Eduardo Pontes
About Eduardo Pontes
Eduardo Pontes co-founded Stone (StoneCo), the Brazilian payments company. <cite index="4-1">Forbes describes StoneCo as a cloud-based online payment processor that raised $1.5 billion in its 2018 IPO</cite>. <cite index="4-1">Forbes also says he was vice chair of the StoneCo board, and that he founded several payment-focused companies before co-founding Stone in 2012.</cite>
<cite index="0-1">Crunchbase lists him as Founder and CEO of Teya, based in London, with a past role as Founder and CEO at Stone.</cite> Teya was formerly known as SaltPay. A 2019 press release also described him as a principal of Arpex Capital.
<cite index="2-1">In October 2019 Tutuka, a card issuing and processing company serving fintechs and banks, announced that he had acquired a minority stake.</cite> The announcement said the stake was meant to support Tutuka's expansion into Latin America. Crunchbase also records a Tutuka secondary-market transaction.
His most recent publicly reported angel round is Core AI in March 2026. CB Insights lists more investments, but the details are behind a paywall, so they are not included here.
Core AI is the AI investment we could confirm. It is a seed round announced in March 2026, and Pontes took part as an angel. <cite index="5-1">Let's Money reported the round at US$4.1 million, led by 14B.</cite> <cite index="3-1">Other outlets, including IT Forum, reported US$4.5 million.</cite> Lounge's deals desk lists $4.1M.
<cite index="5-1">Core AI builds AI credit models for the banking-as-a-service ecosystem.</cite> <cite index="3-1">The announcement said Big Bets, Nameless, BFF and Norte also participated alongside André Street and Fersen Lambranho.</cite>
The public record is thin, so this is based on his known deals. They are early-stage or minority positions in payments and fintech infrastructure, in Brazil and in emerging markets through Tutuka. The Core AI round was a seed, and he participated rather than led it. He has not publicly stated a check size or a formal investment thesis, and we have not listed one.
- Core AI: Brazilian startup building AI-based credit infrastructure and credit models for banking-as-a-service platforms; seed round in March 2026.
- Tutuka: card issuing and processing platform serving fintechs and banks; he acquired a minority stake in October 2019.
Investing activity
Eduardo Pontes appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $4M. The most recent is Core AI (Seed, $4.1M, Mar 2026).
Eduardo Pontes most often invests alongside 14B Venture Capital, BFF Ventures, Fersen Lambranho and GP Investments, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Eduardo Pontes
Who is Eduardo Pontes?
He is a co-founder of Stone, the Brazilian payments company listed on Nasdaq. Crunchbase also lists him as Founder and CEO of Teya, based in London.
Has Eduardo Pontes invested in AI startups?
Yes. He took part as an angel in the March 2026 seed round of Core AI, a Brazilian AI credit infrastructure company.
What is Eduardo Pontes' check size?
It is not public. No source we found states his check size, so we don't give a figure.
What stage does Eduardo Pontes invest in?
His known angel investments are seed-stage rounds and minority stakes. He participated in the Core AI seed and took a minority stake in Tutuka.
What sectors does Eduardo Pontes back?
The deals we found are in payments, fintech and AI-driven credit, in Brazil and in emerging markets. He has not published a formal thesis.
How much did Core AI raise?
Lounge lists $4.1M, which matches Let's Money's report. Some outlets reported US$4.5M for the same March 2026 seed round.
Is Eduardo Pontes an angel investor?
Yes. Eduardo Pontes invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Eduardo Pontes invested in?
Eduardo Pontes's AI investments include Core AI. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Eduardo Pontes invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Eduardo Pontes has invested at Seed, with a median round of $4M.
Who does Eduardo Pontes co-invest with?
Eduardo Pontes's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are 14B Venture Capital (1 deal), BFF Ventures (1 deal), Fersen Lambranho (1 deal), GP Investments (1 deal) and André Street (1 deal).