Sebrae - SP

What Sebrae - SP does

Sebrae-SP (Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas – Unidade São Paulo) is the São Paulo state unit of SEBRAE, a Brazilian public service institution established by federal law (Lei 8.154/90) and linked to the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services. Founded in 1972 and headquartered in São Paulo, the organization operates with 1,001–5,000 employees and delivers support programs to small and medium enterprises through public funding rather than commercial fees. Its "Sebrae for Startups" initiative runs four core acceleration programs—Spark (early-stage), Start (mid-stage), Speed (growth-stage), and Ginga (Afro-tech hub)—supplemented by capital access products including Capital Empreendedor, Subvenção (R$140M+ in grants), and Fundos (R$40M+ in investment participation).

The underlying technology stack is predominantly programmatic rather than proprietary. The most technically substantive offering is the national Scale AI program (May–October 2026), which provides selected startups with AWS cloud infrastructure, NVIDIA GPU access, and mentorship from the Federal University of Goiás AI Center of Excellence. Complementary programs include Inova Amazônia Global Edition for international scaling (launched at COP30) and the Academia JOVI & SEBRAE SP digital training platform. Distribution is enabled through self-serve portals (sebraeforstartups.sebraesp.com.br, programas.sebraestartups.com.br) and partnerships with AWS, NVIDIA, Endeavor, JOVI, and Shark Tank Brasil.

Sebrae-SP is funded by public resources allocated through the national SEBRAE structure and does not charge participants directly for its acceleration, mentoring, or capital access programs. Revenue mechanics are therefore budget-allocation driven, not transactional. Customer segments include São Paulo startups across maturity stages (primary), Brazilian SMEs seeking AI and digital transformation (primary), women-led ventures, and Amazon-based startups. The organization reports cumulative impact of 3,500+ startups attended, 2,000+ accelerated, presence across 265 municipalities, 20,000+ people engaged in startup culture initiatives, 600+ active mentors, and 60+ partner organizations.

Name

Sebrae - SP

Legal name

Sebrae-SP (Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas - Unidade São Paulo)

Website

https://startups.sebraesp.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Sebrae-SP is the São Paulo state unit of Brazil's federally-mandated SEBRAE public service institution, running startup acceleration programs (Spark, Start, Speed, Ginga), grant and investment capital access, and national initiatives including Scale AI and Inova Amazônia. It serves São Paulo startups and Brazilian SMEs with publicly funded, no-cost programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Development Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

Keywords

• SME business support
• Startup acceleration programs
• Entrepreneurship development
• Government innovation funding
• Small business mentoring

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government-funded support programs: Sebrae is a Brazilian government entity that provides support services to small and medium enterprises through public funding. Programs include acceleration, mentoring, and seed funding.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sebrae-SP is the São Paulo state unit of Brazil's federal small business support agency, providing entrepreneurship development services to micro, small, and medium enterprises. Through its "Sebrae for Startups" initiative, it operates acceleration programs (Spark, Start, Speed, Ginga), funding programs (grants and investment connections), mentorship networks, and ecosystem-building services. The programs target startups from ideation through exponential growth stages, supported by 600+ mentors, R$140 million in grant resources, and R$40 million in investment funds.

Product overview

Sebrae for Startups is an initiative ofSebrae-SP dedicated to supporting startups across their entire lifecycle—from ideation through exponential growth. The portfolio includes four acceleration programs (Spark for early-stage, Start for mid-stage, Speed for growth-stage, and Ginga for Afro-tech startups), plus capital access programs (Capital Empreendedor, Subvenção grants totaling R$140 million, and Fundos for venture connections). National programs include Scale AI for AI adoption acceleration and Inova Amazônia Global Edition for international scaling. Complementary digital training is offered through Academia JOVI & SEBRAE SP. The initiative has supported over 3,500 startups, accelerated 2,000+, and connected 600+ mentors across São Paulo and Brazil.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Spark: Startup acceleration program for early-stage startups in São Paulo
• Start
• Speed
• Ginga

Products and services

• Spark Early-stage acceleration program for startups in initial development phases in São Paulo state.
• Start Mid-stage acceleration program supporting startups as they progress beyond initial validation phases.
• Speed Growth-stage acceleration program focused on scaling startups with established market traction.
• Ginga Afro-tech hub acceleration program focused on supporting Black and Afro-Brazilian entrepreneurs in the innovation ecosystem.
• Capital Empreendedor Entrepreneurial capital program providing funding access and financial resources for startups.
• Subvenção Non-repayable grant funding program supporting R$140 million in subsidies distributed to startups.
• Fundos Investment fund connection program facilitating access to venture capital and investment resources.
• Scale AI Program National AI adoption acceleration program for Brazilian SMEs, selecting startups to bring AI solutions to small and medium enterprises.
• Inova Amazônia Global Edition International scaling initiative to help Amazon-based startups expand globally with focus on sustainable use of the Amazon forest.
• Academia JOVI & SEBRAE SP Digital training platform for micro and small business owners, created in partnership with JOVI.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence at Federal University of GoiáscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Strategic partner for Scale AI program, providing academic expertise and research capabilities to support AI adoption among Brazilian SMEs through the national acceleration program.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or Integration · 7 May 2026Cloud infrastructure partner for Scale AI program, providing cloud services and technology support to enable AI development among participating startups.
• NVIDIAcoreTechnology or Integration · 7 May 2026GPU access partner for Scale AI program, providing computing resources essential for AI model training and development by selected startups.
• EndeavorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026High-impact entrepreneurship organization supporting Scale AI program, contributing expertise in scaling high-growth startups in Brazil.
• SEBRAE (National)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2026Partnership between India's BRICS Chamber of Commerce and SEBRAE to support women-led enterprises, focusing on access to finance, markets, and decision-making.
• JOVIflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 March 2026Partnership includes Academia JOVI & SEBRAE SP, a digital training platform for micro and small business owners, and sponsorship of Shark Tank Brasil program with investment for entrepreneurs.
• Shark Tank BrasilflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 March 2026Television program sponsorship where one early-stage entrepreneur receives R$50,000 investment plus a JOVI smartphone, with SEBRAE SP partnership support.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Artemisia: Brazilian non-profit impact accelerator focused on social businesses and inclusion. Highly comparable as a mission-driven Brazilian accelerator focused on under-represented founders and impact entrepreneurs, with similar capital-light structure.
• Endeavor Brasil: Brazil's leading high-impact entrepreneurship support organization, supporting founders with mentorship, networks, and capital scaling expertise. Already a strategic partner on Scale AI, and highly comparable in mission, target founders, and program methodology in Brazil.
• Startup Brasil: Federal government-backed accelerator program operated by MCTIC/Anprotec to support Brazilian tech startups. Closest analog by funding model (government), mandate (national SME/tech), and program structure (cohort-based acceleration).

Broad incumbents

• Y Combinator: Largest global accelerator, benchmark for structured cohort-based acceleration. Highly comparable for lifecycle-stage support, mentor network depth, and ecosystem-building approach — even though SEBRAE serves a different geography and segment.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network with structured cohort programs. Comparable tiered acceleration model (mentor-driven, network-driven) and approach to early-stage capital deployment through accelerator programs worldwide.
• Wayra Brasil: Corporate innovation accelerator owned by Telefónica/Vivo in Brazil. Comparable as a Brazil-based program offering startups mentorship, corporate customer access, and follow-on capital — competing for similar early-stage Brazilian founders.
• Distrito: Brazilian open innovation and corporate venture platform connecting startups to large enterprises. Comparable as a Brazilian innovation ecosystem orchestrator facilitating corporate-startup partnerships and SME digital transformation initiatives.

Regional players

• ACES: Associação Brasileira dos Centros de Inovação e Empreendedorismo — industry association of Brazilian accelerators and incubators. Comparable as SEBRAE-SP's natural counterparty ecosystem for collaboration and standardization in Brazilian acceleration.
• Anprotec: Brazilian association of incubators and technology parks, partner in the Startup Brasil program. Comparable role as institutional orchestrator of Brazilian startup support infrastructure and policy advocacy.

Others

• Berthier Investimentos: Brazilian venture capital firm that invests via SEBRAE-originated deal flow and co-invests with public accelerators. Comparable as the downstream capital partner that SEBRAE's Fundos program connects accelerated startups to.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sebrae-sp
• Instagraminstagram.com/sebraeforstartups
• Xx.com/sebraesp
• Facebookfacebook.com/sebraesp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sebrae - SP