Microsoft billionaire founder Bill Gates buys millions of shares of Heineken. Investment already adds up to more than R$ 4,9 billion in shares.

O American billionaire Bill Gates, executive famous for founding the company Microsoft, recently bought a minority stake in Dutch beverage production giant Heineken Holding NV. The tycoon invested 848,2 million euros, equivalent to R$ 4,9 billion, to buy 3,76% of the company's shares. The information was disclosed in the agencies Reuters and Bloomberg.

Negotiation with Heineken was concluded on February 17

Heineken Holding NV is the second largest brewery in the world, second only to AB InBev, which has among its shareholders the trio of billionaires from Americanas, Jorge Paulo Lemann, Carlos Alberto Sicupira and Marcel Telles.

According to the Financial Markets Authority (AFM) of the Netherlands, the negotiation between Heineken and the founder of Microsoft took place on February 17th. The shares were femsa, a Mexican company that is selling its stake in the beverage company. The Mexican company put up for sale all 18 million Heineken shares it owned.

Of these, approximately 10,8 million were purchased by Gates, at current market prices, forcing the negotiation to be disclosed to the public. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which was launched by the Microsoft founder and his ex-wife, has not officially commented on the deal. Previously, the foundation had invested in Dutch online grocery store Picnic BC and has a 1,34% stake in fertilizer producer OCI NV.

Heineken will leave Russia later this year

In 2018, Bill Gates claimed not to be a big fan of beer, during a chat with Reddit users. According to the mogul, when he ends up at something like a baseball game, he drinks a light beer to get into the “vibe” of all the other beer drinkers.

The Microsoft founder still apologizes for disappointing real beer drinkers. In addition to Heineken, the holding also has interests in other brands such as Amstel and Sol. 

This Wednesday (22), the brewery from the Netherlands also said that it plans to leave Russia in 2023, after being accused by a website in its native country of continuing to operate in the country even after announcing the withdrawal due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Other Bill Gates Investments

According to reports released by Synchron, a company that operates in the construction of brain implants to make the interface between computers and humans easier, billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates may be joining as major investors in this type of technology.

These days, the industry revolves around external peripherals like touchscreens, keyboards and Xbox controllers. In addition, the company's technology aims to improve accessibility for people with impaired or limited mobility. The CNBC report describes how Synchron's Switch technology installs seamlessly via blood vessels, allowing patients to operate their devices using only their thoughts. 

The report states that, so far, only 7 patients in the US and Australia have tested this technology and the results appear to be promising. According to the company, a funding round of US$ 75 million was made, which included the venture companies of Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, among those that provide initial investment.

The company describes its technology as more scalable than competitors such as Neuralink, the company created by billionaire Elon Musk. The Synchron “antenna” can be installed through a stent, which is a commonly used surgical procedure and installed through veins and arteries.