Gaw Fund to invest €300M in Portugal

After acquiring the venture capital company C2 Capital, Gaw Capital plans to invest between €200 and €300 million in Portugal in the coming years.

In an interview with Jornal de Negócios, the president of the group which is based in Hong Kong, Goodwin Gaw, explains that the idea is to invest in products in which Portuguese companies can compete internationally such as cork, glass, stone, wood and furnishings, and help boost a growth strategy via exports.
“I always say that private capital is only useful if I can give more than just money to a company. There are a number of family businesses in Portugal with really good products, but are not focused on overseas distribution,” he says.
The goal, according to Gaw, is that investment in companies should involve financing solutions that can bridge the gap left by the “conservative nature” that is seen in the banks. “We can be a good source of financing for small and medium size companies”, he adds.
Even so, the main pillar of the business continues to be real estate and in Portugal it has a special interest in assets outside the large urban centres, including Évora, Alqueva and Ericeira.
At present, it has three projects under study in addition to two parcels of land that had been added and have already been acquired. “We have a lot of experience in this type of products all over the world”, he says.