Monashees, a Latin American VC firm, expands into Silicon Valley with a San Francisco office

Monashees Establishes Silicon Valley Presence

Monashees, a venture capital firm founded in São Paulo, Brazil, opened a San Francisco office in September 2025. This move is intended to bridge Latin American startup entrepreneurs with the capital and AI research available in the Bay Area, supporting the continued development of the region's startup ecosystem.

Evolution of Latin American Startup Ecosystem

Founded in 2005, Monashees began operations before a significant startup ecosystem existed in Brazil. Over the past two decades, Brazil has become a prominent startup hub in Latin America, attracting interest from U.S. investors and technology companies. Brazil is a digitally active market, with high usage rates for services like Uber and ChatGPT, and its real-time payment system, Pix, is used by over 90% of adults.

Focus on AI and Strategic Partnerships

Latin America is an important market for U.S. AI labs and technology companies. Monashees recently partnered with Google to create the Gama Fund, which co-invests up to $2 million in AI-native and deep tech pre-seed or seed-stage startups in Brazil. The first summit for this initiative, gathering Latin American AI startup founders, is planned for later this year in San Francisco.

Investment Activities and Expansion

Monashees typically makes eight to ten new investments annually and is currently deploying its $370 million fund across approximately 35 companies. In addition to its San Francisco office, the firm also opened an office in Mexico City in 2022, further expanding its regional footprint.