Thamara Prado, corporate venturing manager, Natura & Co Latam, is one of our Top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2024.
Thamara Prado joined the corporate venturing arm of Brazilian personal care cosmetics group Natura & Co Latam after she took part in its intrapreneurship programme as a co-founder of Cecil.ia, a preventative bot that helps people create healthy habits.
But Prado’s foray into the startup ecosystem began when she was studying in Canada in 2017. She was part of the e@UBC, the University of British Columbia’s acceleration programme where she focused on impact startups.
When Prado returned to Brazil in 2018, she joined Natura as an intrapreneur before taking a business innovation coordinator role two years later.
“We believe that it is only innovation if it generates a positive impact. Therefore, we design initiatives that support our network of consultants and partner communities through entrepreneurship,” says Prado.
At the end of this project, Prado began leading value-creation initiatives for one of Natura’s portfolio companies in Latin America and investing in three startups.
“We have to choose the best startups for Natura, not just for financial results but for strategic ones as well”
In addition to corporate venturing, Prado also oversees venture building for Natura. She helped the firm acquire its first startup in Latin America last year. “The development of my role reflects the evolution of our CVC programme,” says Prado.
She emphasises the importance of addressing the future of the parent company, managing a diverse portfolio and preparing corporate leadership for the potential risks of open innovation.
“We may not succeed financially in every deal, but we learn a lot in the process,” says Prado. “We have to choose the best startups for Natura, not just for financial results but for strategic ones as well.”
Natura’s CVC team targets emerging beauty and wellness products and services, and sustainability technology startups based in Latin America and other markets including the US, especially at pre-seed to series A stages.
See the full list of GCV Rising Stars for 2024 here.
