2022. TechCrunch reported the second fund was expected to back 25 to 30 companies, with 50 percent reserved for follow on funding. A single published cheque range is not publicly disclosed on the firm's official site, so founders should discuss cheque size directly with the team.

Notable portfolio

Two first fund investments became unicorns: plant based food company NotCo and e-commerce aggregator Merama. Its official portfolio also includes digital health insurer Alice, open banking platform Belvo, recruitment platform Gupy, car rental platform Kovi, tech school Trybe, restaurant software company Fudo, wholesale marketplace Inventa, trade finance platform Finkargo and agricultural credit company Terra Magna.

Partners and team

MAYA Capital was founded by Lara Lemann, managing partner, and Monica Saggioro. Lemann had been investing as an angel in Brazil before founding the firm, while Saggioro was testing business models during her MBA period when their conversations from 2016 to 2018 led to the fund.

Programs, credits and perks

MAYA Capital does not run a published accelerator or a public credits programme. Its support is hands on and network driven: helping companies hire talent, raise follow on rounds and win early customers through commercial introductions, described by the firm as its billion dollar intro work.

How to apply for funding from Maya Capital

MAYA Capital does not publish a verified open application portal, so founders should approach the firm only through its official site at maya.capital and its published contact route there. Prepare a short, specific pitch: the market you will win across Latin America, why you are the team to win it, what the first cheque will fund, and what customer evidence you already have.