Asian Gaw Capital plans to invest between 200 and 300 million euros in Portugal over the next few years. The group, which recently bought venture capital company C2 Capital, owns Hotel Infante Sagres and Hotel InterContinental, both located in Porto.
In an interview with Negócios quoted by Eco, Goodwin Gaw, chairman of the Gaw Capital Group, said that the idea is to focus on products in which Portuguese companies can compete internationally, including cork, glass, stone, wood and furniture, and to help drive a growth strategy through exports.
"I always say that private capital is only useful if you can give more than money to the company. There are a number of family businesses in Portugal with really good products, but without a focus on cross-border distribution," he said, quoted by the same media. The aim, according to Gaw, is for investment in companies to go through funding solutions that can overcome the "conservatism" he sees in banking, adding that "we can be a good source of funding" for small and medium-sized companies.
In Portugal, Gaw Capital Group is particularly interested in assets outside large urban centres, such as Évora, Alqueva or Ericeira. Currently, the Gaw Fund has three projects under study, to which are added two plots of land already acquired.
