Sonae to invest €300M in its technological investment arm

  • ECO News
  • 26 May 2022

Led by Eduardo Piedade, Bright Pixel Capital is counting on more than doubling the amount invested since 2016 in technology businesses applied to retail, digital infrastructure or cybersecurity.

Bright Pixel Capital is the new name of the technological investment arm of the Sonae group, which has about 50 direct investments and includes participations in companies – from the early stages to the growth stages – focused on strategic business areas, such as technology applied to retail (retail tech), digital infrastructure, cybersecurity and emerging technologies.

In a statement sent to the press, regarding the new identity created for the group’s venture capital investor, the former Sonae IM says it has already invested over €250 million since it was created in 2016. And it states that it intends to “invest another €300 million in the coming years in companies capable of changing industries globally.”

With companies such as Arctic Wolf, Outsystems, Feedzai and Ometria in its portfolio, the company is led by Eduardo Piedade and now has “Building a Brighter Future Together” as its motto. But if the new identity “transmits modernity and agility”, it emphasises that “at the same time it emphasises its values of orientation towards financial results and growth.”

Bright Pixel Capital’s most recent deal was an agreement with Thales Europe to sell the entire share capital of Maxive, a cybersecurity holding company that includes S21sec and Excellium. The report on the first quarter accounts, in which Sonae reported a €42 million profit, states that this transaction has an underlying enterprise value of Maxive of €120 million and an estimated positive impact of around €63 million on Sonaecom’s consolidated results.

This transformation is encompassed in the new corporate identity presented in February by the holding company led by Cláudia Azevedo, which also involved a change in the various business units of the Maia-based group.

Only the companies in which it does not have a majority position, the commercial brands (such as Continente) and the electronics retail (Worten) have kept their original names. The food retail operation became just MC, the real estate unit known for its shopping centres became Sierra, the fashion area became Zeitreel and financial services took on the name Universo.