"SP Conecta Cidades" goes to cities of the State of São Paulo to boost the start-up ecosystem

In an itinerant format, the initiative aims to strengthen local entrepreneurship

SP Conecta – an initiative that comprises an event held by Investe São Paulo three years ago to promote and map the start-up ecosystem – is expanding its scope and including an itinerant project that will leave the capital to share initiatives that boost the business environment and the innovation culture in the cities of the State of São Paulo. The objective is to contribute to the economic development of the State of São Paulo through the start-ups' potential.

The proposal of "SP Conecta Cidades" is to promote innovation, raise awareness of potential entrepreneurs, mentors and angel investors, and activate multipliers in the local ecosystem. After the support given to start this future community, it can take its own steps in creating a positive agenda.

"We want to expand the ecosystem to other regions of the State, in order to extend local communities to support entrepreneurs. It will enable the generation of new business for the whole ecosystem and we hope that the cities will increasingly become great places for new start-ups," analyzes Franklin Ribeiro, start-up ecosystem head of Investe São Paulo. "We will start with the cities very close to the state capital and the pilot project will be implemented in Barueri. Then we will look for places with people willing to actively participate in the building of a strong local ecosystem, in order to make it possible to receive more investments in innovation, generate more qualified jobs, and motivate professionals to be always up to date."

Method

According to Ribeiro, the initiative should take about three months and consists of short presentations, followed by networking among the local ecosystem.

Investe São Paulo will work on the communication with representatives of the cities and the ecosystem of the State, in order to promote the project. The city, on the other hand, will seek the engagement of local representatives, promote joint work, propose places for meetings, and provide data for the mapping of start-ups.

"We want to approach this audience in a relaxed and informal way, so we can identify the multipliers and, gradually, spark their interest in entrepreneurship and new initiatives to support start-ups," affirmed Ribeiro, who hopes to attract new mentors, motivate angel investors and boost business to the ecosystem.

Next steps

Once a stronger ecosystem has been created, further initiatives will be able to rely on other aspects of Investe São Paulo, since the agency provides services free of charge to small, medium and large companies, in order to attract investments, promote the competitiveness in the State, provide training for initiatives interested in the export process and complete customized support in the infrastructure, environment and tax areas.

SP Conecta

Created in 2015 by São Paulo's Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Competitiveness – Investe São Paulo, SP Conecta is an event that aims to present the organizations of the support ecosystem to the start-ups, offering mentoring to start-ups and including the Startup World Cup, whose winner will compete for US$ 1 million in Silicon Valley. The main purpose of the event is to promote the development of both the State of São Paulo and the start-ups.

Service: "SP Conecta Cidades" – CIOESTE BARUERI

Date: 12/5/2018

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Place: Rua Juruá, 323, Barueri.

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