Celebrating five years of Google for Startups in Brazil
Summary
An inspiring song here in Brazil goes: Um passo \xe0 frente e voc\xea n\xe3o est\xe1 mais no mesmo lugar a step forward, and youre not in the same place anymore. While singer Chico Science passed away before the tech boom, his words predicted the rapid transformation of the Brazilian startup world over the past half-decade.When we opened Google for Startups Campus Sao Paulo in 2016, Brazil was in a deep recession. International funds were skeptical of the growth of our mere 5,000 startups, none of which were unicorns (companies valued at over $1 billion).Just five years later, there are now 141.6 million internet users in Brazil, now the worlds fifth-largest online population. Ever since, Google for Startups mission has been very intentional: to help founders solve Brazils biggest challenges. Startups like fintech giant Nubank, which became the biggest digital bank in the world by offering underbanked Brazilians fee-free credit cards; health-tech gamechangers like Vittude, which is making mental health care accessible to all; resources like Contabilizei that empower Brazilians to tackle bureaucracy; and digital platforms like Trakto that have reignited regional economies by helping local entrepreneurs learn digital skills.