About SEED

Back in the San Pedro Cerva episode, I met this guy called Luiz Filipe Serravite. He was an entrepeneur that had just come back from the Startup Chile program after a couple of months living in Santiago, Chile. He was amazed by the program and the idea of the government actively supporting startups, so he came up with a way to reach the State Governor and proposed the idea of creating something similar in Brazil.

Luiz was involved in the initial development and design of the program. He has eventually left the initiative to go live in the US, but his ideas and initial contacts became the foundation to the program later created and named as SEED (Startups and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development).

This description was taken from the official program web site:

Created by the Government of Minas Gerais, SEED is an accelerator program for passionate people who dream big and make things happen. Entrepreneurs from all around the world descend upon the state, bringing with them in their dreams, experiences, ideas and their determination to build something innovative. The mission of SEED is simple: Transform Minas Gerais into the most important birthplace and acceleration hub for tech entrepreneurs in Latin America.

The program benefits included up to US$40,000 dollars per team, an incredible office space, mentorship, training, workshops, and a wide network of entrepreneurs, partners and investors. Equity free.

SEED co-working space entrance in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

And the whole thing was really well executed. All the main stakeholders of the ecosystem were involved in its conception, including the entrepreneurs themselves. Government reps, mentors, investors, and entrepreneurs were all working with the same objective: to promote and develop startups and innovation in the country.

I never participated in the program as an accelerated startup, but I had countless chances to engage with it, starting from being a host for a foreign startup — yes, all the foreign teams were hosted by a local entrepreneur so they had a warm reception and felt like they were home. I even picked up a group at the airport the first time they landed in Belo Horizonte.

And of course it was not just me. I would certainly say that all founders living in Belo Horizonte have visited the space at least once. The office was open to anyone, either to host an event or even use a desk/internet connection for a couple of hours or days, no matter if you were an accelerated startup or not.

The SEED space gradually became the obvious place to go in San Pedro Valley. Suddenly we all had a place for meetings, happy hours, meetups, startup weekends and whatever came to our crazy minds. It was great for early-stage startups that didn’t have an office yet, but also good for the ones that already had. It was not just about the space — it was a home for the community.

Group of entrepreneurs in front of SEED after one of the many Startup Weekends.

The program was created in 2013 by Governor Antonio Anastasia, through an institution called Escritório de Prioridades Estratégicas de Minas Gerais (or Minas Gerais Strategic Priorities Office). Personally it was one of the first times I have ever been proud of my country/state government. If you have ever heard about politics in Brazil you know corruption and lack of planning is part of our daily news. But these guys were different, they were inspiring and had a truly desire to create something to make a real impact — plus, the program was based on real legislation, and designed to survive government and even party changes.

A lot of people were involved in the conception of the program, but I really need to specially mention André Barrence, Head of the Minas Gerais Strategic Priorities Office and Chairman of SEED, Jaderson Trindade, the Director responsible for the program’s operation, as well as Leandro Lacerda, Rejane Martins and Giuliano Bittencourt. These guys did an incredible job and are considered by the community with really special care.

Part of the program board, from left to right: Professor Ivan Moura Campos (UFMG, the Federal University of Minas Gerais), André Barrence (Head of the State Strategic Office), Governor Antonio Anastasia, Gustavo Caetano (Samba Tech), and the Angel Investor Yuri Gitahy.

More than words, the program generated actual results: operating companies, revenue and jobs.

The program was internationally known and considered one of the most important entrepreneurship development initiatives in Brazil.

SEED was responsible for bringing to life 73 companies from 12 different countries that together had R$ 23 million in revenue until the end of 2014, created 145 jobs and raised R$ 10 million from private funds. Plus they influenced the life of 17,000+ people in 55 cities, considering most founders used to mentor and teach kids and young students on low-income communities.