Brazil’s leading tech hubs

The technology boom in Brazil, according to PulsoSocial, makes the country “the front runner in the race tobe the next big thing”. And it is a big country, so technologicaland scientific developments are more prevalent in some cities thanin others. The four cities to watch are seen as the trailblazers inthis trend.

São Paolo

Being the largest city in Brazil, São Paolo also is home to mostfinancial firms and is considered to be the centre with the mosttop tech hubs. “Though São Paulo was once known for its robustindustrial sector, it has undergone important economic shifts as oflate. Every single company looking to gain ground in Brazil has SãoPaulo on its to-do list, technology-related or otherwise.”

Rio de Janeiro

‘Silicon Beach.’ The nickname says it all. It’s flourishingtechnology scene has given the megalopolis a whole new outlook andreputation. “When it comes to technology, it can hold its own (andthen some).”

“Rio de Janeiro is the home of some of Brazil’s most successfultech startups to date, including Hotel Urbano and Peixe Urbano.”Being such a popular place, it couldcome as no surprise that Rio ischosen as “the site of Entrepreneur Week later this month andof GlobalEntrepreneurship Congress in March 2013.”

Recife

While São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro might be seen as usualsuspects as major metropolitan areason a global scale on the listof important technological areas, Recife in the north of Brazil ismore surprising. Still it is a very important industrial andtechnological centre.

“What’s more, the capital of the state of Pernambuco is widelyrecognized as a national and international leader in informationand communications technologies.”

Belo Horizonte

Not the administrative and political capital, Brasilia, but BeloHorizonte is fourth in the PulsoSocial  list. It too hasbecome an surprise destination for innovative initiatives. “Muchlike Recife, Belo Horizonte, the capital city of Minas Gerais,tends to fly under the radar.”         

“However, the city boasts a solid service sector, which accountsfor 85% of its GDP, and houses Brazilian subsidiaries of Toshiba,Vivo and Telecom Italia Mobile as well as a set of Google R&Doffices. In the local tech ecosystem, Belo Horizonte is oftenreferred to as San Pedro Valley.”

With the government spending consistently on a high level toemphasize the strength and growth of the educational system andR&D infrastructure more cities in Brazil will tend to followSão Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Belo Horizonte in becomingthe epicentres of technology “as Brazil matures as an internationalepicenter for technology.”