South Summit Brazil has become a great cause, celebrates Thiago Ribeiro
[ad_1]
The second edition of the South Summit Brazil starts tomorrow in Porto Alegre amidst an atmosphere of euphoria, expectations for a program with more than 900 speakers and one certainty: the innovation ecosystem in Rio Grande do Sul is experiencing a unique moment.
“The South Summit became a great cause, and everyone understood that. This is the great secret of success, which is much more related to the involvement of people to make this possible than to any other factor”, says the CEO of South Summit Brazil, Thiago Ribeiro.
The event takes place at Cais Mauá, between the 29th and 31st of March, and will be the stage for major discussions that should help investors and entrepreneurs to have a clearer perspective on how things will behave from now on.
A journalist by training with a master’s degree in Computer Science, Ribeiro discovered in the area of technology and innovation more than an opportunity to undertake. He was one of the creators of POA Digital and one of those responsible for launching the Porto Alegre City Hall open data platform. He directed the Associação Gaúcha de Startups and led the Global Entrepreneurship Network in Rio Grande do Sul, starting with Endeavor.
“I became an activist for this cause. Today, I have the privilege of making my work, my profession, something I believe in for life. I am privileged to help make an initiative like South Summit Brazil a reality”, he comments.
Digital Market – Why did people embrace the South Summit in such a visceral way?
Thiago Ribeiro – The South Summit already had its original logic, in Spain, of presenting itself as a business platform, and not just an event. And when we look at this connection that happened here in Porto Alegre, Brazil, it’s because the South Summit became a great cause, and everyone understood that. This is the great secret of success, which is much more related to people than anything else. When thinking about what happens in Madrid, where the project was born, we can say that the model is the same, the premises are the same, the playbook that we follow is the same. The big difference is the people. It is our people, who are doing, together with us, a great job to make this possible.
MD – What factors helped make this event a reality here?
brook – An important issue is that we did not have an event of this quality, of this nature in Rio Grande do Sul or in Latin America. There was a need for something of this potency. The second point is very much related to the construction we did to bring the event. The State Government played a fundamental role, especially in the person of Governor Eduardo Leite, Porto Alegre City Hall under the leadership of Sebastião Melo, the business community and academia. And here we cannot fail to mention Professor Jorge Audy, who is a great leader and reference in the sector. All this made us gain the trust of businessmen – proof of this is the strong presence of local, national and international sponsors.
MD – This edition takes place in the midst of a challenging scenario, with many opportunities but also high interest rates, falling investments and layoffs in tech companies and startups. Do you believe that the event can help guide the next steps in the market?
brook – Undoubtedly, one of the roles of the South Summit is to bring this discussion to a forum that is gigantic and brings together the main players of today. These subjects will be on stage and also on the bar table, in the corridors and in everything that permeates the event during these three days. We are going through a very unusual moment in recent years. First, we’ve had the euphoria since 2021 of large venture investments for startups and gigantic valuations. More recently, there has been greater caution on the part of risk investors who, due to the global scenario of high interest rates, are preferring to look at investments with lower risk than startups. Not to mention the bankruptcy of Silicon Valley Bank and the financial restructuring of technology businesses. All these are the questions of the moment that will be debated by the participants in the coming days.
Market Digital – Are you optimistic about the next steps of the ecosystem?
brook – I am an optimist by nature. There is always a different perspective, however painful the processes are. Despite the difficulties ahead, in the medium term the scenario is positive because we are all starting to have a more realistic view of the business market. Yes, we are going to live a moment of realignment, of re-accommodation, and that will make the businesses have, in fact, their real value, with conditions to prosper or not. What comes around is a more consistent and more realistic market. And I see that with good eyes. But, we have to remain vigilant. We are taking very firm steps towards improving our condition, reaching better positions, but the game is far from being won. Our great challenge, which we cannot neglect for a single minute, is not to backtrack even a millimeter.
[ad_2]
Source link
:strip_icc()/s02.video.glbimg.com/x720/12519489.jpg)
