The first edition of the BNDES’s Garagem Program, an initiative to support Brazilian startups launched in 2018 by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), was considered a success by participating companies and many saw their businesses prosper, increasing visibility and fundraising potential. Offering technical, marketing and legal advice services, besides training, BNDES has supported startups and entrepreneurs in areas such as education, health, safety, financial solutions, creative economy, environment, blockchain and internet of things applied to cities, rural areas and industry. 

One of these startups was Bitshopp, a fintech that makes services and financial processes simpler and more efficient for companies from various sectors, using technologies such as blockchain, cryptocurrencies and tokens that enable trading various types of assets, such as commodities, real estate and copyright.

“BNDES Garagem acceleration program gave us visibility and allowed us to get to know our investors,” says Marcos Dias, founder of Bitshopp. Earlier this year the company received a contribution from Futurum Capital, an investor focused on creating and developing businesses that use technology in disruptive and strategic services.

“This investment will be directed to innovation and technological development of new products focused on the company’s mission of simplifying processes and democratizing access to these types of services,” said Jorge Romaguera, Bitshopp CEO.

One of the participants in the creation module (aimed at participants seeking support for creation or adjustments in the product, to validate it with the market), Previsiown raised in March 2020 R$ 650,000 from Gávea Angels. Aligned with the concept of industry 4.0 and the “connected car,” the startup created an intelligence platform that collects and analyzes data and driver perceptions, facilitating the development of mobility products, vehicles, or services.

“BNDES Garagem made gave us access to mentoring from  BNDES’s executives, who helped us objectively, encouraging us to create a company with clear and structured aspirations from the beginning,” said Adolfo Oviedo, co-founder of Previsiown.

“From the education sector, U4Hero!, a startup from the Federal District, has developed a solution for schools that integrates analytical games with a web platform that allows educators to track online personalized assessments of their students’ socioemotional development. The startup raised in 2019, still during the program, R$ 500 thousand, with investors.”

 

The company’s CEO, Alysson Sanches, said BNDES Garagem was essential to start the project. “Conversations with fellow entrepreneurs, workshops and follow-up with a manager broadened our vision. The Garagem gave us visibility and was decisive to raise the investment we needed,” he adds.

Troca, a social impact business in Rio de Janeiro that created an employability system to increase diversity in job openings and reduce turnover in companies, also participated in the Garagem creation module. By organizing selection processes that include people in vulnerable situations, the business generates transformation opportunities for companies and people by promoting an inclusive labor market.

Focused on product development and commercial expansion, Troca managed to raise R$ 110,000 just before the pandemic began, a crucial investment for survival and also for operating the company’s products in the market, according to its founder, Tarso Oliveira.

Troca was voted Best Social Impact Startup of 2020 by the Innovation by Brazil Awards (INNXBR), besides having received an award for Outstanding Business in Innovation and Inclusion (AHK-Rio) in the Acceleration Program of the Brazil-Germany Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

iWastes, a startup from Campinas that received support from BNDES Garagem to be created, provides solutions to companies of all segments for efficient and sustainable management of their waste. Focusing on a positive impact on the planet, its services reinsert waste produced in the production chain, generating revenue for the entire chain.

In April last year it managed to raise R$ 250,000 from an angel investor. “The program, besides being a great learning for the startup world, gave us notoriety, helped open doors and solidify our value delivery,” remarked Frederico Vieira, the company’s CEO.

From the healthcare area, Encaixe.me was created during BNDES Garagem to automate the medical appointment activities, optimizing revenue using online scheduling and reducing absences to consultations by engagement routines via WhatsApp. From Goiás, the startup received in December 2020 an investment of R$ 200,000 from Fumsoft – Minas Gerais Software Association under the IA² MCTI, MCTI’s artificial intelligence support program.

Digi Lemes, Encaixe.me CEO, considers that “BNDES Garagem was key to focus our efforts on branding and creation of users’ journeys, as well as on designing the system, in validating systemic requirements, and in developing the prototype for implementation in our first real client.” The company was also awarded R$ 60,000 with FINEP resources in the Centelha GO – Fapeg, an entrepreneurship promotion program.

Gero360, a participant in the acceleration module (aimed at startups that already have a product developed and offered in the market), develops solutions to help society cope with the challenges of population ageing, serving family caregivers and service providers who care for older adults. Its platform and application allow people to plan, execute and monitor critical routine and healthcare items, enhancing exchange of information and optimizing decision making in emergency situations.

Its CEO, Leônidas Porto, highlights the importance of the program in approaching investors: “BNDES’s ability to connect with investors provided, during the program, the interaction with investment funds. The program enabled us to hold these meetings and begin the investment fundraising journey.” In January 2020, Gero360 managed to raise R$ 750,000 from investors of Rede Anjos do Brasil, an angel investment and innovation entrepreneurship development organization, and two independent investors.

Also in the healthcare sector, Caren.app developed a system to support medical decision-making that serves healthcare and life insurance companies. Based on automated protocols that use artificial intelligence, the system is able of making decisions autonomously, helping physicians and subscribers in their day-to-day work.

The startup, which participated in two fundraising rounds, declared that its “valuation” (value perceived by investors who participated in the round) increased from R$ 3.5 million in 2019 to R$ 13.5 million in 2020.

“BNDES Garagem acceleration process was very important in our history, because it came at a time when we were validating our solution. In addition, BNDES is undoubtedly a point of attraction for investors and customers,” remarked Thiago Bonfim, Caren.app CEO.

Aiming to make the laboratory purchase process more efficient, iBench, a Rio de Janeiro company created by scientists, developed the first marketplace focused on laboratory products and services in Brazil, gathering in one place dozens of suppliers and more than 120,000 products. The company has partnerships with companies that produce national technology, contributing to reducing dependence on imported inputs and stimulating job generation in Brazil.

For Andreia Oliveira, CEO and co-founder of the startup, “participating in the program was excellent.” “What the iBench team takes away most from his process is a great personal learning from sharing and discussing ideas. Also during BNDES Garagem, we raised R$ 60,000 from an investor who has been advising the company on new strategies in technology and scale gain.”

“The Garagem has provided us with very rich connections with mentors, market and investors. With the applied methodology, our start up reached a rapid maturation, which sped up our growth,” recalls Moa Vianna, EAD Fácil (formerly Waybol) CEO, company based on the state of Rio Grande do Sul that has developed a learning management system platform that allows companies to distribute and manage online content. Recently, the company received contributions from Anjos do Brasil and has already managed to attract customers who are taking its solution to other countries.

Loginfo, a Santa Catarina-based startup of customs and warehouse management technology that participated in the Garagem acceleration module, managed to raise funds with ACE, a company that invests in startups. Loginfo operates in cargo areas in road, sea, railway and air modalities, automating logistics processes and integrating communication and document management with other operational processes.

According to Elton Willrich, one of its co-founders, BNDES helped establish connections with large corporations that would be much more difficult without the Garagem. “The program brought credibility to Loginfo in the startup market and in the logistics sector.” 

Remedin, applying Business Intelligence to create management solutions for pharmacies, provides information on drug consumption behavior and allows, in its application, to locate the nearest stocked pharmacy. The Rio de Janeiro startup received angel investment in 2019 and was selected in 2020 to participate in InovAtiva Brasil, hub for accelerating, connecting and training Brazilian startups.

Other startups participating in the first edition of Garagem saw their business grow considerably even without fundraising, such as Inflr, in the digital marketing industry, which tripled its revenues in 2020 to R$ 33.1 million. Ubots, an artificial intelligence company that develops solutions for digital relationship between customers and companies, ranked second in the Top 10 Customer Service and 36th in the 100 Open Startups ranking. Touts, a Rio de Janeiro startup for clothing customization, was acquired in 2020 by Grupo Reserva.

Sintecsys, a company that provides automatic forest fire detection services, chose not to receive investments in exchange for equity interest and recently joined two large international committees to gain access to impact resources.

Second edition – BNDES Garagem is already in its second edition, now focusing on creating and accelerating innovative businesses that generate socioenvironmental impact and promote sustainable development. This edition of BNDES Garagem will include three acceleration cycles, with the first supporting entrepreneurs who are developing solutions for healthcare, education, sustainability, govtech and sustainable cities.

“This action is fully aligned with BNDES’s strategy and purpose of contributing to solve our country’s social and environmental problems and fostering new formats of entrepreneurship and funding, directed at a development more and more sustainable,” said Bruno Laskowsky, Director of Shares, Capital Markets and Indirect Credit.

Learn more about the second edition of BNDES Garagem.