Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau

What Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau does

Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau (FURB) is a Brazilian private non-profit foundation headquartered in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, operating a regional university founded in 1964. The institution serves students across the Itajaí Valley through four campuses (Campus 1, 2, 3, and 5) and offers a comprehensive education stack: high school via ETEVI, undergraduate (Graduação), specialization (Especialização), master's (Mestrado), and doctoral (Doutorado) programs, supplemented by FURB Idiomas and IsF language courses, short-duration continuing-education courses (Curta Duração), and the Universidade Gratuita free-tuition program. Supporting infrastructure includes the AVA FURB virtual learning environment, the university library (Biblioteca), and the Centro de Inovação Blumenau (CIB) innovation hub co-anchored with regional industry and government under the Arroba 22 triple-helix model.

FURB's technology footprint centers on the AVA FURB learning platform and standard higher-education administrative systems rather than proprietary technology products; its technology identity is fundamentally that of a teaching, research, and extension institution rather than a technology vendor. The institution participates in applied research and extension projects across sciences, humanities, health, and technology, and its faculty leads initiatives such as workshops, public concerts, and community extension activities.

The business model combines tuition and academic fees from paid programs (undergraduate, specialization, master's, doctoral, language, and short courses) with public funding from federal, state (FAPESC), and municipal (CAPES-adjacent) sources. Some programs are offered tuition-free under the Universidade Gratuita program funded by government transfers. Admission is delivered through the vestibular entrance exam, ENEM scores, and edital-based public notices. The current rector is Marcia Sardá Espindola, and the institution has no parent company, no VC/PE ownership, and is not publicly traded.

Name

Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau

Legal name

Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau

Website

https://furb.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

FURB is a Brazilian private non-profit regional university founded in 1964 in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, serving Itajaí Valley students across high school, undergraduate, master's, doctoral, language, and short-course programs via four campuses and a virtual learning environment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Blumenau

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Fees: Revenue from tuition fees for paid programs and specialized courses. Some programs offer free education through Universidade Gratuita program.
2. Government Funding: Public funding from federal, state, and municipal government sources for public university operations.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau (FURB) is a Brazilian private non-profit university offering a comprehensive education portfolio spanning high school through doctoral-level programs across multiple disciplines including sciences, humanities, health, technology, and arts. Beyond degree programs, it runs language courses (FURB Idiomas), short-term continuing education (Curta Duração), a tuition-free access program (Universidade Gratuita), and a virtual learning environment (AVA FURB).

Product overview

Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau (FURB) is a Brazilian university offering a comprehensive educational portfolio. The institution operates as a multi-level educational platform consisting of Ensino Médio (high school through ETEVI), Graduação (undergraduate programs), Especialização (specialization programs), and Pós-Graduação (master's and doctoral programs). Supporting services include FURB Idiomas for language learning, AVA FURB as a virtual learning environment, short-term courses under Curta Duração, and the Universidade Gratuita program providing tuition-free access. Additional infrastructure includes the Biblioteca (library services) and the Centro de Inovação Blumenau (CIB), which serves as an innovation hub for the regional technology ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ETEVI: Technical school offering high school education
• Universidade Gratuita
• FURB Idiomas

Products and services

• Ensino Médio (ETEVI) High school education offered through ETEVI (Escola Técnica de Educação), the technical school arm of FURB, serving secondary-school students.
• Graduação (Undergraduate Programs) Bachelor's degree programs offered across multiple fields of study including sciences, humanities, health, engineering, and arts.
• Especialização (Specialization Programs) Post-bachelor specialization programs for professionals seeking advanced knowledge in specific areas.
• Mestrado (Master's Degree Programs) Master's degree programs across various academic disciplines, designed for advanced study and research.
• Doutorado (Doctoral Programs) Doctoral degree programs for advanced research, academic expertise, and original scholarly contribution.
• FURB Idiomas Language learning programs including English and other foreign languages, available to students and community members.
• Curta Duração (Short-term Courses) Short-term and continuing education courses aimed at professional development and skill building.
• Universidade Gratuita (Free University Program) Tuition-free higher education access program providing tuition-free enrollment for eligible students, supported by government funding.
• AVA FURB (Virtual Learning Environment) Ambiente Virtual de Aprendizagem providing online and hybrid course delivery infrastructure for FURB students and faculty.
• Biblioteca (University Library) Library services providing academic resources, research materials, and study spaces to FURB students and faculty.
• Centro de Inovação Blumenau (CIB) Innovation hub fostering technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and collaboration between the university, regional companies, and the public sector in the Blumenau innovation ecosystem.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Centro de Inovação Blumenau (CIB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2013FURB played a fundamental role in establishing the Centro de Inovação Blumenau (Innovation Center of Blumenau). In April 2013, FURB's University Council approved the donation of land where CIB was built. FURB oversaw the civil construction works and managed the partnership agreement with the State Government. The center operates under the Arroba 22 innovation model, bringing together university, companies, and public sector in a triple helix approach. The CIB is strategically located between FURB's Campus 1 and Campus 2, forming the future Innovation District.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• UNIVALI (Universidade do Vale do Itajaí): Private non-profit foundation university headquartered in Itajaí, Santa Catarina, offering undergraduate through doctoral programs across multiple campuses. Closely comparable to FURB in structure, regional footprint and program mix in the same Brazilian state.
• UFSC (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina): Federal public university headquartered in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, with comprehensive undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs and a strong research base. Competes directly with FURB in the same state and broader southern Brazil higher-education market.
• UDESC (Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina): State public university with campuses across Santa Catarina offering undergraduate and graduate programs including doctorate. Comparable to FURB as a comprehensive higher-education provider competing for the same regional student pool.
• PUC-PR (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná): Private non-profit Catholic foundation university in Curitiba offering the same comprehensive K-through-PhD ladder as FURB. Directly comparable in governance model (fundação), program breadth and revenue mix.
• PUCRS (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul): Private non-profit Catholic foundation university in Porto Alegre offering undergraduate through doctoral programs plus research and innovation centers. Same fundação governance model and similar research/innovation ambitions to FURB.
• UFRGS (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul): Federal public comprehensive university in Porto Alegre, one of Brazil's top-ranked research universities. Comparable to FURB as a southern-Brazilian higher-education and research competitor, though materially larger in scale.

Broad incumbents

• FGV (Fundação Getúlio Vargas): Private non-profit fundação operating schools of business, law, public policy and social sciences across multiple Brazilian campuses. Comparable to FURB through fundação governance, postgraduate/research orientation and executive-education footprint, though FGV is much larger and more nationally focused.
• USP (Universidade de São Paulo): Largest public university in Brazil with comprehensive undergraduate through doctoral programs and research output. Comparable broad-spectrum higher-education and research activity to FURB, but operates at a national benchmark scale far above FURB.
• Anhembi Morumbi (Universidade Anhembi Morumbi): Large private non-profit university in São Paulo offering comprehensive undergraduate through doctoral programs. Comparable to FURB as a private non-profit comprehensive university, though larger and concentrated in a different metropolitan market.

Regional players

• IFSC (Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina): Federal network institute operating across Santa Catarina offering technical, undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Directly overlapping with FURB's catchment in the same state, especially on technical/vocational pathways complementary to FURB's ETEVI and Curta Duração programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/caep_furb
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/furb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau