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The year was marked by great advances by the entity and the inauguration of three new innovation centers in Florianópolis
2018 was a year of great achievements for the Santa Catarina Technology Association (ACATE), which inaugurated three new innovation centers, launched an unprecedented survey on the Santa Catarina technology ecosystem, opened an office in Boston and connected entrepreneurs in the state by promoting various events. In addition, it promoted internal changes, such as the launch of a new portal, reelection of the board and creation of new thematic groups. The association ends 2018 with the intention of further impacting the Santa Catarina technology ecosystem in 2019.
One of the major milestones of the year was the launch of the ACATE Observatory, in partnership with FIESC, with data extracted by Neoway about the technology sector. Based on these numbers, the 2018 Panorama study was produced, with updated information on the Santa Catarina ecosystem and found that currently more than 5% of Santa Catarina's GDP corresponds to the technology sector. The sector has 12,300 companies, 16,600 entrepreneurs and approximately 47,000 employees throughout the state.
“Being able to clearly visualize the data from our ecosystem helps us to understand the challenges of the sector and to understand how we can develop actions to further boost the success of the Santa Catarina entrepreneur”, comments Daniel Leipnitz, president of ACATE.
This year ACATE, in partnership with the city of Florianópolis, also inaugurated three new innovation centers, which will act as a support network for entrepreneurs. In addition to the ACATE — Primavera Innovation Center, on SC-401, the Municipal Network of Innovation Centers were also accredited by Soho, in the Itaguaçu district; Downtown, in downtown Florianópolis; and ACATE Sapiens, in the North of the Island. The spaces house coworkings, incubators and startup accelerators, in addition to hosting hackathons, and ecosystem events.
“We also took advantage of the year to follow one of the advice we always give our entrepreneurs: go international. In March, we opened an office in Boston, in the United States”, highlights Daniel. Another international highlight of the association was the award from MIDITEC, an incubator managed by ACATE and maintained by Sebrae, which was elected the fifth best in the world by the UBI Global consultancy.
Gender discussions were also present in the organization's agenda. It was in 2018 that the ACATE Women Group was founded to bring new reflections on the topic within the technology sector and encourage female participation in the area. With a view to fostering debate on other entrepreneurship challenges, the association also launched the internationalization and investment thematic group.
“To further connect the ecosystem is one of our goals as an association. The Startup Summit is an example of the action we support to leverage this exchange”, explains Daniel. The first edition of the Startup Summit was promoted by Sebrae with the support of ACATE and brought together more than 2,000 people in two days of events.
For 2019 the plans are big. “Participating in the elaboration of a major event in the state of the Creative Industry area, getting closer to partner institutions, and working hard on interiorization”, explains Daniel. The board re-elected this year plans to expand the Link Lab project — ACATE's open innovation program — to other regions, and open a new business vertical, with a focus on retail.
One of the major milestones of the year was the launch of the ACATE Observatory, in partnership with FIESC, with data extracted by Neoway about the technology sector. Based on these numbers, the 2018 Panorama study was produced, with updated information on the Santa Catarina ecosystem and found that currently more than 5% of Santa Catarina's GDP corresponds to the technology sector. The sector has 12,300 companies, 16,600 entrepreneurs and approximately 47,000 employees throughout the state.
“Being able to clearly visualize the data from our ecosystem helps us to understand the challenges of the sector and to understand how we can develop actions to further boost the success of the Santa Catarina entrepreneur”, comments Daniel Leipnitz, president of ACATE.
This year ACATE, in partnership with the city of Florianópolis, also inaugurated three new innovation centers, which will act as a support network for entrepreneurs. In addition to the ACATE — Primavera Innovation Center, on SC-401, the Municipal Network of Innovation Centers were also accredited by Soho, in the Itaguaçu district; Downtown, in downtown Florianópolis; and ACATE Sapiens, in the North of the Island. The spaces house coworkings, incubators and startup accelerators, in addition to hosting hackathons, and ecosystem events.
“We also took advantage of the year to follow one of the advice we always give our entrepreneurs: go international. In March, we opened an office in Boston, in the United States”, highlights Daniel. Another international highlight of the association was the award from MIDITEC, an incubator managed by ACATE and maintained by Sebrae, which was elected the fifth best in the world by the UBI Global consultancy.
Gender discussions were also present in the organization's agenda. It was in 2018 that the ACATE Women Group was founded to bring new reflections on the topic within the technology sector and encourage female participation in the area. With a view to fostering debate on other entrepreneurship challenges, the association also launched the internationalization and investment thematic group.
“To further connect the ecosystem is one of our goals as an association. The Startup Summit is an example of the action we support to leverage this exchange”, explains Daniel. The first edition of the Startup Summit was promoted by Sebrae with the support of ACATE and brought together more than 2,000 people in two days of events.
For 2019 the plans are big. “Participating in the elaboration of a major event in the state of the Creative Industry area, getting closer to partner institutions, and working hard on interiorization”, explains Daniel. The board re-elected this year plans to expand the Link Lab project — ACATE's open innovation program — to other regions, and open a new business vertical, with a focus on retail.
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