Fundação Arcadas

What Fundação Arcadas does

Fundação Arcadas is a São Paulo-based private non-profit foundation founded in 1999 by professors of the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo (FDUSP / Largo São Francisco). It functions as the official support entity for one of Brazil's most prestigious law schools, organizing continuing legal education, advanced academic study groups, and public-facing legal events. The organization serves licensed lawyers, judges, prosecutors, notaries, public servants, and graduate law students seeking specialized training in areas such as corporate law, tax reform, arbitration, agribusiness, compliance, and insolvency law. Courses are coordinated by leading FDUSP faculty (e.g., Roberto Quiroga Mosquera as Diretor Presidente and Fernando Facury Scaff as Presidente) and delivered through a hybrid model combining the cursos.fundacaoarcadas.org.br online portal with in-person sessions at FDUSP's Salão Nobre.

Revenue is generated entirely from course fees (typically R$2,700–R$3,000 per course), study-group memberships (R$2,000–R$7,000), and event registrations (R$100–R$500), collected via PIX, credit-card installments up to 6x, and nota de empenho for government entities. Scholarships and fee waivers are extended to FDUSP students, public servants, and judicial members. The foundation operates with approximately 15 employees and is governed by a Board and Advisory Council composed of USP law professors, with no external investors or parent company. Its institutional reach is anchored by a series of cooperation agreements signed with USP (2023), Banco do Brasil (2025), ANAFE (2025), Instituto Rui Barbosa (2024), TCE-SP (2021), and OAB-SP, positioning it as the default academic-CLE partner for Brazilian public institutions and bar associations.

Name

Fundação Arcadas

Legal name

Fundação Arcadas

Website

https://fundacaoarcadas.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fundação Arcadas is a São Paulo-based non-profit foundation, founded in 1999, that delivers continuing legal education and advanced study groups for Brazilian lawyers, judges, prosecutors, and graduate law students under the academic auspices of the University of São Paulo's Faculty of Law.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Continuing Legal Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE) (EDAAALAB)

Keywords

• Legal continuing education
• Specialized law courses
• Advanced study groups
• Brazilian law training
• Professional legal development

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Course and Program Fees: Revenue is generated from paid courses, study groups, and events. Course fees typically range from R$3,000 to R$3,500 for update courses; study group memberships range from R$2,000 to R$7,000; event registrations range from R$100 to R$500. Payment options include PIX, credit card (with installment plans up to 6x), and nota de empenho for government entities.
2. Study Group Memberships: Specialized advanced study groups in areas such as Corporate Contracts, Arbitration, Civil Procedure, and Bankruptcy Law generate revenue through membership fees, typically R$2,000 to R$7,000 per participant.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fundação Arcadas provides specialized continuing legal education and academic programs supporting the Faculty of Law of the University of São Paulo. Its core offerings include online and hybrid courses, advanced study groups, and events covering areas such as Corporate Law, Tax Law, M&A, Agrarian Law, Customs Law, Arbitration, Compliance, Payment Methods Law, and Insolvency Law. Programs are delivered by FDUSP-affiliated professors and practitioners, with certificates issued by the foundation.

Product overview

Fundação Arcadas operates as an educational platform supporting the Faculty of Law at the University of São Paulo, offering a portfolio of online courses, in-person study groups, and events focused on Brazilian law. The core offering consists of the Portal de Cursos Online for self-paced video courses, supplemented by intensive study groups (GEAP, GEAArb, GECE, GEADRF) with collaborative learning formats. Subject matter spans specialized legal areas including Customs Law (Direito Aduaneiro), Corporate M&A Operations, Agrarian Law, Tax Law in Digital Economy, Payment Methods Law, Compliance Programs, and Insolvency Law. Courses are structured around live sessions with expert faculty from academia and practice, featuring video-based content, discussion forums, and practical case analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Portal de Cursos Online
• Direito Aduaneiro (Customs Law Course)
• Operações Societárias e M&A
• Direito Agrário e do Agronegócio
• Direito Tributário na economia digital: regulação, inovação e reforma
• Honorários Advocatícios
• Direito dos Meios de Pagamento
• Programas de Compliance
• Encontro sobre Insolvência Empresarial
• GEAP – Grupo de Estudos Avançados em Processo
• GEArb – Grupo de Estudos Avançados em Arbitragem
• GECE – Grupo de Estudos em Contratos Empresariais
• GEADRF – Grupo de Estudos Avançados em Direito Recuperacional e Falimentar
• Curso de Atualização sobre a Reforma Tributária do Consumo (EC 132/23 e LC 214/24)
• Parceria Lawgorithm | Interfaces entre Inteligência Artificial e Direito
• O Futuro dos Processos Estruturais no Brasil

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

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Banco do BrasilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2025Agreement signed on 09/05/2025 between FDUSP, Banco do Brasil, and Fundação Arcadas to establish academic cooperation in areas of common interest. Cooperation includes joint research projects, scientific and cultural events, exchange of academic publications, administrative staff mobility, and the offering of courses and disciplines in collaborative format.
• Instituto Brasileiro de Estudos de Direito Empresarial (IBEDEM)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Agreement signed on 01/04/2025 between FDUSP, IBEDEM, and Fundação Arcadas to promote academic cooperation between institutions in areas of mutual interest, including scientific and cultural events, courses, student and technical team exchanges, and research projects.
• Associação Nacional dos Advogados Públicos Federais (ANAFE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2025Agreement signed on 25/03/2025 between FDUSP, ANAFE, and Fundação Arcadas to establish technical-financial, legal-scientific, and pedagogical cooperation to academically enhance ANAFE's members and associates.
• Associação Lawgorithm de Pesquisa em Inteligência ArtificialcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2025Partnership for the program 'Interfaces entre Inteligência Artificial e Direito' (Interfaces between Artificial Intelligence and Law), a 20-session telepresential course offered between March and May 2025. Certificates of completion are issued by Fundação Arcadas (USP). The course covers AI governance, regulation, ethics, and interfaces with multiple branches of law.
• Instituto Rui Barbosa (IRB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2024Agreement signed on 25/11/2024 between FDUSP, Instituto Rui Barbosa, and Fundação Arcadas to strengthen academic cooperation between institutions, promoting the sharing of knowledge and resources to enhance scientific and educational activities in the legal field.
• Universidade de São Paulo (USP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2023Cooperation agreement signed on 06/12/2023 between USP and Fundação Arcadas regulating the relationship with the Faculty of Law for the development of programs related to teaching, research, innovation, extension, and institutional and scientific development, as well as actions for administrative and financial management.
• Tribunal de Contas do Estado de São Paulo (TCE-SP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 August 2021Cooperation agreement signed on 10/08/2021 between TCE-SP and Fundação Arcadas for mutual cooperation in teaching and research activities in the legal field. The agreement promotes joint production of relevant content including courses, seminars, congresses, reports, and studies, with support for dissemination.
• IWIRC (International Women in Restructuring)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational insolvency and restructuring network whose members receive a 10% discount on the 'Special Situations: Operations in Crisis Contexts' course. Partnership enables international professional networking and cross-border knowledge exchange.
• Instituto Pimenta Bueno (Associação Brasileira dos Constitucionalistas)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn associate organization dedicated to constitutional law research, development, and education. The institute organizes events such as the National Constitutional Law Meeting and maintains digital content for legal knowledge dissemination. It is part of the Projeto Memórias initiative.
• Laboratório de Governo da Universidade de São PaulominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the USP Government Lab for the 'Testes de Legalidade' (Legality Tests) course series, exploring administrative legality principles and judicial control of state discretion through innovative approaches.
• Comissão de Recuperação Judicial e Falência da OAB-SPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with OAB-SP's commission for the commemorative event of the 20th anniversary of Law 11.101/2005 on bankruptcy and judicial recovery. Jointly organized event featuring panels on essential goods, agribusiness, legal entities disregard, football clubs restructuring, and judicial cooperation.
• Fórum Nacional de Recuperação Empresarial e Falências (FONAREF)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational forum providing institutional support for the 'Encontro sobre Insolvência Empresarial' event organized by Fundação Arcadas on August 23, 2024.
• Fórum Nacional de Juízes de Competência Empresarial (FONAJEM)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational forum of judges providing institutional support for the 'Encontro sobre Insolvência Empresarial' event. Event held at FDUSP Salão Nobre.
• Instituto de Advogados de São Paulo (IASP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between IASP and Fundação Arcadas for the 'Curso de Extensão em Processo Penal e Tecnologia' (Specialization Course in Criminal Procedure and Technology), a hybrid program addressing digital transformation in the criminal justice system.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CERS (Centro de Ensino Renato Saraiva): Large Brazilian legal education platform offering exam preparation and continuing education courses at scale. Competes in the broader Brazilian legal education market with greater geographic reach and marketing investment.

Direct peers

• Escola da Magistratura (EMERJ / EPM): Brazilian judicial schools providing continuing education to magistrates, including on emerging legal topics. Competes for the judicial officer segment of the legal professional market.
• FGV Direito (Fundação Getúlio Vargas): Elite Brazilian law school offering continuing legal education, graduate programs, and extension courses with strong brand recognition. Competes directly with Fundação Arcadas for premium legal professional education in São Paulo and nationally.
• Escola Superior de Advocacia (ESA - OAB): OAB-SP's continuing legal education arm offering courses, specialization programs, and events to the São Paulo bar. Targets the same legal professional audience with institutional backing from the Brazilian bar association.
• IDP (Instituto Brasileiro de Direito Público): Brasília-based institution specializing in public law, regulatory, and constitutional law education with extension courses for legal professionals. Comparable niche specialization targeting senior practitioners.
• Escola Superior do Ministério Público (ESMP): São Paulo State Public Ministry's continuing education school for prosecutors and public servants. Directly comparable institutional provider targeting an overlapping public-sector legal professional audience.
• Insper Direito: São Paulo-based elite institution with legal and business education programs including extension courses for professionals. Competes for premium-segment legal continuing education customers.
• PUC-SP (Faculdade de Direito): São Paulo Catholic University's law school offers extension and continuing education courses targeting practicing lawyers. Competes in the same São Paulo legal professional education market.

Regional players

• CEU (Centro de Extensão Universitária): São Paulo-based continuing education provider offering legal specialization courses, primarily serving professionals in the São Paulo metropolitan region with similar program formats and pricing.

Others

• IASP (Instituto de Advogados de São Paulo): São Paulo lawyers' institute offering courses, events, and professional community for legal professionals. Already a partner of Fundação Arcadas and an adjacent institutional player in the São Paulo legal ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundacao-arcadas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Fundação Arcadas