A flag on the global innovation map.
This is the image that remains from the first South Summit Brazil, in Porto Alegre, which I had the opportunity to participate through Interact Solutions along with five other colleagues.
América Invertida, a 1943 work by the Uruguayan artist Joaquín Torres García.
More than 20,000 people circulated at Cais Mauá, on the banks of the Guaíba River. The old warehouses gave space to the effervescence of 450 investors, 500 speakers, 2,500 startups and hundreds of companies from 76 countries.
A real resignification of space, but also of our place in the Global South of the innovation ecosystem. A 180º turn, as in the work América Invertida, by Joaquín García.
This was an important step to set us on new paths – of change, of digital transformation, of the new economy.
The history of the South Summit itself is an example of this need to reinvent itself. The event was created in the midst of the 2012 crisis in Spain.
In search of the recovery of the Spanish economy, this project was born with the conviction that entrepreneurs would be the driving force of the country, being necessary to create a space to bring together talent, innovation and business opportunities.
The slogan Business is innovation expresses this purpose. This year, it crossed the Atlantic, embarking for the first time in another country – ours.
Let it come to stay.
Photo: South Summit Brasil
Insights and networking
The event was an excellent networking opportunity. Between one conversation and another, I was also able to extract insights from the event’s lectures.
I share 5 of them:
- Maria Clara Timoner, from Renner stores, addressed in one of her lectures the importance of adhering to the ecosystem mentality for survival in the new economy.
- Martin Spier, ex-Netflix and current PicPay, shared his experience in more than a decade in decentralized management models, whose main characteristics are autonomy and the sharing of a common purpose.
- Kelly Gusmão, from Warren Investimentos, recalled the importance of really knowing the pain of the market before creating any product or improving it. In short, an outside-in value chain.
- Dener Lippert de Almeida, from V4 Company, reminded us to reflect on our activities. Do they really add value to the company or are they just there to make your leadership happy?
- Caio Ribeiro, from Betterfly, the first Latin American B-Corp to achieve unicorn status, shared his experience at the company with the public. Originating in this century, the B-Corp business model means having a company with high standards of socio-environmental performance, accountability and transparency. The startup Betterfly is a services marketplace, in the B2B2C market, whose differential is the compensation for good habits on the part of users.
Photo: South Summit Brasil
By Vinícius Flôres
Communication and Marketing Supervisor at Interact Solutions