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Letícia Piccolotto, founder of BrazilLAB
The program brings companies and governments together with the aim of solving management challenges
First hub specialized in bringing together startups and public authorities, the BrazilLAB On August 6, 2018, registration for the third edition of its Acceleration Program was opened. The organization is looking for companies that offer innovative solutions to government challenges in the areas of environment, people management, public safety and cybersecurity, health, social inclusion and entrepreneurial education. In all, thirty startups will be accelerated – twice as many as in the previous edition of the program.
“Our goal is to encourage startups to develop strategies adapted to governments, that is, B2G strategies (business to government). We believe that Brazil can have a more transparent, democratic and digital government, it depends on political will, as it is possible to overcome technical challenges with innovation”, said Letícia Piccolotto, founder of BrazilLAB, when announcing the launch of the program during GovTech Brasil, event that addressed the innovation agenda for governments. As a positive result, the executive cited the fact that Brazil climbed 5 positions in the Global Innovation Index 2018, from 69th to 64th, and cited the promotion of digital inclusion for the population as one of the main challenges.
Selective process
Companies interested in participating in the program must register through the website http://inscricao.brazillab.org.br until October 8, and the selection process ends in November. From December to March, the thirty chosen companies will receive mentoring and support for the development and validation of the business model, in addition to contacting public managers, investors and startups that already operate in the sector. At the end of the process, the selected ones will present a pitch to a panel of investors and specialists, who will elect the best projects. The winners will receive an investment contract that can range from 50 to 200 thousand reais, in addition to support from BrazilLAB for the implementation of solutions in governments.
BrazilLAB has already accelerated 26 startups since the first edition of the program. Among the projects that underwent the acceleration are CUCO Health, an application that acts as a digital nurse and has been helping to reduce queues at the Basic Health Units of Juiz de Fora (MG), and MobiEduca.me, a platform to combat school infrequency that reduced dropout by 76% in schools in Piauí.
Meet the challenges
In this edition, BrazilLAB doubled the number of areas for which the acceleration program will receive solution proposals. “We identified challenging problems for public administrations that technology and innovation have great potential to help overcome”, explains Letícia Piccolotto. Are they:
Environment: Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth on the planet in terms of territory. Its more than eight million square kilometers cover several climatic zones and biomes, in addition to the enormous wealth of plant and animal species. However, there is an excessive and inappropriate use of resources, as well as unsustainable habits that hamper the availability of raw materials that are already scarce and limited. Thus, BrazilLAB seeks solutions that help preserve these resources and ensure environmental protection and development in a more sustainable way.
Entrepreneurial education: The rapid changes that the world is going through increasingly require people to have an innovative vision, to be autonomous and to master multiple skills. Research by the World Economic Forum indicates that societies that invest in stocks, businesses and entrepreneurial education increase their representation in the markets, but a study by Sebrae shows that entrepreneurship in Brazil is not geared towards innovation. Of the 48 million business owners in the country, 44% entered the sector out of necessity and 70% earn a maximum of three minimum wages – what experts call subsistence entrepreneurship. BrazilLAB's acceleration program seeks solutions that foster innovative entrepreneurship in education and prepare students so that they have the necessary skills to face the challenges of the future, as well as helping educators to cultivate creativity, leadership, entrepreneurship and students' confidence in the classroom.
People management: According to FGV/DAPP, the real size of the public sector increased by 42% between 2000 and 2014, reaching 44 civil servants per 1000 inhabitants – among OECD member countries, the average is 14 to 22 civil servants. However, we face difficulties in delivering quality services: we have some of the most inefficient processes in the world, allocating time and public resources in actions of low return for the population. According to the World Bank, bureaucracy harms development more than the financial burden of taxes. For this challenge, BrazilLAB seeks startups that help control and audit the payroll, and that bring technological innovations to improve internal processes, including those of selection, monitoring and development of civil servants.
Social inclusion: Several data show that some social groups still face great barriers to their full inclusion. Despite the last Census pointing out that almost 24% of the Brazilian population is made up of people with disabilities, these people occupied only 0.77% of formal jobs in the country in 2014, according to the Ministry of Labor. Women, who make up 52% of the Brazilian population according to the IBGE, receive an average of 22% less than men. Among young black people whose mother is illiterate, living in extreme poverty in rural areas of the Northeast, only 8% complete high school with less than a year of delay, according to the study Gesta – Engajamento Escolar, by Fundação Brava. BrazilLAB's acceleration program seeks projects that help promote equal opportunities, in order to combat prejudice and social exclusion based on class, age, special needs, sex, gender, race and others; and also engage society in the search for social inclusion in all aspects.
Health: The Unified Health System is at risk of collapse in the near future. A study released by the Health Coalition Institute and carried out by McKinsey & Company shows that health expenditure could reach 25% in 2030, an unsustainable level for public coffers. The development of a culture of disease prevention can not only optimize government spending in the area, but also improve the quality and life expectancy of the population. In view of this, BrazilLAB seeks startups with solutions to support the public sector in offering digital tools for disease prevention, and to help make citizens more aware and responsible for their own health, helping Brazil in its goal of reducing obesity and in improving eating habits.
Public security and cybersecurity: The Social Progress Index ranks Brazil as the 11th most insecure in the world. According to the Brazilian Forum on Public Security, 17 of the 50 most violent cities in the world are Brazilian and the country has more homicides than 52 countries in North America, Europe, Oceania and North Africa combined. In the online environment, the data are also worrying: the Norton Cyber Security Insights report shows that, in 2016, 42.4 million Brazilians were affected by attacks by hackers, and the total damage in the country due to these attacks reached R$ 32, 1 billion. For this challenge, entrepreneurs must present solutions that can contribute to the improvement of public security in Brazil and show how technology can help the government in combating cyber attacks that affect public security in the country.
“Our goal is to encourage startups to develop strategies adapted to governments, that is, B2G strategies (business to government). We believe that Brazil can have a more transparent, democratic and digital government, it depends on political will, as it is possible to overcome technical challenges with innovation”, said Letícia Piccolotto, founder of BrazilLAB, when announcing the launch of the program during GovTech Brasil, event that addressed the innovation agenda for governments. As a positive result, the executive cited the fact that Brazil climbed 5 positions in the Global Innovation Index 2018, from 69th to 64th, and cited the promotion of digital inclusion for the population as one of the main challenges.
Selective process
Companies interested in participating in the program must register through the website http://inscricao.brazillab.org.br until October 8, and the selection process ends in November. From December to March, the thirty chosen companies will receive mentoring and support for the development and validation of the business model, in addition to contacting public managers, investors and startups that already operate in the sector. At the end of the process, the selected ones will present a pitch to a panel of investors and specialists, who will elect the best projects. The winners will receive an investment contract that can range from 50 to 200 thousand reais, in addition to support from BrazilLAB for the implementation of solutions in governments.
BrazilLAB has already accelerated 26 startups since the first edition of the program. Among the projects that underwent the acceleration are CUCO Health, an application that acts as a digital nurse and has been helping to reduce queues at the Basic Health Units of Juiz de Fora (MG), and MobiEduca.me, a platform to combat school infrequency that reduced dropout by 76% in schools in Piauí.
Meet the challenges
In this edition, BrazilLAB doubled the number of areas for which the acceleration program will receive solution proposals. “We identified challenging problems for public administrations that technology and innovation have great potential to help overcome”, explains Letícia Piccolotto. Are they:
Environment: Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth on the planet in terms of territory. Its more than eight million square kilometers cover several climatic zones and biomes, in addition to the enormous wealth of plant and animal species. However, there is an excessive and inappropriate use of resources, as well as unsustainable habits that hamper the availability of raw materials that are already scarce and limited. Thus, BrazilLAB seeks solutions that help preserve these resources and ensure environmental protection and development in a more sustainable way.
Entrepreneurial education: The rapid changes that the world is going through increasingly require people to have an innovative vision, to be autonomous and to master multiple skills. Research by the World Economic Forum indicates that societies that invest in stocks, businesses and entrepreneurial education increase their representation in the markets, but a study by Sebrae shows that entrepreneurship in Brazil is not geared towards innovation. Of the 48 million business owners in the country, 44% entered the sector out of necessity and 70% earn a maximum of three minimum wages – what experts call subsistence entrepreneurship. BrazilLAB's acceleration program seeks solutions that foster innovative entrepreneurship in education and prepare students so that they have the necessary skills to face the challenges of the future, as well as helping educators to cultivate creativity, leadership, entrepreneurship and students' confidence in the classroom.
People management: According to FGV/DAPP, the real size of the public sector increased by 42% between 2000 and 2014, reaching 44 civil servants per 1000 inhabitants – among OECD member countries, the average is 14 to 22 civil servants. However, we face difficulties in delivering quality services: we have some of the most inefficient processes in the world, allocating time and public resources in actions of low return for the population. According to the World Bank, bureaucracy harms development more than the financial burden of taxes. For this challenge, BrazilLAB seeks startups that help control and audit the payroll, and that bring technological innovations to improve internal processes, including those of selection, monitoring and development of civil servants.
Social inclusion: Several data show that some social groups still face great barriers to their full inclusion. Despite the last Census pointing out that almost 24% of the Brazilian population is made up of people with disabilities, these people occupied only 0.77% of formal jobs in the country in 2014, according to the Ministry of Labor. Women, who make up 52% of the Brazilian population according to the IBGE, receive an average of 22% less than men. Among young black people whose mother is illiterate, living in extreme poverty in rural areas of the Northeast, only 8% complete high school with less than a year of delay, according to the study Gesta – Engajamento Escolar, by Fundação Brava. BrazilLAB's acceleration program seeks projects that help promote equal opportunities, in order to combat prejudice and social exclusion based on class, age, special needs, sex, gender, race and others; and also engage society in the search for social inclusion in all aspects.
Health: The Unified Health System is at risk of collapse in the near future. A study released by the Health Coalition Institute and carried out by McKinsey & Company shows that health expenditure could reach 25% in 2030, an unsustainable level for public coffers. The development of a culture of disease prevention can not only optimize government spending in the area, but also improve the quality and life expectancy of the population. In view of this, BrazilLAB seeks startups with solutions to support the public sector in offering digital tools for disease prevention, and to help make citizens more aware and responsible for their own health, helping Brazil in its goal of reducing obesity and in improving eating habits.
Public security and cybersecurity: The Social Progress Index ranks Brazil as the 11th most insecure in the world. According to the Brazilian Forum on Public Security, 17 of the 50 most violent cities in the world are Brazilian and the country has more homicides than 52 countries in North America, Europe, Oceania and North Africa combined. In the online environment, the data are also worrying: the Norton Cyber Security Insights report shows that, in 2016, 42.4 million Brazilians were affected by attacks by hackers, and the total damage in the country due to these attacks reached R$ 32, 1 billion. For this challenge, entrepreneurs must present solutions that can contribute to the improvement of public security in Brazil and show how technology can help the government in combating cyber attacks that affect public security in the country.
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