Entrepreneurs looking to expand their business internationally find investment, networking, and global visibility opportunities at Web Summit Lisbon. This explains the high interest in the European edition, which has seen growing participation from Brazilian companies.
The number of Brazilian companies increased by approximately 90% from 2023 to 2024, meaning nearly 450 will be present this year, according to O Globo. As a result, the Brazil pavilion will expand to accommodate everyone.
Among these participants, five were selected by Next Leap, an initiative from Transfero, a global sponsor of Web Summit, in partnership with UNISUAM, Coinchange, SICOOB, and EBM Group.
Web Summit Lisbon 2024 and Next Leap
Web Summit is the world’s largest innovation and technology event. Founded in Dublin in 2009, the annual European edition is now hosted in Lisbon. In 2023, it expanded to Latin America, with Rio de Janeiro as the chosen location.
Transfero saw this as an opportunity to spread knowledge about blockchain infrastructure and cryptocurrencies, so became one of the sponsors. This year, they launched the Next Leap initiative to increase Brazilian startup visibility abroad and foster the development of the national ecosystem.
Web Summit Lisbon 2024 will take place from November 11-14 at the MEO Arena. Notable speakers include Brad Smith (Microsoft), Meredith Whittaker (Signal), Pharrell Williams (artist), and Frank Cooper (Visa).
Márlyson Silva (Transfero) will be one of the CEOs participating. He will be on the panel The Paradox of Crypto ETFs, on November 13 at 3:40 PM, Stage 5 of Pavilion 2. Among Brazilian companies, five were selected by Next Leap: 95co, Bombordo, Infratoken, OpenI, and SaveBank. It will be Alpha exhibitors.
Although some are young, these startups already face significant challenges and are still learning to overcome obstacles as they build their businesses.
Get to know their purpose and plans:
95co
95co is a platform that uses sports to create connections with teenagers, aiming to prepare them for a future focused on more than just soccer. It encourages skills beyond sports and provides valuable information for athletes’ present and future, such as financial education.
According to Eduardo Araújo, CEO and co-founder:
“In Brazil, social rejection is vast, and elite students and athletes, unfortunately, make up a minimal proportion — much less than 5%. We want to make a difference in the lack of social development in the country, sparking diverse professional interests with a solid understanding of format, language, and metrics. We aim to impact and reduce this social rejection of the 95%.”
The strategy is to expand the user numbers and grow geographically with global teams. Since communication is essential to the company’s success, understanding local culture is critical to identifying relevant topics for the target audience and assessing the ideal timing for expansion.
For this reason, Eduardo and João Parodi (GPM) emphasized they are looking for investors who can support them with “technological infrastructure, strategic team and valuable connections for scaling and get commercial reach.”
Bombordo
Bombordo connects boat renters and owners, offering safe and comfortable onboard experiences throughout Brazil.
The platform offers multiple features and over 400 boats, the first in the national market. According to Rafael Tebet (CEO) and Felipe Ayres (COO), the plan is to continue as an asset-light and tech-based company.
Focusing on key areas like tourism, their goals are to secure a second investment round and expand for the global nautical market. To achieve this, they seek smart money, which means investors who provide funding, expertise, and valuable connections.
Infratoken
Infratoken provides asset tokenization infrastructure, ensuring a secure and efficient process aligned with regulatory requirements.
Involved in projects with Brazil’s Central Bank and ESG companies, Infratoken aims to partner with securitization companies to open new opportunities. Caroline Nunes (CEO) and Marcelo Teixeira (COO) are looking for:
“People who bring experience and connections to help the growth. A good investor is like a mentor to guide, open doors, and help avoid mistakes. That’s what we’re looking for — a real partnership.”
Their next step is to expand into the European market, which is why Caroline sees Web Summit Lisbon as a significant opportunity. According to her, Europe is a strategic target, and they are so confident in this move that are ensuring their platform and tokens comply with international regulations.
Openi
Openi streamlines financial management by automating processes, such as bank and credit card reconciliations, cash flow monitoring, and centralized reporting.
While this year focused on product launch and validation, next year’s plan is to scale the product. Beatriz Galvão (CEO), Roberto Galvão (advisor), and Rodrigo Lemgruber (advisor) are seeking investors with “the ability to truly support business growth, especially technologically and sales.”
Being a resource-limited startup, Openi prioritizes strategic partnerships to help overcome challenges in scaling product and customer communication, particularly with the current limited features.
SaveBank
SaveBank (formerly AMAZBank) was created with a focus on future generations. The financial institution’s mission is to promote inclusive economic growth and sustainable development in the Amazon region.
One challenge with five products has been finding a business model that encompasses all these areas. According to Frank Portela (CEO) and Jose Carvalho (CPO), the goal is to develop an “ecosystem that efficiently supports initiatives, harnessing Amazon’s potential.”
To realize their plans, they’re seeking networking opportunities and ‘smart money’ from investors aligned with sustainability, who can harness the potential of the ‘standing forest’.
Expectations for Web Summit Lisbon 2024
A similarity among Next Leap participants is high expectations for Web Summit Lisbon, particularly for networking, investment, and international expansion.
Bombordo hopes to expand nationally and internationally, so they view Web Summit as “an event that offers a great chance of achieving goals and meeting strategic people.”
95co representatives highlighted that “international connections and global validation will be a tremendous opportunity”. Because of that, they also plan to visit Sporting Futebol Clube in Lisbon: “We’re interested in meeting people, places, and projects aligned with our mission.”
Finally, Openi noted their participation in an incubation program in Portugal two years ago. Returning now allows them to reconnect with friends and potential clients, emphasizing that “Europe has many opportunities for Open Finance solutions. We are confident about making meaningful deals and partnerships.”
Next Leap Program
After the application phase, companies were selected based on their goals and segments.
The first phase began in August with a week of mentorship from industry experts. The focus was developing a strategic pitch to maximize the opportunity to connect with the global innovation and tech ecosystem.
The mentorship sessions centered on participants’ businesses and real-world cases, covering topics such as business development, revenue models, marketing and customer acquisition, product innovation, fundraising, and team management.
Beatriz believes that “Openi emerged stronger and more prepared for future challenges.” Rafael Tebet (Bombordo) described the experience as challenging but highly beneficial, saying, “stepping out of the comfort zone opened our eyes to new opportunities. The mentorships have been invaluable, and without a doubt, Next Leap is helping us grow.”
Mentors included professionals from Transfero’s partner companies, such as Alexandre Bonfá (EBM Group), André Bonfá (EBM Group), Jose Abecasis (OCEAN.capital), Luiz Grossi (SICOOB), and Pedro Garcia (Elytron Security).
The final phase selected the five startups to be Alpha exhibitors at Web Summit Lisbon 2024 for one event day, with the travel and accommodation for two representatives included. The winners were announced on Transfero’s social media.
The company will be at Web Summit Lisbon for partnership opportunities, networking, and attracting new clients. Follow updates on LinkedIn and Instagram.
