What StartSe University does

StartSe University is a Brazilian private international business school headquartered in São Paulo (StartSe Tower) and operating within The Nowledge CO. holding structure — described by the company as the largest business knowledge platform in Brazil. The legal structure spans two entities: STARTSE TURISMO DE NEGOCIOS LTDA (tourism and business travel division) and STARTSE INFORMACOES E SISTEMAS S/A (information and systems division). The company positions itself as 'The First International Business School' in Brazil, focused on preparing leaders for constant market disruption. It delivers executive education, leadership development, corporate transformation consulting, international immersions, and Global MBA programs to enterprise clients and individual professionals, with over 400 corporate clients including GM, Bayer, BAT, Itaú, Nestlé, Natura, IBM, Banco do Brasil, XP Investimentos, and Hyundai.

The product portfolio follows a platform-plus-modules architecture: the flagship Executive Program provides immersive leadership training, complemented by Global MBAs delivered in partnership with FIAP (which provides academic accreditation while StartSe contributes international modules). An AI education suite includes AI Action (practical AI course), AI Journey (strategic AI transformation program), an AI Tools aggregator platform, and the AI Festival event. The Board Program targets executives seeking board governance capability with emphasis on AI and technology supervision. Core methodology is the proprietary Flywheel Model for business transformation, supported by an expert network featuring Waze founder Uri Levine, Gary Bolles (Future of Work), and Dafna Blaschkauer (former Nike, Apple, Microsoft executive). Delivery combines an LMS platform at lms.startse.com with in-person programs at seven international knowledge hubs in Silicon Valley, Miami, China, Portugal, Israel, Estonia, and São Paulo. The company reports an average NPS of 97 across corporate programs.

Revenue is generated primarily through professional services: customized corporate training (leadership transformation, strategic planning, AI for leadership, sales acceleration, customer relationship programs), executive education programs, premium international immersions, and Global MBA tuition shared with FIAP. The AI Tools product is positioned as subscription/recurring. Go-to-market is sales-led with a dedicated corporate team segmented by client size (from micro-entrepreneurs to 100,000+ employee enterprises), supported by WhatsApp, email, and web inquiry channels. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales, FIAP co-marketing for MBA enrollment, and self-serve LMS access for individual learners. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is generated via bespoke quotes per program.

Name

StartSe University

Legal name

STARTSE TURISMO DE NEGOCIOS LTDA | STARTSE INFORMACOES E SISTEMAS S/A

Website

https://startse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

StartSe University is a Brazil-based international business school offering executive education, leadership development, AI-focused curricula, corporate transformation consulting, and Global MBA programs (via FIAP partnership) to enterprise clients and individual professionals across seven global knowledge hubs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Education & Corporate Programs (Non-degree) (EDAHAHAN)

Keywords

• Executive education
• Corporate training
• International immersions
• Leadership development
• Business school programs

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Training Programs: Customized in-company leadership development and transformation programs for enterprise clients. Includes leadership transformation, strategic planning, AI for leadership, sales acceleration, and customer relationship programs. Billed as comprehensive corporate solutions.
2. Executive Education Programs: In-person and online executive programs including the Executive Program focused on leadership transformation. Programs feature international immersions and are priced as premium executive education offerings.
3. Global MBA Programs: Partnership with FIAP for Global MBA programs combining leadership, AI, and global innovation. Programs prepare leaders to take businesses beyond borders with international perspective.
4. International Immersions: Short-term intensive programs visiting innovation hubs globally (China Mission, Silicon Valley Mission, NYC/NRF, etc.). Includes company visits, expert sessions, and networking in the destination market.
5. AI Education Tools: AI-focused courses and tools including AI Action course for practical AI application by leaders and managers, and AI Journey strategic transformation program.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

StartSe is an international business school that delivers executive education through lectures, in-person and online programs, corporate training, and international immersions in global innovation hubs. Offerings include the Executive Program for leadership transformation, Global MBAs in partnership with FIAP, AI-focused courses (AI Action, AI Journey), Board Program for governance training, and customized corporate consulting built around a proprietary Flywheel Model methodology.

Product overview

StartSe é uma Escola Internacional de Negócios que opera como plataforma modular de educação executiva. O portfólio principal inclui o Executive Program (imersão para lideranças), programas de Global MBAs em parceria com FIAP, e Imersões Internacionais em polos globais de inovação (Vale do Silício, China, NYC, etc.). A empresa oferece módulos especializados de IA (AI Action, AI Journey, IA para Negócios), programas de formação para conselheiros (Board Program), ferramenta agregadora de AI Tools, consultoria corporativa customizável, e eventos como o AI Festival. A arquitetura é plataforma-plus-módulos, onde o aluno pode consumir formações isoladas ou jornadas integradas de transformação.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Executive Program: Leadership development program for executives
• Board Program
• AI Action
• AI Journey
• Global MBAs (FIAP & StartSe)
• AI Festival
• StartSe Tower

Products and services

• Executive Program Immersive program for executives and senior leaders to build repertoire, networking, and an action plan to take their company to the next level of growth and acceleration amid market transformations.
• Global MBAs FIAP & StartSe High-impact Global MBA programs combining leadership, AI, and global innovation, delivered in partnership with FIAP to prepare leaders to take businesses beyond their borders.
• AI Action Practical course for leaders and managers on AI tools to optimize processes and decision-making.
• Board Program Program for training board members/counselors 100% connected to the market, preparing executives for the transition from execution to strategic supervision on boards.
• AI Journey Strategic AI transformation journey for leadership and businesses in Brazil — the largest such program in the country per the company.
• AI Tools Aggregator platform showcasing AI tools for business and personal use.
• International Immersions (Imersões Internacionais) Short-term intensive programs visiting innovation hubs globally (Silicon Valley, Miami, China, Portugal, Israel, Estonia, São Paulo), including company visits, expert sessions, and networking with local executives.
• NRF 2027 in New York Business and sales immersion to the world's largest global retail event (NRF), with curated visits to companies, stores, and transformative startups in New York.
• IA para Negócios - Executive In-Person Immersion Most up-to-date in-person AI immersion for businesses in Brazil, preparing leaders to become AI references in their organizations.
• Corporate Consulting (Consultoria Corporativa) Customized consulting solutions for business transformation, including leadership development, innovation culture, sales acceleration, and AI for leadership.
• AI Festival Annual event focused on artificial intelligence, gathering specialists and business leaders to discuss practical AI applications in business.

Quantifiable outcome

• NPS of 97 on corporate programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FIAP (Faculdade de Informática e Administração Paulista)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for Global MBA programs combining leadership, AI, and global innovation education. FIAP provides academic credentials while StartSe contributes international perspective and industry expertise. Programs are marketed jointly through both platforms with FIAP handling accreditation and StartSe delivering international modules.
• The Nowledge CO.coreOthersStartSe is part of The Nowledge CO., described as the largest business knowledge platform in Brazil. This parent organization provides scale and resources for knowledge content development and distribution across multiple channels and formats.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Singularity University: Global executive education platform focused on exponential technologies, leadership, and innovation. Closely comparable in positioning (cutting-edge transformation for executives) and delivery model (international immersion-style programs).
• Fundação Dom Cabral: One of Brazil's leading executive education and corporate development institutions. Directly comparable in offering open-enrollment executive programs and customized corporate programs to large Brazilian enterprises.
• FIAP (Faculdade de Informática e Administração Paulista): Brazilian technology and business school. Direct partner on StartSe's Global MBA programs and overlapping stack of executive/corporate education offerings targeting professionals in Brazil.
• Business School São Paulo (BSP): Brazilian business school with executive education and corporate programs. Comparable target market (Brazilian executives and enterprises) and overlapping product set of MBAs, short courses, and corporate training.
• FIA (Fundação Instituto de Administração): Brazilian business school focused on executive education and corporate training. Comparable in delivering in-company programs and customized transformation journeys to enterprise clients, with overlap in target buyer (HR/L&D, C-suite).

Emerging players

• Endeavor Brasil: Brazilian entrepreneurship support and education organization. Overlaps in entrepreneurship/business enrichment programs and global immersion experiences, though targeted at scale-up founders rather than the C-suite.

Broad incumbents

• INSEAD Executive Education: Premier global business school with substantial executive education and corporate program offerings. Competes for the same multinational corporate training wallet and senior executive audience, with stronger brand and academic credentials.
• Stanford Executive Education (Stanford GSB): Top-tier global executive education provider, particularly in innovation, leadership, and technology. Directly competes for senior executives seeking Silicon Valley exposure and thought leadership content.
• Harvard Business School Executive Education: Global leader in executive education with extensive corporate custom programs. Competes for the same C-suite/board audience on leadership, governance, and transformation themes targeted by StartSe.

Others

• Coursera (Executive Education tracks): Global online learning platform with rapidly growing executive education and AI leadership content from top universities. Adjacent competitor for individual professionals and a complementary channel for corporate L&D budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/startse-university

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about StartSe University