FOUNDER LIQUIDITY IN BRAZIL

In Brazil, the IPO cycle has stretched to the point of testing the patience of even the most resilient founders…

The study Founder Liquidity in Brazil, developed from a sample of 35 companies in the Endeavor network, reveals a significant shift in how Brazilian startup founders approach liquidity and capital monetization.

On average, a Brazilian company takes:

• 17.2 years to reach an IPO event

• 11.9 years for M&A exits

• 8.4 years for secondary deals

These numbers show that Brazilian founders are increasingly seeking faster and more strategic liquidity alternatives, reducing dependence on the traditional capital markets and accelerating access to financial resources for reinvestment and diversification.

The IPO is no longer the only meaningful monetization path and it has become the longest and most complex one.

Meanwhile, M&A and secondary deals have gained prominence as tools for risk optimization, partial liquidity, and capital reallocation into new growth theses.

This new liquidity mindset reflects a maturing ecosystem, in which founders see the exit not as a final destination, but as a natural and strategic part of the value-creation journey.

Strategic liquidity is the bridge between realization and reinvestment.

By DealMaker Insights | DealMaker