Amazon startups gear up for COP30 with innovation and sustainability
Startups in Brazil’s Amazon region are investing in sustainable innovation models aimed at the global market. The initiatives come as preparation for the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30), to be held in Belém, state capital of Pará, in November this year.
The startup run by entrepreneur Maurício Pantoja in Igarapé-Miriri, Pará, is an example of a business aligned with the sustainable development model that values products extracted from the standing forest by traditional communities. Focused on processing regional fruit as pulp and powdered fruit, the company works directly with two cooperatives and creates opportunities for 340 families from communities in Igarapé-Miri and Abaetetuba.
“In addition to connecting the production of these small communities through fair trade, we use technology to better manage and predict the harvest, reduce waste, and add value to products,” he said.
The businessman noted that açaí was the first fruit to be processed into pulp and sold on the Brazilian market, but soon other fruits joined the portfolio.
“We’re from the world capital of açaí. We started with it and brought in other crops, like cocoa and cupuaçu, to reduce monoculture in the region and make producers earn all year round, not just during the açaí harvest,” he argued.
A professional training startup that also undertakes sustainable business in Belém is led by entrepreneur Vitor Alves. Through online courses, it leverages small businesses by teaching them entrepreneurial technologies.
“Technology is always a competitive edge for small businesses. Today you have artificial intelligence, which boosts how fast you can solve problems, issue invoices, do stock control, and even find customers and do market analysis,” he pointed out.
The two companies were the winners of the 11th edition of Startup Day, promoted by the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) in Belém on Saturday (Mar. 22), an event aimed at influencing the ecosystem of these startups through workshops, mentoring, and networking opportunities. Among the 300+ companies signed up, the two stood out in the bioeconomy and technology categories, respectively.
According to the managing director of Sebrae in Pará, Rubens Magno, the event is an opportunity for startups to pitch themselves and showcase their big ideas ahead of COP30.
“We want to show that the Amazon is no different from other innovation-driven places around the world,” he said.
In Pantoja’s view, being in this environment reflects an effort to raise the profile of companies outside the commercial circuit of the big capitals. “We seek to reach the international market, especially because it’s a market that values work that takes care of biodiversity and cares about the people who live in the forest. So events like Startup Day are opportunities for us, not just from the countryside, but from all over Pará, to be able to turn up and show what we’re doing and that it’s serious.”
