BRAZIL – Duratex informed its shareholders and the market in general that, on June 24, 2021, it created a Corporate Venture Capital (“CVC”) fund for investments in start-ups and scale-ups, in multiple stages, with a first contribution of BRL 100.0 million (USD 20 million).

Duratex will be the sole shareholder of this fund but will have the help of Valetec, a specialized venture capital manager.

Through this fund, Duratex will be able to follow the macro trends of transformation and innovation in the construction, remodeling and decoration sector through the development of relevant businesses in the long term.

This new front also aims to map potential disruptions to the Company’s businesses and products, in addition to being the appropriate vehicle to address opportunities identified in its core business.

“The CVC is another important step towards materializing Duratex’s culture of innovation, in addition to opening new fronts for the Company’s operations that enable important advances in its process of digitization and improvement of the consumer journey”, informs the president of Duratex, Antonio Joaquim de Oliveira.

Duratex S.A. is a Brazilian, private and publicly traded company. The Company’s controlling shareholder is Itaúsa – Investimentos Itaú S.A. With the brands Deca, Hydra, Duratex, Durafloor, Ceusa and Portinari, it is considered one of the 10 largest companies in the world in the sectors in which it operates and the largest producer of industrialized wood panels and floors, bathroom fixtures and fittings in the Southern Hemisphere, in addition to be one of the largest producers of ceramic tiles in Brazil.