Jeff Bezos-Backed Brazilian Fintech Stark Bank Doubles Profit, Preserves Cash

The Brazilian fintech Stark Bank, backed by Jeff Bezos, has seen a significant rise in profits while effectively managing its funding.

What Happened: Stark Bank, a Sao Paulo-based company, has witnessed a three-fold increase in its payment processing business, reaching 155 billion reais ($31 billion) in 2023. This expansion has resulted in a doubling of the firm’s net income to 71.5 million reais, reported Bloomberg.

Despite this substantial growth, the company has kept its funding from its 2022 Series B round, which included investments from Bezos Expeditions, the family office of Amazon.com Inc AMZN founder Jeff Bezos, and Ribbit Capital, largely untouched.

The firm’s founder, Rafael Stark, who owns 38% of the company, has no plans to dilute his stake and is instead focused on creating long-term value.

"While a lot of tech companies are trying to stop losing money we're posting high levels of profitability," Stark, 35, said. "There's no need to keep raising money and diluting my stake. It's better to grow and create much more value further down the road."

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Stark Bank, which helps companies process payments, invoices, and receivables, is concentrating on capturing a larger share of the domestic market from major corporate banks. Despite its small market share in Brazil, the firm has shown potential for further growth.

Stark, who legally changed his surname to Stark on all official documents, is considering a potential initial public offering (IPO) around 2029, following a similar growth path to digital bank Nu Holdings. He is currently focused on expanding the company’s presence in Brazil and Sao Paulo, where the country’s largest firms are located.

Why It Matters: The success of Stark Bank is a testament to the potential of the Brazilian fintech industry. This development also highlights the strategic investments made by Bezos in the Latin American startup scene.

Earlier this year, Bezos sold over $6 billion in Amazon stock, prompting speculation about his future plans. This move followed his investment in Perplexity, an AI startup aiming to challenge Google’s dominance in internet search.

This news comes after Bezos was referred to as the most unusual business leader of our era by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. Bezos’ unique approach to business and investment strategies has continued to yield results, as seen in Stark Bank’s success.

In January, a fund backed by Bezos exceeded $5 million in single-family home acquisitions. This further highlights Bezos’ successful investment strategies and the positive impact they are having on the companies he supports.

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