CVCA New Member Profile: BuenaVista Capital Partners

Our series profiling CVCA’s new members continues, providing insight into the organizations in our community.

We’re thrilled to profile a new CVCA member, BuenaVista Capital Partners.

Tell us about BuenaVista Capital Partners

BuenaVista Capital Partners is a private equity firm based in Quito, Ecuador, with a strong Canadian footprint — focused on unlocking transformational growth across Latin America. Established in 2020, the firm has rapidly become a leading player in the region’s investment landscape, known for its hands-on, operationally focused approach and a strong commitment to sustainability and digital innovation. We partner with exceptional founders and management teams to drive scalable value creation in middle-market companies. With a blend of global institutional rigor, growth hacking skills, and deep local insight, the firm is uniquely positioned to identify and nurture high-potential businesses in undercapitalized segments of the regional economy.

What Does BuenaVista Capital Partners Focus On?

BuenaVista Capital’s investment thesis centers on growth capital for Latin American companies at the intersection of energy transition, and digital transformation. 

• Energy Transition – Supporting decarbonization, renewable energies, responsible mining, environmental technologies, and sustainable infrastructure.

• Digital Transformation – Accelerating innovation, digital inclusion, and enterprise AI adoption, and technology-driven disruption in core sectors.

Our second fund is domiciled in Ontario, and targets resilient, mid-sized companies across Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Panama, and Mexico, offering strong fundamentals, clear scalability pathways, and measurable environmental and social impact. We actively work with our portfolio companies to implement AI-driven strategies, enhance governance, optimize operations, and expand to new markets.

At BuenaVista, we believe private equity should not only deliver top-tier returns, but also catalyze long-term positive change. Our investment discipline is rooted in alignment of interests, long-term partnerships, and a conviction that profit and purpose are not mutually exclusive — but mutually reinforcing.

Who Are the Key People at BuenaVista Capital Partners?

Diego Céspedes, Managing Partner and co-founder, brings a unique combination of entrepreneurial leadership, institutional experience, and strategic vision. 

A seasoned investor and business builder, Diego has successfully founded, operated, and scaled companies across multiple sectors. Before launching BuenaVista Capital, he spent two decades at Fortune 500 companies — including PwC, Repsol, and Schlumberger SLB — gaining deep operational and cross-border experience.; He brings a strong foundation in global business management. and is a specialist in operations, AI, finance, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and plays a key role on corporate boards and within the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the region.

Diego is recognized for his thought leadership in capital formation, his contribution to building Ecuador’s private capital ecosystem, and his ability to bridge local opportunities with global standards. He holds a degree in Business and Finance from Universidad Católica, postgraduate diplomas in management (Escuela Europea de Negocios), business analytics (Harvard Business School), and artificial intelligence & machine learning (McCombs School of Business ‑UT Austin) and is a frequent speaker on sustainable finance and private investment in emerging markets.

Robert (Bob) Hans, co-founder and Partner. 

A Canadian national and long-time resident of Latin America, Bob is a serial entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and former CEO of QMAX, a global oilfield services company he built from the ground up to $500M+ in annual revenue before a successful PE-backed exit (achieving 100x MOIC)

Bob brings unmatched operational and financial expertise, having led multinational expansion across continents and served on the boards of numerous companies. He holds an engineering degree, and an MBA from Instituto de Empresa (IDE). His deep understanding of the region and strong reputation in the energy and infrastructure sectors are foundational to BuenaVista’s platform.

Together, Diego and Bob have worked side by side for over a decade. Their complementary strengths — entrepreneurial execution and institutional investment acumen — drive BuenaVista’s distinctive value proposition.

What Is BuenaVista Capital Partners Excited About?

Throughout our journey operating BuenaVista, we have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of professionally managed private capital in driving business growth, creating quality jobs, and supporting long-term sustainable development. Our core belief is that private equity can be a key enabler in accelerating the transition of our region from emerging markets toward inclusive and lasting prosperity.

While capital scarcity remains a significant barrier across Ecuador and Latin America — exacerbated by macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges — we continue to see compelling opportunities led by highly capable local entrepreneurs. However, the critical constraint remains access to smart, committed capital that can unlock this latent potential.

At BuenaVista Capital, we are not only investors but experienced operators with a proven ability to actively support and scale businesses. In the immediate term, we are super excited on raising our second growth capital fund, anchored on a high-conviction thesis focused at the intersection of Energy Transition and Digital Transformation; This strategy reflects our dual mandate: delivering strong financial returns while creating measurable, lasting impact. 

In the long run, BuenaVista aims to play a catalytic role in redefining private capital in Latin America — building a new generation of companies that can thrive in a low-carbon, technology-driven future. The firm is also committed to strengthening the institutional fabric of private equity in Ecuador and the broader Andean region, driving transparency, governance, and impact as cornerstones of long-term value creation.

BuenaVista Capital believes this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in the transformation of Latin America.

A Call to CVCA Partners

As proud members of the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA), we value the shared commitment to excellence, integrity, and innovation that defines Canada’s private capital ecosystem. We invite fellow CVCA members — especially LPs seeking exposure to high-growth, underpenetrated markets — to join us in shaping the next chapter of Latin American transformation.

We look forward to building bridges between Canadian capital and Latin American opportunity — where value creation, impact, and entrepreneurial vision converge.

Let’s unlock the future, together.