Contxto – Brazil’s upward trajectory for startup maturity continues as the city government of Curitiba has revealed a new initiative, the Vale do Pinhão Innovation Fund. Also known as Inova VP, this effort plans to strengthen ecosystem players with R$10 million, over US$2.8 million.
Regarding the premise, the intention is to enable them to scale via effective research and development in Brazil’s eighth-largest city. While Curitiba is the capital of the state of Paraná, it’s also one of the most tech-savvy in the region.
“The main objective is to strengthen research and innovation, and to stimulate the growth of the entire technology ecosystem in Curitiba,” said Paulo Roberto Coimbra de Manuel, vice president of political articulation at Assespro-PR.
“It is gratifying to see the public power foster the most developed area in the twenty-first-century economy. This is a big step forward for the Pinhão Valley.”
Moreover, this initiative gained traction thanks to Curitiba Mayor Rafael Greca’s technology promotion initiative. Known for being one of the world’s first “green” cities, his mission is to live up to that reputation.
“We aim to make Curitiba an international reference among the so-called smart cities,” said the city politician. For Greca, this is “a fundamental instrument to enable the strengthening of research and innovation in Curitiba, enhancing the ecosystem of the capital.”
Curitiba smart city
According to the Connected Smart Cities 2019 results, this city is the third “smartest” in Latin America’s largest country. São Paulo leads the pack with the score—38,977 points on the Smart City’s strange ranking card. Campinas ranked second, while Curitiba follows close behind.
Rankings take into consideration 70 themes including environment, mobility, education, as well as security. In general, Curitiba has built a reputation around sustainable urban development with advanced public transportation and well-planned infrastructure.
Moving forward, these resources will be available to Curitiba-based startups, not to mention those in the Vale do Pinhão area. Specifically, the Curitiba Development Agency will oversee the Inova VP and distribution of resources.
-JA
