Investe SP strengthens its relationship with government bodies from Canada
Aiming to promote the attraction of foreign investments to São Paulo, the Agency signed a memorandum of understanding with Invest Toronto and the City of Toronto's Economic Development and Culture division, besides gathering with Invest Ottawa
Investe SP
On this Thursday, February 26, Investe São Paulo signed a memorandum of understanding with Invest Toronto, the investment promotion agency for Canada's largest city, Ontario. The agreement, signed in São Paulo’s agency headquarters, is part of Investe SP’s strategy of approaching Canadian entrepreneurs and interchange of good practices for attracting investments.
“This memorandum of understanding is only the beginning of a long partnership which shall be of great profit for Brazilian and Canadian companies. We may now deepen our knowledge about these markets and identify new business opportunities”, said Sérgio Costa, director of Investe São Paulo.
By means of the agreement, both institutions will identify industries and companies from their regions which may have interest on settling or conducting business in São Paulo or Toronto. They also agree on sharing information and data about economic tendencies and sustainable development which can facilitate the attraction of investments.
Besides Costa, Councilor Michael Thompson, Chair of Toronto’s Economic Development Committee and Invest Toronto and Ana Bailão, Toronto City Councilor and George Spezza, Director of Business Services for the Toronto Economic Development and Culture division took part in the meeting.
Thompson highlighted the importance of the event. “This memorandum of understanding between Investe São Paulo, Invest Toronto and the City of Toronto will enhance and expand the business relationships between these two regions, who are respectively the financial centers of their countries," he said. "This agreement outlines the sharing of information and contacts for mutual benefit and for a greater understanding of the business potential in each region."
Sérgio Costa also presented Find a Business Partner, an online tool created by Investe SP to allow entrepreneurs to search for partners in several sectors so that they can, together, do new businesses in the State of São Paulo. By means of this portal, companies in any size can find partners for technology transferring, investment, partnership, distribution and commercial representation.
The Canadian Consulate also sent delegates to the meeting. They were Stéphane Larue, Consul General in São Paulo and Todd Barret, Commercial Consul from Ontario. The Investment Analyst from Investe SP, Rafael Murgi, was also present.
Invest Ottawa
Investe São Paulo’s director also met, on the same day, Bruce Lazenby, president of Invest Ottawa, the investment promotion agency from Canada. The meeting aimed to discuss cooperation projects between both institutions which may intensify economic relations between São Paulo and Ottawa.
During the encounter, Lazenby displayed the main attractions of Ottawa to foreigners. The city hosts 90% of the telecommunications research and development centers in Canada. Furthermore, according to Lazemby, the government is encouraging the production of several products which might have, in Brazil, a great expansion opportunity.
“There are great investment opportunities in Latin America for companies from Ottawa. As São Paulo’s industry is the leader in the region, the State is a logical choice for business”, he said after Sérgio Costa presented the Agency and the State.
The Managing Director of Trade and Investment at Invest Ottawa, Blair Patacairk, the Co-Founder of Tattica Group, a Canadian consulting company, and the Investment Analyst from Investe São Paulo, Thiago Messena, were also part of the Meeting.