Raízen, a company that leads the production of sugar, ethanol and bioenergy in the country and is one of the largest in the fuel distribution sector - under the Shell brand -, inaugurated in Piracicaba, in the interior of São Paulo, an innovation hub to host startups focused on innovation in the sector: Pulse, a coworking space and startup accelerations. In this first cycle, the focus is on agribusiness, with the future expansion to other areas that involve this sector, it is planned to host 8 to 10 companies in the place.
For Fábio Mota, director of Information Technology at Raízen, “the design of Pulse reinforces the company's vocation for innovation and its commitment to guide the evolution of the sector with investment in disruptive technologies, from the incentive to intellectual capital and access to opportunities . We aim to stimulate ideas to observe trends, experiment and learn from failures to evolve”. The hub is supported by SP Ventures and Nxtp.Labs, in addition to other partnerships.
The company is looking for two types of startups: those that are already accelerating and those that are already mature. For the first group there will be acceleration cycles. “Right now, the work is in the capture and selection phase for the pitch day, which should take place soon. The idea is that, after this process, 4 or 5 startups are already on Pulse. Startups will receive all the methodology and support to accelerate their development for at least 6 months”, explains Mota.
For startups that are already mature and seeking market expansion, the selection process is continuous, since it has already been identified that they meet the necessary requirements, as happened, for example, with Agrosmart and Strider, two Pulse resident startups.
“It is worth remembering that Pulse is an innovation hub and that means it is a space for everyone who wants to impact and contribute to the sector. Startups, investors, teachers, mentors, students, executives, organizations in the sector or even outside the sector – but who can contribute to this innovation ecosystem – can participate in the project. Everyone will have the Pulse infrastructure available to participate in the events that will be promoted”, emphasizes Mota.
Pulse provides the physical space and all the infrastructure necessary for the startup's development (internet, telephone, cloud space). Financial support can come from investors or from Raízen itself. However, there is no immediate investment commitment.
Piracicaba: agritech silicon valley
Pulse is situated within the Piracicaba Technological Park, which is part of the planned Jequitibá Reserve neighborhood. In addition to large companies installed in the area, the neighborhood hosts important academic institutions, such as Fatec (Faculty of Technology of the State of São Paulo) and the IFSP (Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of São Paulo).
Piracicaba has the title of 'Brazil's agritech Silicon Valley', as it is home to 38% of startups focused on agricultural technology in the State of São Paulo and is a reference in research in the area. It is also in the city that Raízen's administrative headquarters are located, in addition to 5 of its 24 production units that are also located in the region close to the municipality.
Those interested in participating in this innovation hub can register on the Pulse page (www.pulsehub.com.br) for further contact with Raízen and update of the events and news calendar. The news can also be followed on the LinkedIn page (www.linkedin.com.br/company/pulseinovação).
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