FELIPE BARRETO VEIGA

FELIPE BARRETO VEIGA

Partner

Main Areas of Practice

SEGMENTS

  • Banks and Financial Services
  • Education and Edtechs
  • Health, Beauty and Healthtechs
  • Investment Funds
  • Startups and Fintechs
  • Technology

Know-how

Felipe Barreto Veiga is the founding and managing partner at BVA Advogados and a senior partner in the firm’s M&A, Venture Capital, and Private Equity practices. He represents publicly traded and privately held companies, startups, family offices, banks, asset managers, and investment funds from over 70 countries.

He is recognized as one of Brazil’s most active dealmakers, with a track record that includes over 200 transactions. Felipe is highly regarded in the technology market, serving as a trusted advisor to some of the country’s top startup entrepreneurs, investors, shareholders, families, and controlling groups of major companies and middle-market firms.

At BVA, Felipe has led some of Brazil’s most significant M&A, Private Equity, and Venture Capital transactions in recent years. His clients include companies like Porto Seguro, Santander, Softbank, VTEX, Locaweb, Natura, Galápagos Capital, MRV Engenharia, Nuvini, Domo Invest, Itaú BBA, BTG Pactual, BNDES, Kovi, Apex Partners, OLX, Grupo Zap, Artplan, Ambev, Wine.com.br, Blowtex, Helisul Aviação, Pátria Investimentos, Banco Modal, Alper Seguros, Intellipost, Boticário, Semantix, Grupo Cataratas, Cidade Matarazzo, Gafisa Properties, Random Ventures, Suno, Singu, V4 Company, and others.

With approximately R$ 8 billion in transactions in recent years, Felipe has consistently ranked among Brazil’s top dealmakers according to TTR Data in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. His M&A and Venture Capital teams at BVA have also achieved recognition in the IFLR 1000 by Euromoney and Legal 500 in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and have been listed among the firms conducting the most transactions according to TTR Data.

Individually recognized by Legal 500 as a “venture capital, private equity, and M&A specialist,” Felipe has been recognized by Leaders League from 2017 to 2023 as one of the top lawyers in M&A (Small and Mid Cap), Startups, Innovation, Technology, and Venture Capital. He has also been recognized by Latin Lawyer Reference in 2017 and 2018, and by Análise Advocacia in 2018 and 2023 as one of the most admired lawyers in Brazil in the banking and financial institutions sector and technology sector, respectively.

Felipe is a member of the Corporate and M&A Committee and Asset Management and Investment Funds Committee of the IBA – International Bar Association, and a member of the Business Law Committee of the ABA – American Bar Association.

His work as a lawyer is featured in bestsellers such as “Nada Easy” by Tallis Gomes, recounting the story of the entrepreneur and the founding of Easy Taxi, and “Saída de Mestre” by João Cristofolini and Eduardo Cosomano, detailing the sale of Pegaki to Intellipost.

Felipe is the author of articles and books published in four languages, co-author of  “Marco Legal das Startups” and “Direito no Metaverso,” both published by Ed. Revista dos Tribunais/Thomson Reuters. He holds a law degree from Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, with additional studies at Harvard Law School, Fordham Law School, and the New York Institute of Finance. He is a frequent contributor to major media outlets such as Valor Econômico, Globo News, Exame, Estadão, Forbes (US), Yahoo Finance, O Globo, Conjur, Correio Braziliense, DCI, StartSe, among others.

Felipe is a member of the Brazil-Florida Business Council, IBA – International Bar Association, ABA – American Bar Association, AIJA – Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats, International Trademark Association (INTA), and the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB).

  • Graduated in Law – Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie
  • Leadership in Law Firms – Harvard Law School
  • Program on Negotiation – Harvard Law School
  • Law Firm Management – Fordham Law School
  • Mergers & Acquisitions – New York Institute of Finance
  • Acted as lead legal advisor to the largest asset manager in Espírito Santo and an investment fund in acquiring a significant stake in Wine.com.br, the world’s largest wine e-commerce platform, as well as in negotiations with Peninsula Investimentos;
  • Led the sale of Unidub, Brazil’s largest dubbing company, to Iyuno, a global leader in the dubbing sector based in Singapore;
  • Served as the lead legal advisor to Agroline, Lineagro, and their controllers in selling a controlling interest to Patria Investimentos S.A;
  • Coordinated the sale of Mobills to Banco Santander and Toro Investimentos, representing the founders in the sale of 100% of the company’s shares;
  • Acted as lead legal advisor to Alper Seguros, Brazil’s largest insurance broker, in the acquisition of 100% of Goodwinds’ shares;
  • Served as the lead legal advisor to Helisul in the acquisition of 100% of Ecocopter’s shares, one of the largest helicopter; operators in Latin America, as well as in the financing negotiations with Itaú BBA;
  • Led the management buyout and debt restructuring transaction of one of Brazil’s largest publicly traded real estate development companies, representing an investment fund in negotiations with the company’s other major shareholders;
  • Acted as the lead legal advisor to Cidade Matarazzo in the 7th private issuance of convertible debentures totaling R$ 565 million;
  • Represented Goldman Sachs Brasil Banco Múltiplo in the acquisition of assets from a restructuring company;
  • Acted as lead legal advisor to LiveOn and its founders in the sale of 100% of the company’s shares to Banco Modal and XP Inc;
  • Served as the lead legal advisor to Brazil’s largest air tourism company in acquiring a significant stake in Grupo Cataratas; Brazil’s largest sustainable tourism concessionaire (operator of the Iguazu Falls National Park, Fernando de Noronha National Park, Rio de Janeiro Aquarium, etc.), as well as in obtaining financing from international financial institutions;
  • Acted as lead legal advisor to Singu in a convertible debenture issuance transaction with Natura S.A., representing the founders and a group of investors;
  • Coordinated the first issuance of Real Estate Receivables Certificates (CRI) for Cidade Matarazzo, totaling R$ 173 million, jointly with Vectis Gestão de Recursos;
  • Served as the lead legal advisor to V4 Company and its founder in an investment transaction by Dreamers Group;
  • Acted as deal counsel for Kovi and the founders of Easy Carros in the acquisition of 100% of the company’s capital;
  • Represented Panasonic Brasil and Panasonic in a project finance transaction to build a solar power park in Ceará, in a R$ 1.2 billion transaction;
  • Led the 2nd issuance of debentures for The Led under Galapagos Capital’s coordination, acting as deal counsel;
  • Acted as lead legal advisor to Nuvini, listed on Nasdaq, in a series of acquisitions;
  • Represented Grupo Zap and OLX in the acquisition of 100% of Sohtec’s shares, a startup in the real estate sector;
  • Served as the lead legal advisor to Singu in the sale of 100% of the company’s shares to Natura S.A;
  • Acted as lead legal advisor to Pegaki and its founders in the sale of 100% of the company’s shares to Intellipost;
  • Led the sale of 100% of Netzee’s shares to Locaweb;
  • Coordinated the sale of Cuco Health to Raia Drogasil, representing the founder and company investors;
  • Represented Latin America’s largest e-commerce technology company in an investment round with Softbank and Valor Capital;
  • Led the sale of 100% of UCondo’s shares to MRV Engenharia, representing the founders;
  • Represented LinkApi and its founders in the sale of 100% of the company’s shares to Semantix;
  • Represented Sunshine State Oil in negotiations with Starboard Capital in a structured investment transaction for Brazil’s largest private oil refinery;
  • Led the sale transaction of Brazil’s largest cryptocurrency platform in negotiations with the country’s largest private equity bank;
  • Represented BNDES and Domo Invest, one of Latin America’s largest venture capital managers, in over 50 venture capital investment transactions;
  • Acted as lead legal advisor to a significant shareholder in the sale of their stake in Newe Seguros;
  • Led the sale of 100% of Get In’s shares to Ambev, representing the founders;
  • Led the Series A investment round for Gama Academy, subsequently acquired by Cogna Educação;
  • Coordinated the acqui-hire acquisition of Simples by VTEX;
  • Represented Oakberry in its international expansion to over 30 countries, negotiating joint ventures with foreign investors and operators;
  • Portuguese
  • English
  • Leaders League 2024 – M&A: Mid-Cap Transactions
  • The Legal 500 2024 – Corporate and M&A: Mid-Market
  • IFLR 1000 2024 – M&A
  • Leaders League 2023
    IP: Trademark Litigation
    IP: Trademark Prosecution
    Blockchain & Cryptocurrency
    Technology
    Startups & Innovation
    Venture Capital
  • Análise Advocacia 2023 – Digital and Foods, Beverages, and Tobacco
  • The Legal 500 2023 – Corporate and M&A
  • Leaders League 2022 – Startups & Inovation
  • Leaders League 2021 – Startus & Inovation and Trademark Prosecution
  • Leaders League 2020 – Startups & Inovation and Copyright Law
  • Leaders League 2019 – Startups & Inovation
  • Leaders League 2018 – Intellectual Property, Copyright Law, Startups & Innovation, Technology, Internet & Telecommunication
  • Leaders League 2017 – Intellectual Property
  • Latin Lawyer Reference 2018 – Technology, Startups, and Digital Services
  • Latin Lawyer Reference 2017 – Technology, Startups, and Digital Services
  • Análise Advocacia – 2018 – Banks and Financial Institutions
  • IFLR 1000 – M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions)
  • The Legal 500 – Corporate and M&A
  • The Legal 500 – Venture Capital, Private Equity, and M&A

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