Owner of Bahema Advances with School-Focused Real Estate Fund
- Mint Capital
- 17 de jun.
- 2 min de leitura
Mint Capital entered the education sector, liked what they learned, and—above all—liked the results. Three years ago, the investment firm began investing in Bahema, owner of top-tier schools in Rio, São Paulo, and Minas Gerais such as Escola da Vila, Escola Viva, Balão Vermelho, and Escola Parque. Today, Mint holds a 55% stake in the company. Now it has found another niche to develop: purchasing and leasing school and university buildings. Its real-estate investment fund, Mint Educacional, has just made its second acquisition—this time, the main building of Escola Parque in Rio de Janeiro—for R$32 million. The fund was launched at the beginning of the crisis, in March, after having already purchased a unit of UNA college (part of the Ânima Group) in the Lourdes neighborhood of Belo Horizonte.
With R$78 million in school assets under management, the fund is expected to reach R$500 million by the end of 2021. Other school properties worth R$150 million are currently in final stages of negotiation.
Selling School Real Estate Frees Up Funds for Investment
For schools, this strategy unlocks resources tied up in buildings, courts, and classrooms. Bahema, for example, announced on Sunday that it finalized the acquisition of Escola Autonomia for R$29.4 million. For Mint, the fund includes very long-term leases with tenants who are unlikely to find substitute locations. According to Marcelo Walton, partner at Mint responsible for educational real-estate investments, even during the crisis there were no renegotiation requests—because these are premium, profitable operations with schools that continued charging full tuition during the pandemic.
To support new acquisitions, Mint is strengthening its real-estate division. The aim is also to capitalize on property appreciation over time, especially since the acquisitions are in high-end neighborhoods. According to Cássio Beldi, Mint’s partner, the firm benefits from its deep sector knowledge and ability to identify projects with recognized educational quality that will endure for 50 years. The fund aims to generate annual returns of 7.5% to 8% for investors—tax‑exempt—and gradually open up to retail investors.
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