The Startup Summit 2025, in Florianópolis, was the stage for one of the event's most transformative experiences: the final of the Paqathon, a hackathon promoted by the NGO Prototipando a Quebrada with Inaitec's sponsorship. More than a technology competition, the Paqathon is a journey of social leadership that brings together young people from diverse communities, innovation, and real impact.
What is the Paqathon?
The Paqathon is a hackathon created to bring young people from peripheral realities closer to the innovation ecosystem. The premise is clear: instead of bringing market-ready problems, it is the participants' own lived experiences that guide the challenges. This ensures that the solutions developed have a direct connection to their communities of origin, reinforcing the power of technology to transform when associated with inclusion and representativeness.
The 2025 edition
In this edition, more than 40 young people from different states and training programs participated in the process. They were divided into seven teams, who went through an ideation, prototyping, and solution presentation marathon. Amid creative debates, group dynamics, and technology workshops, the teams had the support of mentors and specialists, plus the integration of artificial intelligence tools into the process, showing how AI can be used as an ally for social innovation.
The teams presented their projects on the Palco Sebrae Startups stage, one of the highlights of Startup Summit, bringing their proposals to one of the country's largest technology events. This visibility was a milestone for the young people, who were able to show their potential to investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.
Inaitec's role
The support of Inaitec for the Paqathon goes beyond sponsorship. The institute sees in the initiative an opportunity to connect youth to the innovation ecosystem, reinforcing the importance of social innovation as an essential part of technological development.
As a business and technology hub of Greater Florianópolis, Inaitec understands that innovation is not only found in major research centers or global startups, but also in the sensitive gaze of those who experience social challenges daily and are able to propose creative solutions from that reality.
A future of opportunities
Paqathon 2025 showed that innovation is even more powerful when it is born from diversity. By bringing together young talents, creative methodologies, and cutting-edge technologies, the event not only generated solutions for real problems but also opened doors for new social entrepreneurs to enter the ecosystem.
For Inaitec, supporting initiatives like Paqathon is reaffirming the commitment to an inclusive, sustainable, and innovative future. It is giving space for more young people to have a voice and be able to transform their ideas into positive impact for society.
