Leste Group Partners with Innovative Financial Executive Cassio Calil to Launch New Mobility Strategy

JP Morgan Veteran to Lead Investment Vertical Drawing on Telco Device Lifecycle Financing Expertise, Partnerships with Global Manufacturers & Operators

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leste Group, a global independent alternative investment manager, is pleased to announce that it has partnered with veteran financial executive Cassio Calil to launch a new mobility strategy that will invest in solutions around mobile device financing, subscriptions and early upgrades.

Mobility has begun to gain attention as an investment strategy in recent years as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), telco operators and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) around the world have sought affordability solutions to provide users access to improving smartphone options and manage services around these devices. Calil, an investment banker who designed and launched the first smartphone subscription and early upgrade solutions within the telecommunication industry, will lead the firm’s activities in this exciting new area

Leveraging both sophisticated deal structuring and telecommunications technology and supply chain knowledge, Leste’s mobility strategy will seek out and effectively structure these opportunities at scale. By partnering with OEMs, global operators, enterprises, retailers, and like-minded investors, the strategy will ease capital expenditure burdens for telco and mobile providers, expand affordability and financing options for consumers while providing attractive returns and genuine portfolio diversification for qualified investors.

“Our mobility proposition is a strong complement to the more traditional strategies we have built at Leste Group, and with this launch we are pleased to be one of the first alternatives managers in the United States to really take the opportunity seriously,” said Leste Group Managing Partner Stephan de Sabrit. “Deep industry relationships and a local-market understanding of device suppliers, networks and customer objectives are critical to successfully delivering the large and typically complex smartphone subscription and financings that define this market. In Cassio Calil, we have found the perfect partner and leader to guide our team and are extremely confident that his expertise will see us realize this strategy’s vast potential over time.”

Calil joins the firm following several decades in capital markets, investment banking and corporate treasury, including extended stints at IBM and JP Morgan, where he served as President of Asset Management for Brazil and Group Head of International Corporate Client Banking. More recently, he was Global Head of Financial Services at Miami-based Brightstar Corporation, the Softbank-backed global leader of end-to-end device lifecycle management solutions. While at Brightstar, Calil was also instrumental in building its smartphone affordability solutions, delivering Softbank’s ambitious corporate strategy to partner with OEMs while delivering best-in-class smartphone subscription solutions, including one of the first widespread consumer cell phone subscription and financing programs for the U.S. and Australian markets.

“I believe Leste provides the perfect platform to help mobile device subscription and financing really flourish as an alternatives category, and I couldn’t be happier to partner with its impressive team of investment professionals,” said Calil. “Today’s investors are keen to add creative sources of investment income, just as global OEMs, carriers and MVNOs, retailers and enterprises are looking for partners to more efficiently manage their balance sheet and capital expenditures. Our solutions will bring these two requirements together in a unique and mutually-beneficial way, and we are excited to leverage Leste’s network and proven financing acumen to actualize these arrangements.”

The partnership is Leste Group’s second major expansion in its Miami office in recent months, after recruiting Josh Patinkin to oversee its US real estate portfolio and capital expansion.

About Leste Group

Founded in 2014, Leste Group is a global independent alternative investment manager guided by core values of respect, creativity, and teamwork. The firm offers investors a diverse range of strategies across real estate, credit, venture, liquid markets and other alternative asset classes. Leste Group's investment teams leverage institutional-grade processes, a nimble, entrepreneurial approach, capital markets expertise, and exclusive networks to source unique opportunities and drive consistent risk-adjusted returns.

To learn more information on Leste Group, please visit leste.com.