Cubo Itaú — Latin America's Largest Corporate-Backed Startup Innovation Hub

Cubo Itaú is a non-profit innovation ecosystem founded in 2015 by Itaú Unibanco — Latin America's largest private bank — and Redpoint eventures, a leading Brazilian VC firm. Located in the Vila Olímpia district of São Paulo, Cubo does not accelerate or incubate startups directly; instead it curates a portfolio of traction-stage tech companies and connects them with large corporations, investors and talent in a co-location ecosystem.

Cubo has grown to house more than 500 curated startups spanning 25+ market segments, collectively employing 27,000 people. In 2023 alone, its portfolio companies raised R$2.8 billion across 140 investment rounds, and the hub facilitated more than 3,000 business connections between startups and corporate partners. In 2024, Cubo opened its new 22,000 m² 14-story flagship headquarters in Vila Olímpia, the largest innovation-hub building in Latin America.

The ecosystem works with more than 50 corporate partners (including major banks, retailers and industrials), 18 investors and 40 institutional partners. StartupGenome's São Paulo ecosystem data recognises Cubo-affiliated startups as a significant share of Brazil's venture capital activity.

Cubo pioneered the corporate-bank-as-anchor hub model in Latin America, demonstrating that large financial institutions could serve as effective anchors for startup ecosystems. The hub is deliberately sector-agnostic, spanning fintech, healthtech, agritech, logistics, edtech and retail.

Read the full analysis: https://cubo.itau/en/