The Pursuit of Innovation Comes From the Entrepreneurial Heart

By Marco Stefanini

We live in a globalized world with increasing technological transformations. Among outstanding developments that reach the global population, it is the practice of entrepreneurship that stands out as a way to conduct business with an innovative  approach. Enterprising initiatives are essential for the socioeconomic development of a country, which is fundamental for the concept of job opportunities and is also a driver of economy. Enterprising activities not only drive the economic system but also promote important transformations and social development.

The knowledge to promote innovations is an essential part  of an organization’s value chain. Enterprising is linked to innovating. Leading one of the most important global technology solutions providers has made me see innovation as an important ally to differentiate our service offerings.

The 11^th edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) survey showed that in 2011 Brazil achieved the highest entrepreneurship rate among G20 and BRIC countries.

The Country recorded the best result after 11 years since it started participating in the survey, with the highest Initial Stage Entrepreneurs Rate (TEA): 17.5% of the adult population. It means that 21.1 million Brazilians carried out enterprising activities, and shows that, within the years, the peculiarities of enterprising dynamics are being consolidated – based on diverse perspectives.

The word “entrepreneurship” is constantly associated to business practice, company creation or management (“enterprising”). However, enterprising goes far beyond that. Creating a business and managing it doesn’t mean being an entrepreneur. I believe that being an entrepreneur is directly linked to innovation, and the “DNA” of innovation can also be acquired or developed.

Being a visionary, innovator, and knowing how to make decisions, explore opportunities and develop good relationships (networking) are just some of the many attributes of an entrepreneur and, within that context, our investment in innovation has always embraced the successful record of the company.

We pursue offering a differential in our services, a new vision to what already exists, so we can find innovating solutions. We strongly invest in innovation and have two innovation drived divisions, located in Porto Digital (Recife) and Sorocaba (countryside of São Paulo). Additionally, we promote innovation in 30 global technology solutions development centers in 31 countries where we operate.

The cultural miscegenation of Brazil has create a certain kind of “gene” for creativity and the capacity to fit in, even in some of  the most diverse scenarios. That spirit, combined with the government support – which is critical to consolidate those concepts – favors our positioning in global terms and projects Brazil as an investment opportunity.

Marco Stefanini is the founder and Global CEO of Stefanini, the third most internationalized domestic company and one of the main global providers of technology solutions in Brazil.