ACATE - Santa Catarinian Tech-based Companies Association

What ACATE - Santa Catarinian Tech-based Companies Association does

ACATE (Associação Catarinense de Tecnologia), founded in 1986 in Florianópolis, Brazil, is a non-profit industry association and the principal representative of the Santa Catarina technology ecosystem. It serves 1,700+ member technology companies distributed across 8 regional innovation poles (ACIRS, Blusoft, Cetus, Deatec, Florianópolis, NuTI, Orion, Softville) and an international hub in Toronto, Canada. The association operates a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a single product: MIDITEC (incubator, recognized three times by UBI Global as a top-5 global incubator, with 300+ companies formed over 25 years), LinkLab (open innovation laboratory connecting startups with 60+ large enterprises and government institutions), ACATE Startups (early-stage community), ACATE 1bi (business intelligence and global M&A trends for leaders), ACATE Invest (capital and investor matchmaking), 11 sector Verticais de Negócios (AgTech, Construtech, EdTech, Energia, Fintech, Manufatura 4.0, Peopletech, Saúde, Security Tech, Smart Cities, Varejo), thematic groups (Internationalization, Mulheres ACATE, Investment), and the Rede MIDIHUB incubator network extending MIDITEC's methodology across the state. ACATE also operates physical innovation centers (CIA Primavera on SC-401 "Rota da Inovação," CIA Downtown, CIA Sapiens Parque, CIA São José, CIAD Downtown Chapecó), publishes Observatório ACATE ecosystem research, issues Atestado de Exclusividade certifications (R$150 per 90-day certificate) used in public procurement, and runs talent programs including DevInHouse with SENAI/SC.

The association generates revenue through three streams: recurring annual membership subscriptions from 1,700+ member companies, multi-tier corporate sponsorships (Premium, Pro, Start — with Dell and Algar as named Premium sponsors), and unit-priced professional services such as the Atestado de Exclusividade. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: members are acquired through direct outreach, regional poles, vertical communities, and open-innovation programs that broker B2B2B and B2B2G connections between startups and enterprise or government demand. Key institutional partners include BRDE (Banco Regional de Desenvolvimento do Extremo Sul, co-operator of BRDE Labs SC), SEBRAE/SC, SENAI/SC, FAPESC, Mana Tech (Canada hub), the municipal government of Florianópolis via Rede de Inovação Florianópolis, and Celesc (public-procurement alignment for the electricity sector). Leadership is governance-led, with President Diego Brites Ramos (since 2024), Executive Director Gabriel Sant'Ana Palma Santos, and seven thematic vice-presidents, supported by a Deliberative Council, Fiscal Council, and executive managers across Operations, Commercial/Marketing, Strategic Programs, and Administration/Finance.

Name

ACATE - Santa Catarinian Tech-based Companies Association

Legal name

Associação Catarinense de Tecnologia

Website

https://acate.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACATE is a 40-year-old Brazilian non-profit industry association based in Florianópolis serving 1,700+ member technology companies across 8 regional poles through incubation (MIDITEC), open innovation (LinkLab), sector verticals, talent programs, and an international hub in Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Industry Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technical Professions (PE, Engineering CPD) (EDAAALAF)

Keywords

• Technology industry association
• Business incubation programs
• Open innovation services
• Startup ecosystem support
• Technology cluster association

Headquarters

HQ city

Florianópolis

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: ACATE generates revenue through annual membership fees from its 1,700+ member companies across 8 regional poles in Santa Catarina.
2. Atestado de Exclusividade: ACATE charges R$150 per issuance of exclusivity certificates used by member companies for public procurement processes. Certificates are valid for 90 days.
3. Sponsor/Mantenedor Program: Corporate sponsors (Premium, Pro, Start tiers) contribute financially to support ACATE's operations and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACATE is a private non-profit industry association that represents and serves 1,700+ technology companies in Santa Catarina, Brazil. Its core offering consists of membership-based programs and services: startup incubation (MIDITEC), open innovation matchmaking (LinkLab), business acceleration (BRDE Labs SC), sector-specific verticals, investment facilitation, talent training, physical innovation centers, and ancillary services such as exclusivity certificates for public procurement.

Product overview

ACATE (Associação Catarinense de Tecnologia) is a technology industry association serving as Santa Catarina's main representative of innovative entrepreneurship. Rather than a single unified product, ACATE operates a portfolio of interconnected programs and services: MIDITEC (business incubator) and Rede MIDIHUB (incubator network) for startup development; LinkLab (open innovation lab) and BRDE Labs SC (acceleration program) for connecting startups with enterprise challenges; ACATE Startups (community) for early-stage entrepreneurs; ACATE 1bi (business intelligence) and ACATE Invest (investment) for growth-stage companies; Verticais de Negócios (11 sector-specific verticals) and Grupos Temáticos (thematic groups) for peer networking; Innovation Centers (physical spaces) across the state; Observatório ACATE (research platform) for ecosystem analytics; plus certification services like Atestado de Exclusividade. The association represents over 1,700 member companies across 8 regional poles and manages an international hub in Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MIDITEC: Startup incubator that has supported over 300 companies and was recognized as one of the 5 best in the world three times by UBI Global
• LinkLab
• ACATE 1bi
• ACATE Invest
• ACATE Startups
• ACATE Experience

Products and services

• MIDITEC Technology business incubator that supports startups from ideation through growth stages. Created 25+ years ago, it has helped form more than 300 companies and was recognized three times as one of the top 5 best incubators globally by UBI Global.
• LinkLab First open innovation laboratory in Santa Catarina, connecting challenges from public institutions and medium/large companies to solutions developed by startups. Has served more than 60 large companies seeking innovation connections.
• ACATE Startups

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SEBRAE/SCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEBRAE Santa Catarina partners with ACATE on multiple programs including Jornada Startups, aimed at supporting creation and development of startups in Santa Catarina through connection and entrepreneurial formation.
• SENAI/SCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on DevInHouse program where companies participate actively and commit to hiring trained professionals. Also partners on Jovem Programador and Floripa Mais Tec programs for talent development.
• Mana TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACATE signed agreement with Mana Tech to strengthen internationalization of Santa Catarina companies to US and North American markets through the ACATE Canada hub.
• Rede Catarinense de Centros de InovaçãocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic network of innovation entities in Santa Catarina, co-founded by ACATE, aimed at uniting efforts and directing resources (financial and non-financial) to boost the innovation ecosystem.
• Rede de Inovação FlorianópoliscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Prefeitura Municipal de Florianópolis and ACATE to accredit Innovation Centers in the city, stimulate innovation culture and entrepreneurship, and boost development of innovative businesses.
• DellminorOthersPremium sponsor/mantenedor of ACATE supporting association operations.
• AlgarminorOthersPremium sponsor/mantenedor of ACATE supporting association operations.
• Rede MIDIHUBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of incubators across Santa Catarina using ACATE's incubation methodology. MIDITEC's approach has been replicated in dozens of incubators throughout the state.
• CelescminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACATE and Celesc align strategies for Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions in the electricity sector.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MaRS Discovery District: Toronto-based innovation hub offering incubation, acceleration, and enterprise open-innovation services. Highly comparable to ACATE — especially relevant given ACATE's Toronto/Canada international hub and shared focus on healthtech, cleantech, and fintech verticals.
• Porto Digital: Brazilian technology cluster and innovation hub based in Recife, Pernambuco. Operates a similar model to ACATE — physical innovation centers, incubation programs, and an open-innovation platform connecting startups to large enterprises and government. Direct regional peer in Brazil's tech-association landscape.
• Station F: World's largest startup campus based in Paris, hosting accelerators, programs, and corporate partners. Directly comparable to ACATE in operating a physical innovation campus that connects startups to enterprise programs (similar to LinkLab).
• Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC): US-based innovation campus operator running co-working, lab, and venture programs across multiple cities. Comparable to ACATE's innovation-center (CIA) network and open-innovation model connecting startups with corporates.
• Barcelona Tech City: Private non-profit tech cluster in Barcelona representing 1,000+ member companies, with innovation centers, vertical programs, and an open-innovation mandate. Closest international analog to ACATE's model of an association-led tech hub with physical spaces and enterprise-startup matchmaking.
• Tecnosinos: Technology park of Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS) in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Regional Brazilian tech-cluster peer operating innovation centers and corporate-startup programs.
• Tecnopuc: Technology park of PUCRS in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Comparable to ACATE's innovation centers as a multi-tenant tech campus offering incubation, acceleration, corporate R&D, and enterprise partnerships in southern Brazil.

Others

• 100 Open Startups: Brazilian open-innovation ranking and ecosystem platform that has repeatedly named ACATE as a top innovation hub. Functions as a complementary ecosystem participant and ranking authority rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• BRASSCOM: Brazilian Association of Information and Communication Technology Companies — the national-level industry association for IT/software in Brazil. Operates as a broader incumbent relative to ACATE's regional tech-association role, with overlapping policy advocacy and member-services functions.
• ASSESPRO: National federation of Brazilian IT companies. Shares ACATE's trade-association DNA (membership dues, advocacy, member services) but operates nationally rather than within a single state.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/acatesc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNM-qq1ga1fXKH-LzBGZ7QA
• Facebookfacebook.com/acatesc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acate---associa-o-catarinense-de-empresas-de-tecnologia
• Instagraminstagram.com/acate.sc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments4 records

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

Frequently asked questions about ACATE - Santa Catarinian Tech-based Companies Association