Unlocking Innovation Through Networking: Lessons from Campinas, Brazil

In a recent episode of the "Talk 2 Brazil" podcast, host Tom Reaoch and guest Mari Savedra—an international business innovation specialist—delved deep into the intertwined worlds of networking, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Their conversation, rooted in the vibrant context of Campinas, Brazil, offers a masterclass in how professional relationships and a thriving ecosystem can drive business success.

Below, we break down the main themes and actionable insights from their discussion, providing a comprehensive guide for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone interested in fostering innovation through meaningful connections.

Listen to "Networking Never Gets Old, Mari Savedra, Innovation Strategist, Campinas, Brazil" on Spreaker.

Automatically Transcribed With Podsqueeze

Tom Reaoch 00:00:01 Welcome to Talk 2 Brazil with Tom Reaoch, the business connector to business in Brazil. Talk 2 Brazil podcast talks with business experts throughout the world. I'm Tom Reaoch connecting people from my studio in Brazil. Joining us today from Campinas, Brazil is Mari Savedra, international business innovation specialist, innovation strategist at Venture Hub, owner of Mari Savedra Business Consulting and founder of Speedy Kids Method. We met recently at the Campinas Innovation Week where it was a pleasant surprise to meet you again. Mari, you are proof that networking never gets old.

Mari Savedra 00:00:46 It's true. Thank you for being here today to talk to you. we've talked before and you gave me lots of very good, interesting hacks, so I will follow them. Thank you very much. We met. We met each other. 2013. For the first time, I was in the city hall as director of economic development. you went to the city hall? I we talked a.

Tom Reaoch 00:01:14 Little bit.

Mari Savedra 00:01:16 At. It's true. And then I was invited for a mission in the US by the American Chamber of Commerce.

Mari Savedra 00:01:24 So I went to the Silicon Valley, I went to Washington, DC, and I also went to Austin. I was in the Austin city hall there. We were invited by Natalie Cofield. And I saw you there. I saw you there also. And I thought, wow, he's in Campinas and he's also in Texas. This is an international. This is an international man. So I was surprised there. I got the, I got a citizenship of honor from from Natalie. I was very happy and surprised. I, I was not expecting to get such an honor. You know, I have worked for Campinas, for many years. six years. I did a lot of good projects. I never I never got such an award. But I got it in Austin, and Natalie, has a thank you for the opportunity, and and I thought, wow, we've met. We've talked to each other, but I didn't thank you. You know, I regret that I didn't thank you. and, well, 12 years later at the Campinas Innovation Week, which has happened r two weeks ago, I saw you and I came to you because I had to say thank you.

Mari Savedra 00:02:43 I never forgot that you were responsible for this award from Texas, from Austin. And I thanked you, and you gave me a new gift to be here today and talk a little bit about myself, about bought my own experiences. That means network never gets old, right? It's true. It's important to take care of your network. Very good. And, I think it's important to say thank you to give the other opportunities to show up. Show off. And that's what you were giving me. Thank you. Tom.

Tom Reaoch 00:03:21 Well, I want to thank you, because actually, you helped me remember a long series of things. part of those started here, actually, in Campinas. Natalie Cofield, you mentioned that she was here. She visited Campinas, years ago, and I had the pleasure of meeting her here in Campinas. And at that time, she was part of a group that was responsible for economic development in Austin, Texas. And she had come to Brazil because they had made a study and came to the conclusion that the city of Campinas had so many different similarities with AustinTexas.

Tom Reaoch 00:03:57 From an innovation standpoint, communication standpoint, from a number of different things. And they had made that study and because of that came here to see Campinas. And actually, I had the pleasure of meeting her here, showing some things, taking her to City Hall, the American Chamber, and showing her a little bit of, touching to see really what, what Campinas is all about. And it still is. It was and still is an innovation center. So and it was that point of then me being invited to Austin, to talk to people in Austin, about Campinas and Brazil. So networking is ongoing. The secret. There's no secret to it. is to establish connections, but to make those connections, register those connections so that we can, over time, follow those connections. Because people. And this is our experience, all right. We've known each other for like, 12 years. Yeah, but during those 12 years, you have had your own journey, your own professional journey from City Hall. You're a consultant.

Tom Reaoch 00:05:11 You're an innovation strategist at Venture Hub here in Campinas. You've created an online site for teaching children or parents. So you've done a whole lot of different things over the 12 years. So how can I follow you in what you're doing? It could be that. So it was really a surprise to me to walk into a stand at the Innovation Week and have you come up to me? All right. Amongst I think there were 12 or 15 different people there all dressed the same. And it really impressed us. Wow, this is really exciting. Then you started talking about Austin. And so that's where the clicks came. That's where those the unique words come together that help us remember. Where do we make. Because we actually met in companies. But you started talking about Austin. Yeah. So those are the things we remind each other when we meet people over time, we have to help them remember where we met, because we're always, most people are in a different place today than they were when we met them.

Tom Reaoch 00:06:11 That's been my experience. So that's one of the things I like to do is use LinkedIn actually to be able to follow people through their professional journey. And I have many connections, and I have those connections over many years and have been able to follow those people as they go and they've been able to follow me. So and that's what helps make networking always fresh so it never gets old. So that was the pleasure in meeting you. obviously we have a, a a relationship through Venture Hub. Our Venture Hub is also one of the, prime examples of innovation, in Campinas and the Campinas region. They've expanded throughout the country, now in Manaus, and they were one of the co-sponsors of the event. Yeah. Yeah. So and that's again some things that have happened over time. So that's the plus. So that was the the real excitement of not only seeing you. Obviously that was the high point, but there were so many people there. What really impressed me about Campinas Innovation Week. this is the, you know, people from everywhere from throughout Brazil.

Tom Reaoch 00:07:25 And what impressed me was the the amount of young persons visiting. I'm talking adolescence. high school. probably early college was full of them all excited, always looking, checking. And there were a number of stands. There was a lot to do there at the Innovation Week. So that was really exciting. The group that you were part of was really exciting. They were really high energized.

Mari Savedra 00:07:51 Yeah. That's right. It's a great accelerator. And Venture Hub has accelerated more than 600 start ups since the beginning. So it's a very. It's a very interesting place to work where the energy entrepreneurship is always there. And I have also the chance to to help many startups through Venture Hub. we also prepare companies to be sold. So that's a, that's a really a good activity that I love doing. and Venture Hub was responsible also for the organization of companies Innovation Hub. And this event has had more than 20,000 people. And I was so surprised to see that many are interested in entrepreneurship and having their own business.

Mari Savedra 00:08:41 So the mentality, the mindset is changing. People are not only thinking about, okay, getting a good job, but having their own companies. And I love it. I really love it. I was that's been my my dream for many years. I have worked as public servant for more than ten years, as you know, but I also wanted to have my company one day. And when I left the Public Service 2022, I was in Germany. I started my company there. I, I gave classes in a German school. I was a teacher there, but I also had my company, my business company, working mainly with financials because people they need really financial education. So I saw a great opportunity to help Brazilian and also German people with, with their finances. when I got to Brazil again, 2024, I was invited by Venture Hub to work there. So I have two activities. Venture Hub is one one thing and it's very important is my main activity. And I also have my company where I also, offer financial services to, small and medium companies in Brazil.

Tom Reaoch 00:10:07 Well, that's actually the way that businesses are today. we are all what I sell multi personas and we can do several things at the same time. And modern business actually requires most companies and persons to have multiple, experiences, ongoing experiences. Because as you mentioned, and Campinas is it's one of the focal points of Campinas because of the university structure that we have of the University of Campinas. We have a massive amount of students who graduate, and then stay in the region. And then as they stay here, they start up a company and the focus has, has been as you said. They want to have their own company. They want to do their own thing. They have their own idea. And so the innovation part of companies is that it helps mature the ideas. And as Venture Hub does as an accelerator, it helps those people with ideas put it all together. Yeah. Because what I've seen, even my experience where everybody has a good idea and fantastic ideas, but if you don't structure it.

Tom Reaoch 00:11:23 And one of the points that you mentioned, how are you going to pay for. Where's the money come from? How do you keep how do you get other people to help you? So that's how do you structure a startup? And Campinas has become a global reference for that. So many of the companies in the region have have grown. And I'm going to talk about Venture Hub. How about others? I Food for one is become global. CI&T is another global operation that's here, and they're everywhere. And they all started from university students someday graduating and having an idea. So that was the point that Natalie found through her experience and research in Austin. She says, hey, there's something there happening. Unfortunately, what many people in Brazil don't do, they don't talk about it. They just do it. And they're having success or being successful like you and many others. But sometimes they need to tell others about that success or show others about that success. So that's it. And the opportunities you had, you got to see Silicon Valley.

Tom Reaoch 00:12:34 The American Chamber helped in taking groups to specifically to the United States. But other countries have the same thing of taking Brazilians to other locations. Germany, all right, to make contact with persons, with companies And to open up. So anyway, it was fantastic to meet you. And what I say is, what would you say now, not only to the people out there, but specifically to those out in the world. What would you say about Campinas? How would you say Campinas could attract other persons and businesses to the region?

Mari Savedra 00:13:13 Well, it's a fantastic city where you meet high skilled people. You know, you have we have more than 19 colleges and universities here in Campinas. I think it's quite the same number. In Austin, in Austin, we have 21 colleges and universities, I saw it. They are very similar computers in Austin. They have lots of similarities, just as you said. It's the city where I. Where I made career and my family. So I love this city.

Mari Savedra 00:13:45 This is in my heart. It's a very good city to do jobs to establish your company, you know, we, Campinas is crossed by the most, five most important highways in Brazil. It's very good for logistic. There is also an airport here Viracopus. Right. great companies. 50 companies from the hundred greatest companies in the world. Biggest companies are here in the region. So, we have lots of, attraction factors that, make investing in companies good. And it's not that bureaucratic, just as just as other cities. So, of course, there is bureaucracy. You have to know how to invest here so that you don't lose money in Brazil as well. But it's very good to invest and to live in, to, to raise your children. I love this city and I'm very thankful, to this city for every everything that I got in my life.

Tom Reaoch 00:14:43 Very good. Well, we hope that more of our listeners can share that and come either to visit or to start their company? Yes.

Tom Reaoch 00:14:50 So again, where can our. Where can our listeners find you?

Mari Savedra 00:14:55 So, Well, I'm the LinkedIn Mari Savedra, and this is my LinkedIn account. So we're going to to see a little bit about me. I have I'm a multitask woman. So you're going to see my financial side, my startup side through Venture Hub. And I also developed I have also developed a project for kids. So kids, that spend, a lot of time using their cell phones and playing video games. So I have developed, developed a method to make them read more and play less. It was based on my personal experience with my with my, my kid. So, he spent a lot of time playing with his cell phone, and he couldn't read. he was eight years old and he couldn't read. So I have developed a method so that he could read more. And it worked. So I turned. I turned a big problem to an opportunity. So I developed a course for parents to help their kids reading more and playing less.

Tom Reaoch 00:16:03 And or changing. Playing into learning.

Mari Savedra 00:16:06 Yeah. Yeah. I don't I don't, prohibit playing because it's part of our reality today. But kids have to read more. They have to to have more experiences with books. So that's what I try to construct with my son. And it has worked because he he has good grades at school. So I'm very happy to see, his improvements.

Tom Reaoch 00:16:30 Very good. Well, congratulations with that facet as well.

Mari Savedra 00:16:34 Thank you very much. And I also work with finances I love financials, people don't, people don't have time to spend with their financials and company in their company. So that's the reason, they get financial problems. So I think there is a lack of financial education in Brazil. They think it's not important. It's very important to manage your cash flow, to take good decisions and not to get debt. So that's what I do. Also helped in, being profitable.

Tom Reaoch 00:17:06 Lots to do. So thanks again, Mari.

Mari Savedra 00:17:08 Thank you very much.

Tom Reaoch 00:17:10 And again, for our listeners, it is Mari Savedra.

Tom Reaoch 00:17:13 Mari, the last name. Savedra. you canfind her on LinkedIn? Is Mari Savedra. Talk 2 Brazil was brought to us by FocusMI Market Intelligence, specializing in market research for the Brazilian agricultural market. More about them at FocusMI.com. Remember, when you "Talk to Tom, You Talk to the World". Goodbye and thanks for listening. Thanks for listening to Tom Reaoch on Talk 2 Brazil, the business connector to Brazil.

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Unlocking Innovation Through Networking: Lessons from Campinas, Brazil

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