Porto Alegre, Brazil. Under the premise that innovation is not static and cannot belong to any specific place in the world, since last Wednesday, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, seeks to catapult itself as one of the most innovative places in the Latin American region.
It is that for the second time it hosted the South Summit Brazila business meeting that brought together more than 20,000 people, who gathered for three days to find real opportunities to grow their companies and at the same time generate a positive impact in the region.
The meeting was organized by IE University in coordination with the Government of Rio Grande do Sul and some thirty local partners, who from the beginning encouraged attendees to do a lot of networking to generate the multiplier effect that this type of meeting can bring. .
Under the motto “Shape the Future” the event addressed topics ranging from innovation, entrepreneurship with a gender perspective, capital raising, circular economy, challenges in venture capital, Artificial Intelligence, cryptocurrencies, Fund Search, among others.
Additionally, the event served as a framework for the Startup Competition, a contest in which the founders of various startups were able to pitch their project to various investors and specialists.
María Benjumea, founder and president of South Summit, together with José Renato Hopf, president of South Summit Brazil and founder of the first unicorn in Brazil, 4All, were in charge of welcoming the event where they encouraged startups to seek to generate connections and opportunities, even if they were not finalists.
And it is that 2,000 startups registered for the competition, of which 29 were finalists and 7 went to the final. “Although not all of us are finalists, we are all winners” declared Benjumea.
For his part, Diego del Alcázar Benjumea, CEO of IE University, highlighted “the incredible capacity of South Summit to promote entrepreneurship and transform Porto Alegre.”
Finally, Ricardo Gomes, Vice Mayor of Porto Alegre highlighted the role of Porto Alegre as the house of innovation for three consecutive days and with a view to the future. “Innovation was not invented in Porto Alegre, innovation belongs to the whole world, but innovation is nomadic, it moves around the world and it goes after people. It goes after the environment, it goes after ideas and it goes after all the places where connections can happen, so yes, this week Porto Alegre is the house of Innovation, because we are all here, let’s put down roots”
Marisol Garcia Fuentes Editorial Director Emprende and Emprendedor.com. I am motivated by stories of tenacity and innovation.
