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Florianopolis

Florianopolis

Sao Paulo

Blumenau

About the City of Florianopolis  

The Santa Catarina Association of Technology Companies (ACATE)

Established in 1986, ACATE’s mission is to strengthen the technology and innovation companies in Santa Catarina and to consolidate the sector as a unit in order to sustain development.  ACATE serves as the voice for technology companies in Santa Catarina when communicating with local/federal governments, business entities, and institutions of the technological realm. 

Technological MIDI incubator within ACATE supports small IT companies.
Provides critical services such as infrastructure, IT training,  and advanced business skills.

Offers consulting, inexpensive rental business offices, phone lines, and Internet service. Contains office space with the capacity to hold 50 companies.
Each company usually employs 6 employees.
Incubator offers 21 to 55 square meters of office space or 2 cubicles.

Angels can engage the developing companies as they mature through the incubators. Angels are individuals/entities that are willing to invest in the start-ups; this is similar to that of a venture capitalist.  The angels and venture capitalists can supplement incubators during a course of 2-4 years.  Benefits include infrastructure, knowledge sharing, increased market exposure, finance, and legal assistance.

Brazilian citizens can submit business proposal to fund their innovated ideas from the government entities, such as BNDES. Businesses can receive investments of $4 billion a year. Incubators receive financial assistance as grants with both no interest and payback commitment.

Reivax

Reivax is a supplier of systems and solutions for generation of electric energy control. Products/services provided by Reivax include voltage regulators, research, and design.  The top competitors of Reivax are located in Mexico and U.S.A.  This global competition is forcing Reivax to think globally in order to remain a leader in its industry.

Reivax recently opened a warehouse in the United States in order to avoid double taxation, which can occur when units enter the U.S. and then are exported to another country. Similar to ACATE, some employees and clients are graduates of universities like UFSC, therefore creating and strengthening a productive IT cluster.

Supplier of systems and solutions of electric energy such as, voltage regulators, research and design. Known as the ‘Business Center for Advanced Technology’ (CELTA) with UFSC. Rapidly growing in international markets as well domestic markets. Desire to be more effective in software development and financial/accounting practices.

Florianópolis Cluster

IT companies and universities such as Reivax, ACATE, and the UFSC are some of the leaders in IT innovation in Brazil.  These companies and universities still must face enormous challenges to their daily operations. 

            Advantages

Employment available in a variety of specialties for skilled, qualified employees.
Companies strive to develop innovative ideas and put them to practical uses.
Tax is lenient on foreign businesses (ideal for non-Brazilian companies).

             Challenges

Florianópolis organizations lack partnership and collaboration of technology and innovative ideas among each other.
Government imposes high taxes and tougher regulations.
Limited number of skilled and financial resources.

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