Fapes created BSW with the goal of making Espírito Santo a national and international innovation hub.

The Espírito Santo Research and Innovation Support Foundation (Fapes) has launched the Brazilian Startups Worldwide (BSW) program, aimed at attracting greater investment from national and international technology companies in industry, agribusiness, retail, and impact-driven businesses (sustainability) to Espírito Santo. The program is a partnership with the Mobilização Capixaba pela Inovação (MCI) and FindesLab, and the first international mission is scheduled for March 2025.

Through BSW, Fapes expects Espírito Santo to become a national and international innovation hub, positioning the state as a destination for companies to develop new technologies.

“We want Espírito Santo to become a center for technology companies. To achieve this, we are investing over BRL 4 million in this unprecedented program through Funcitec/MCI,” explained Elton Moura, Fapes Director of Innovation.

The operational management of BSW will be handled by FindesLab, which will select up to three Espírito Santo startups for each international mission. Each selected startup will receive BRL 100,000. A total of four missions will be held, two per year, each focused on a specific vertical. The first mission will take place in Germany, under the Brazilian Indtechs in Germany (BiG) 2025, currently in the selection phase, targeting the IndTechs vertical in March 2025.

During each mission, participating Brazilian startups will have the opportunity to:

• Connect with the local market,

• Participate in training, mentorship, and networking events,

• Access the local innovation ecosystem directly, and

• Experience cultural immersion to better understand the specificities of each market.

In addition to the three Espírito Santo startups, seven more national startups may participate if they meet the FindesLab requirements, though they will not receive financial support from Fapes. Each mission will accommodate a total of 10 startups.

How BSW Works

The program supports startups in successfully scaling internationally across four verticals:

1. Industry – IndTechs

2. Retail and Commerce – RetailTechs

3. Agribusiness – AgrifoodTechs

4. Impact-driven Businesses – ImpactTechs

Each mission will be held in a country with a strong innovation and technology ecosystem in the relevant vertical.

“For example, Italy may host the AgrifoodTech mission, and Switzerland could be the destination for ImpactTechs. We are defining future destinations according to each mission’s vertical. Each mission will follow the same format: participation in a major sector event, training, networking, mentorship, market connections, and cultural immersion,” explained Elton Moura.

All four missions will receive support from the Brazilian Embassy, reinforcing the program’s strategic alignment with the Innovation Diplomacy Program (PDI) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which aims to promote Brazil as an innovative nation.

Press Contact:
Fapes Communication Office
Samantha Nepomuceno
(+55 27) 3636-1867
comunicacao@fapes.es.gov.br