The Acelera Pedra Branca, INAITEC's startup acceleration program, started its 5th edition with a clear focus: structuring businesses from the ground up, acting directly on the main challenges faced by startups in the development and growth phase.
Acelera is based on a formative track built to transform ideas into businesses with the capacity for validation, execution, and scale within the Brazilian innovation ecosystem.
The workshops already held show that the program's focus is on less isolated concept and more direct application to the business.
Clarity on problem and business model as the starting point
The first Acelera Pedra Branca workshop, on the topic of Design Thinking and Business Model Canvas, was directed at what defines the future of any startup: understanding the problem and making decisions based on strategy.
Facilitated by Lucas Teixeira, Projects Consultant at Inaitec, participants worked on:
- Design Thinking applied to solution building
- Structuring the Business Model Canvas
- Organizing ideas into clear value propositions
- Initial strategic direction
The goal was to move out of the idea stage and advance to a minimally structured model — an essential step in any business acceleration process.
Validate before investing time and resources
In the second workshop, participants discussed how to transform an idea into something the market can validate.
With the topic "Lean Startup and MVP Building," the session was facilitated by Diego Chierighini, INAITEC's Executive Director, and presented methodologies focused on lean product building and rapid hypothesis validation.
Throughout the workshop, participants deepened their knowledge of:
- Lean Startup concepts applied to innovation
- Building an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
- Hypothesis validation with lower risk
- Continuous learning from the market
- Test- and feedback-driven development
The premise was to show that startups do not need to start with complex structures or finished products. At the outset, they need to validate whether there is real demand for the idea, understand user behavior, and adjust the solution with agility for the market.
Where many startups go wrong
In the third workshop, the focus shifted to a lack of clarity on target audience — one of the main growth bottlenecks.
Facilitated by Lucas Branco Pulla, Product Growth Analyst at Evolcan HUB, the session posed a direct challenge: not every startup fails on the product. Many fail by trying to speak to everyone.
From this, participants deepened their understanding of:
- Objective definition of target audience
- Building personas
- Identifying real customer pain points
- Clarity on the value delivered
- Direction of communication and positioning
This type of structuring directly impacts marketing, which drives sales and growth — critical points within any company.
Transforming an idea into a project
In the fourth workshop, the focus moved to a more operational level — it was time to transform strategy into execution.
The session was facilitated by Tamiko Yamada, INAITEC's Director of Operations, who presented the topic "How to implement and prospect a project: a case study about INAITEC." Drawing on ecosystem experiences, the following were addressed:
- Project structuring in practice
- Implementation pathways
- Prospecting strategies
- Learnings from real cases
Subsequently, Lucas Teixeira revisited the Business Model Canvas, reinforcing how structural clarity directly impacts decision-making.
Understanding the market before growing
In the fifth Acelera Pedra Branca workshop, participants deepened their market reading.
Facilitated by Leonardo Costa Carnauba, Product Management Specialist at Trillia — an Inaitec partner company — the session introduced the topic "Market Study in Practice," with the proposal of showing how growth decisions need to be backed by data, context, and validation. A market study helps reduce risks and build strategies with greater consistency.
Throughout the workshop, participants worked on:
- Audience and market validation
- Identifying real opportunities
- Strategy analysis based on data
- Understanding growth potential
- More assertive direction for decision-making
Despite covering different topics, the Acelera Pedra Branca workshops complement each other in the entrepreneur's journey and work to transform startups into structured businesses.
Communication and positioning to strengthen growth
In the sixth Acelera Pedra Branca workshop, participants deepened their understanding of how the company communicates and is perceived by the market.
The session featured Mariana Baima, journalist and director of Primeira Via, who brought reflections on communication, reputation, and visibility for growing companies, and Raphael Bonelli, a graphic designer with more than 20 years in the market, who addressed visual identity and brand perception.
Throughout the workshop, participants worked on:
- Strategic communication for growing companies
- Building brand reputation and visibility
- Visual identity and market perception
- Positioning and audience connection
- Aligning communication, image, and growth
The premise was to show that growing does not depend solely on developing good solutions. Startups also need to build clarity on how they generate value in the public's perception.
What's ahead in Acelera Pedra Branca
The upcoming program workshops continue to advance the startups' maturity journey, focusing on areas essential for growth and scale:
- Marketing and positioning
- Commercial strategy and sales
- Finance and business organization
- Technology and product
The logic is progressive: from idea → to structure → to validation → to growth
The role of workshops within the innovation ecosystem
Within INAITEC, workshops do not function as isolated events.
They are part of a larger structure connecting practical training, specialized mentoring, real testing environment (City Lab), and integration with the Pedra Branca Technology Park
This allows startups to learn, apply, validate, and adjust their solutions in a real market context.
Startups do not just need good ideas. They need structure. In the coming months, the challenge shifts from understanding the business to making it grow.
