PERISCOPE CAPITAL

Investment decisions are ultimately directed by founder João Carlos di Genio, who maintains tight control over portfolio composition. The office operates a lean internal team in São Paulo that evaluates opportunities across the family's core sectors — education, healthcare, and real estate — drawing on the di Genio family's decades of operational experience in Brazilian services. Day-to-day execution is handled by a small group of investment professionals who report directly to the principal.

The di Genio family's wealth originates from Grupo Objetivo, the São Paulo-based education conglomerate founded by João Carlos di Genio. The group's flagship asset, Universidade Paulista (UNIP), grew into one of the world's largest private universities by enrollment. A major liquidity event occurred in 2010 when Pearson plc acquired the group's distance-learning operations, providing the capital base that Periscope Capital was established to manage and deploy.

Periscope Capital operates strictly as a single family office managing the di Genio family's proprietary capital. The firm does not accept outside investors, raise external funds, or charge management fees. This structure — uncommon among large Brazilian family offices that have trended toward multi-family or asset-management models — reflects the founder's preference for control and the office's integration with the family's ongoing operating business, UNIP.

Periscope Capital's investment posture favors direct equity positions and real asset ownership over fund commitments. The office pursues control-oriented investments in sectors adjacent to the family's operating expertise — education, healthcare, and São Paulo real estate — where the di Genio name and local relationships provide sourcing and operational advantages. Fund commitments are rare and typically limited to vehicles managed by long-standing professional relationships.

Periscope Capital and UNIP operate as distinct entities under the di Genio family's umbrella, but they remain deeply interwoven. UNIP is the family's primary operating business and generates ongoing cash flows that replenish the office's investment capital. Periscope Capital manages the proceeds of the 2010 Pearson transaction and subsequent UNIP distributions, reinvesting them into real estate, healthcare, and education ventures. This integrated structure creates a permanent capital base independent of external fundraising cycles.