Adam Torres and Felipe Felicio discuss FII PRIORITY MIAMI 2025.
Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify
Apply to be a guest on our podcast here
Show Notes:
Listen to FII PRIORITY MIAMI 2025 coverage. In this episode, Adam Torres and Felipe Felicio, Partner at GWM Partners, explore GWM Partners and investing in Brazil and Saudi Arabia.
About GWM Partners
GWM Partners is a Multi Family Office located in Miami and São Paulo.
Full Unedited Transcript
Hey, I’d like to welcome you to another episode of Mission Matters. My name is Adam Torres, and if you’d like to apply to be a guest in the show, just head on over to mission matters.com and click on Be Our Guest to Apply. All right, so today I am interviewing Felipe Felicio, and this is part of our FII priority series, which had this year I was out there at FII in Miami.
And let me tell you, it was. Quite an event, and I’ve been doing this series bringing on people that attended, people that sponsored, and just all kinds of individuals that were over at FII. And today’s guest is Felipe. First off Felipe, welcome to the show. Hi, Adam. First of all, thank you very much for to invite me.
It’s my pleasure to be here with you. , we are part of F-E-I-F-I-I-I, I am in my third edition. Wow. Yes. my first edition at FEII was in Rio de Janeiro. Okay. Was very beautiful. And you’re in Brazil? Yes. Mm-hmm. Yes, we are in Brazil. And my second edition I was in, yeah. Last year and my third edition now last month in Miami, yeah.
Was very good was very product. And you’ve seen the growth of the conference and of everything else. Can you, this is my first year, so I like to say , I’m a newbie. I’m brand new. So can you talk a little bit about the growth and maybe just what you feel makes this so special?
Yeah. Look, in my first edition of E ii, I can’t, the size of the, thing, you know? Yeah. And when you, start at VII, when I started the first editions, it’s like something that you, participate in and you don’t stop more. it’s is something different of all the, the, the others that I already participate.
Mm-hmm. And we have business with the, Saudi Arabia. And we have business in Brasilia with the guy with CCCC bar. And I say that what I saw in fi, i i is the most biggest thing that we can do with other companies, you know? Mm-hmm. The growth is very big and the, companies is very interested and the, guys that they invited is.
The guys that has all the participation in the companies, you know, they are very in the business. Mm-hmm. It’s not just guests just to see. Yeah. The guys that goes there is to participate, you know? Yeah. They, so that’s the big deal, the, the different thing that the others that we participate.
Yeah. So we, if you go invited, you wanna do business there. Hmm. Yeah, I, noticed that like, the deal makers were in the room and also the decision makers. So I was surprised at how many decision makers, like I’ve been to a lot of conferences. I mean, one, of my favorites is the Milk and Global Conference.
I go there every year. But I think FII is gonna be one of my next favorites just ’cause I was just pretty surprised. Like, you don’t meet in no offense. To any C-suite or anything like that, or managers, or middle managers. But met a lot of CEOs. So a lot of people made time. , they made time, like the heads of companies made times to come out and to, participate and to connect.
I wanna spend some of the time that we have here also talking about what you’re doing as a partner over at GWM Partner. So maybe talk a little bit more about your firm. Of course. Just one thing about FII too. Mm-hmm. Please. Because there in FII, I have a pleasure to meet some of the CEO of the big companies.
Yeah. That the other place, I don’t have opportunity to meet, you know? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So very, very. Big and big companies that just in FII, that I, mm-hmm. I have a pleasure to meet. Okay. Yeah. Now about GWME Partners. It’s a company we are a mood family office. GWM is Global Wealth Manager.
Mm-hmm. we start we have based in Miami. So in Miami, in Brico Avenue mm-hmm. We do all the offshore and allocation. Mm-hmm. And here we are in Sao Paulo. We have a base in Sao Paulo. So GWM is a mood family office that we, take care of money of one of the big families in, Brazil.
Mm-hmm. In Miami. we have a broker deal in Miami here in Brazil. we have, some partners that we have, like a fund, we know like mm-hmm. Found, and here we have a partner, we do business with BTG Bank. Mm-hmm. We, I don’t know if you know the bank. Mm-hmm. And most of the, our clients here has offshore with us.
Okay. So, mm-hmm. , most part of our, our location is, out of Brazil. Mm-hmm. Offshore, correct? Mm-hmm. and 85% of our clients offshore is Brazilians. So we have very big expertise to do offshore here for, for the Brazilian guys that wanna invest out of Brazil. Mm mm , I’m curious, how did you originally get into the business?
how did you start? Yeah. My family’s we are from transportation. Know my grandfather found a big company of transportation. Mm-hmm. And I have companies facilities and securities with Army guys. And I was partnered 10 years ago in, a broker dealer here in Brazil.
Yeah. And then before the pandemic, we start the operation here in Brazil and he has a founder of digital brand partners. He’s, he lives in Miami and he started a company in Miami. Then me and HofA, we start with him in Sao Paulo before the pandemic, and then comes more ju Antonio will have more, more partners here.
And we are working to grow here in Brazil. Uh, But I born not in the market. Mm-hmm. National market. I was, my family’s from companies of transportation and other mm-hmm. Other things. Okay. Yeah. what kind of trends are you following right now? Do you look at too, and you don’t have to talk about any specific deal, but like, what kind of things do you look at at investing in nowadays?
What kind of trends are you following? Now we are looking about investing in real estate. We think out of Brazil, we are doing some partnership in, in real estate and we invest here in health companies. Okay? Mm. Now we invest here in health companies here and we are open unit in Saudi Arabia.
Okay. In, so those guys invest in us here, the debt. We can invest, we can open a unit with them. You know, understand what I’m saying? Mm-hmm. Okay. I invest you in Brazil, but you have to open a unit in. Yeah. You understand? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because we, we have to, bring the, or knowhow or mm-hmm.
Experience to open there because they want to be more not just oil. They want more things like health securities, education agro, like mm-hmm. Food any sports. They are investing all they are investing. Another ways to get more, things to the culture. Mm. Because they believe the oil is gonna be like 34 years is gonna be down.
Mm-hmm. So in the health companies here we have some units that we invest a lot of time and now we are investing one unit in Hmm. so I haven’t been to Riyadh yet, and I do wanna go and I wanna make it to one of the fis out there, but I’ve been interviewing a lot of people that have either from over there, visiting there.
Otherwise, can you describe to me, like what makes it so attractive to you in, just in terms of for investment? Can you talk maybe a little bit about that for maybe some other people like myself who haven’t been yet? Yeah. In for us in health mm-hmm. We have eye clinics, hospitals it was a, a opportunity because they give all the atory for you.
Mm-hmm. All the atory, the, they build the company there. And there is the opportunities now because Saudi Arabia, they have 23 millions. People living there. Mm-hmm. And all these people, the health, they have, the public health, the insurance, health mm-hmm. Is public. And now they are private. this health.
Mm-hmm. So in parts, so, oh, you are like a business. You are a company from Brazil. Okay, we gonna give you 1 million. You took care to take care. So we go and we, take our company, we put a unit there. we take all our experience in, health to open and take the, the company.
to grow to more employers, doctors and I, thought that with farms, so they come in Brazil, they invest in farms here, but you have to guarantee the foods to them. Mm-hmm. Technology securities education, the same thing. They invest on you. you need money here in your, in your company, okay?
They invest on you here, but you have to open a unit in Hiat. Mm. All the money that they invest out of Saudi, they want to put the, the company there. You understand what I’m saying? Yeah, no, absolute. Absolutely. You can, correct me with no, no, but so, so it sounds to me like it’s a lot opportunity.
Really. Yes. It’s that opportunity because they are starting, okay. They don’t have hostile private hospital there. They have just one. So they want mm-hmm. Take their education the same thing. So they are starting there. Mm-hmm. Saudi Arabia opens to tourists, since 2017, so is recently.
It’s new. You can put the Google there you can search Google that the nephew of the royal family mm-hmm. He put in jail, all the family, you know that story? Yeah, I do. They put in there, in the, his counter hotel. Mm-hmm. And, after that, the, the, thing starts. Mm-hmm. The companies for tourists womens can drive.
So it will be much better after that. Understand? Yeah. Yeah. I wanna visit, I gotta make it out to one of those out there. You have to. I know, I know. I, and the more of these interviews I do, I’m telling you, Felipe, the more people I see and, and just talk to they’re talking about the growth and the opportunity the more it gets me excited.
and I also heard that here, that that’s the, big FII, by the way, the Right, that’s the. Big, big one, like that one gets pretty that’s what I’m told. Is that right? Because you’ve you’ve been to that, I think that was the first one you said you went to. Yeah. FII is like Davos. Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Like Davos. Yes. Yeah. And now they are investing in Red Sea. Mm. It’s very beautiful resorts there. the sea. See a lot of tourists, going to there. Yeah. I, I think that. Saudi is the, is the new thing in the world. It’s like to visit, to go to invest. All the banks in the world is, in mm-hmm.
JP Morgan Stanley, all the banks, the big banks there. So it’s the people is very kind, they are very generous. They, treat you very well. Mm. the reception there is very good. So Saudi Arabia, I, I indicate I tell for everybody that. Ask me about, I’d say Go, go invest. Go meeting, go.
Very good. Amazing. Well, Felipe, yes. really appreciate you coming on the show today and talking more about your experience with FII, priority Miami and just FII institute in general. And also giving us some background on what you’re doing at GWM Partners. If somebody wants to learn more about GWM Partners, how do they do that?
they can enter. Your website is G wme partners.com. Pr. Mm-hmm G WME partners.com. Fantastic. And for everybody listening, just so you know, we’ll definitely put that link in the show notes, so you can just click on it and head right on over. And speaking of the audience, if this is your first time with Mission Matters and you haven’t done it yet, hit that subscribe or follow button.
This is a daily show. Each and every day we’re bringing out new content, new ideas, and hopefully new inspiration to help you along the way on your journey as well. So again, hit that subscribe or follow button. And Felipe, thanks again for coming on the show. Thank you very much. Adam was a big pleasure with you here.
Okay. Thank you very much.
Let’s chat.