About
Carlos “Wizard” Martins is a Brazilian entrepreneur known for turning an after‑hours English‑tutoring side gig into Grupo Multi, the country’s largest network of language‑training franchises. By the time he sold the company to Pearson PLC for about US $720 million in 2013, his schools were serving more than 800,000 students across thousands of franchise locations. Today he invests through his holding company Sforza, backing consumer brands such as Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Mundo Verde, and he occasionally appears as a guest “shark” on Shark Tank Brasil, offering capital and mentoring to emerging founders.
Before Fame
Born in 1956 in Curitiba, Paraná, Martins grew up the eldest of seven children in a family supported by his father’s long‑haul trucking income. When his family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints, visiting missionaries introduced him to English—an encounter that sparked both his faith and his future fortune. At 18 he moved to the United States, juggling factory shifts in Newark, New Jersey, before serving a two‑year church mission in Portugal. Returning to the U.S. with his young wife, Vânia Pimentel, he earned a degree in computer science and statistics from Brigham Young University. Back in Brazil he worked as a systems analyst, but colleagues soon paid more for his lunchtime English lessons than his day job. In 1987 he took the leap, opening a small classroom in Campinas and branding it “Wizard”—a nod to the magical speed he promised students would gain fluency. Over the next quarter‑century, franchising powered explosive growth, culminating in the multibillion‑real Grupo Multi empire.
Trivia
- Nickname origins: “Wizard” began as a clever marketing hook; students jokingly asked if he could “do magic” with their accents, the name stuck, and eventually became his legal middle name.
- Record‑setting exit: Pearson’s 2013 purchase of Grupo Multi was the U.K. publisher’s biggest acquisition in six years and one of Brazil’s largest education deals at the time.
- Bestselling author: His motivational book Desperte o Milionário que Há em Você (“Awaken the Millionaire Within You”) topped Brazilian charts in 2012 and helped cement his status as a self‑help voice.
- Humanitarian pivot: From 2018 to 2020 he and Vânia led a volunteer mission on Brazil’s northern border, coordinating transport, housing and jobs for roughly 20,000 Venezuelan refugees displaced by their country’s crisis.
- Languages: Besides Portuguese and English, he speaks Spanish and conversational Italian, skills he says keep him “always learning, always teaching.”
Family Life
Martins attributes his success to the support of his wife, Vânia, whom he wed as a university student. They have six children and an increasing number of grandchildren. Family gatherings often double as brainstorming sessions—several children have managed Wizard franchises or worked inside Sforza’s portfolio companies. Faith and service are central to their household: Martins has served as a local bishop and as president of the Brazil João Pessoa Mission, while Vânia spearheads family philanthropy projects focused on literacy and refugee resettlement.
Associated With
On Shark Tank Brasil Martins has shared the studio with fellow investors such as Cristiana Arcangeli, João Appolinário and Camila Farani, bringing a teacher‑turned‑tycoon perspective to entrepreneurs pitching everything from eco‑friendly toys to fintech apps. Beyond television, he remains linked to Pearson through continuing education initiatives and sits on advisory boards for BYU Management Society and the Brazilian Franchise Association. His humanitarian work has connected him with NGOs like UNHCR and Caritas, and corporate partnerships with Yum! Brands brought Pizza Hut and Taco Bell expansion rights under the Sforza umbrella. Whether in the boardroom, on camera, or at a refugee transit camp, Martins is driven by the same guiding idea he shares with budding founders: “Opportunity speaks English—and any other language you care to learn.”
