The last quarter of the year was characterized by virtual events of convergence between Brazilian startups and agents of the Canadian ecosystem
By Estela Cangerana
The persistence of COVID-19 pandemic has not hindered the relationship between the players of the ecosystems of technology and innovation in Canada and Brazil keep on moving forward in 2020. This was proven by the busy agenda of virtual meetings that took place during the months of October, November and December, revealing the multiple opportunities for business development in the segment. More than ever, the need for digitization and the global crisis have boosted the creativity of entrepreneurial minds, who find in Canadian territory a fertile environment to make their ideas thrive.
The Summit Innovation in Healthtech (from 14/10 to 11/11), Semana da Inovação (Innovation Week) (from 10/11 to 13/11) and Conexão Global (Global Connection) (11/11 to 09/12) are some examples of the several business forums and networking that discussed this theme, with sponsorship or support from CCBC. They team up with Canada House, which is part of SP Tech Week this month, which closes the year in the area of innovation.
One of the most open countries in the world to innovation, Canada has government and private institution programs specifically aimed at the segment, as highlighted by Vice-Consul Marie Hélène Béland during Innovation Week, an event organized by the Startupi portal. Among the various business incentive projects are the five regional superclusters, created with the aim of bringing the ecosystem players of each area closer together, including companies, academia and research centers. They discuss Digital Technology (in the province of British Columbia), Protein Industries (in the Canadian Prairies region), Next Generation Manufacturing (in Ontario), Scale AI (Quebec) and Ocean (in the Atlantic provinces).
Superclusters, however, are only one among the many initiatives to boost technology and innovation spread throughout the country. When it comes to Canada, there is no shortage of examples of successfully developed startups. Some of these entrepreneurs exchanged their experiences during the digital forums of the last months. For many, access to the right information and the support of partners was essential for the business to succeed.
Connections
One of the ways of making these connections is through the platform Connection Bureau, developed by Comissão de Tecnologia from CCBC (CCBC’s Technology Commission), which promotes matchmaking among startups, investors, service providers, and supporting entities, free of charge. To participate, you must be registered on the website, which includes an evaluation by Conselho Curador (Board of Trustees) before being validated. “We are looking for projects that have some synergy with the two countries, so that there is a better use of the platform’s resources”, explained Paulo de Castro Reis, Diretor de Relações Institucionais da Câmara (Institutional Relations Director of the Chamber), who participated in Innovation Week and the international virtual mission Global Connection, organized by Softex.
According to the executive, the intense agenda of events addressing the country’s ecosystem, with great interest from Brazilians, reflects the growing perception of Canadian receptivity and structure for startups. “Promoting a bilateral relationship for business development is one of the pillars of CCBC. We have been supporting many entrepreneurs in this path of internationalization in recent years and their positive history encourages others to follow their example, which has led to a virtuous circle in the technology and innovation segment”, added Castro Reis.
For more information:
Canada House: https://materiais.ccbc.org.br/canada-house
Summit Innovation in Healthtech 2020: https://www.bizmatch.com.br/caldeira
Startupi Innovation Week: https://startupimatch.com.br/
Global Connection Softex: https://globalconnection.softex.br/
