Investe São Paulo encourages the startup ecosystem

Event brought together 40 exhibitors and more than 700 people

The first edition of SP Conecta brought together 40 exhibitors, including companies, accelerators, technology parks and government development agencies, and more than 700 people on August 30, at Investe SP headquarters, in order to stimulate the startup ecosystem, entrepreneurship and innovation in the state of São Paulo. The program included six lectures and several business roundtables among participants in a relaxed and bureaucratic environment.
 

 Ermínio Lucci, Investment Director at Investe SP
 

“The balance is very positive, as we brought together very representative actors, as we aim to, in order to foster relationships and an environment for innovation in the region. The number of entries exceeded our expectations. The speakers left here very satisfied with the quality and interest of the audience”, evaluated Investe SP's Director of Investments, Ermínio Lucci. The plan, now, is to replicate this event model in other macro-regions of São Paulo, which present a technological base.
 
BNDES, Desenvolvimento SP, Fapesp, Finep, Inseed, ACE, Artemísia, Baita, Berrini Ventures, Cietec, Startup Farm, Techstars, Braskem, Apex-Brasil, Hospital Albert Einstein, Embraer, Flex, GE Healthcare, IBM, Instituto Tim, Inova Unicamp, Natura, Qualcomm were some of the institutions present.
 
A point to be highlighted is that this type of event is also an opportunity for entrepreneurs from different economic sectors to learn about new technologies that can impact the continuity of their businesses. “Nowadays, disruptive technologies impact the competitiveness of companies much more quickly. We can mention the video rental segment that suffered with the streaming competition. Every entrepreneur needs to keep up with this evolution”, adds Lucci.
 
During SP Conecta, a memorandum of intent was signed between Investe SP and Anjos do Brasil, a non-profit organization created to encourage angel investment in the country. “Anjos do Brasil will be able to indicate potential companies to our agency, as this organization is a great hub for receiving projects from different areas, to which we can provide support”, concludes the director.  
   
Speeches

The first SP Conecta lecture was given by Cláudio Terra, director of Innovation and Knowledge Management at Hospital Albert Einstein, who spoke about startups in the health area. According to him, the hospital is willing to test new technologies with these entrepreneurs. “We explored opportunities together with them, even participating in the development of several projects”, he explained. “The world is going to be increasingly different in this area”, he pointed out.

Luiz Ortega, manager of Sustainable Development at Braskem, also spoke about his company's open innovation program. “Braskem puts the startup in a value network to gain support and networking,” he said.

The third lecture was given by Paulo Castello, founder and CEO of Fhinck. Castello brought the case of the development of his startup, founded in 2014 to develop technologies and business management solutions. He discussed some important points about how startups can approach large companies and left the tip: “Without the ecosystem, it will be ten times more difficult to enter the market. Take part, to be recognized by companies that are looking for innovation”.
 

Bruno Rondani, founder of 100 Open Startups
 

Head of Wenovate, chairman of Open Innovation Week and founder of the 100 Open Startups movement, Bruno Rondani also gave a presentation on open innovation through this type of venture. “The startup has little opportunity to implement itself. Therefore, the ecosystem and venture capital are important”, he explained. Rondani also pointed out that the movement brings together 53 companies, more than 1,500 businessmen and has already crossed borders, having started activities in India more recently. 
 

Karla Bertocco, Undersecretary for Partnerships and Innovation 
 

Innovation within the Government of the State of São Paulo was the subject of a lecture by Karla Bertocco, undersecretary for Partnerships and Innovation at the Secretary of Government of the State of São Paulo. She spoke about Pitch Gov SP, which was born to interact with innovation entrepreneurs and establish partnerships to improve public services and positively impact the lives of millions of citizens. “We are breaking down barriers, promoting training, development and learning, in order to generate synergy between startups and public management. At the same time, after the creation of the first edition of the program, public managers became more excited and, today, they want to solve almost all problems using startups”, he said.
 

Carlos Kokron, vice president of Qualcomm
 

The last presentation was given by Qualcomm Vice President and Executive Director of Qualcomm Ventures for Latin America, Carlos Kokron. He leads the company's open innovation program, working, he says, to "anticipate the future" and support companies to develop technologically. “For us, an entrepreneur needs more than money or a brilliant idea. We contribute to the strategic planning, so that the startup sustains itself and has relevance in the market”, he said. The executive also said that Qualcomm Ventures has invested in businesses in different sectors, such as hardware, software and healthcare.