What Instituto PENSI does

Instituto PENSI is a non-profit research and education institute founded in April 2012 in São Paulo, Brazil, focused on children's health and operating under the Fundação José Luiz Setúbal foundation. It runs a portfolio of education programs including medical residency, internships, and a 15-day theoretical-practical course in hospital pediatrics, alongside clinical and translational research in pediatric nutrition, feeding difficulties, infectious disease, and public health. Its flagship specialty asset is CENDA (Centro de Excelência em Nutrição e Dificuldades Alimentares), established in 2014 as a national reference center offering same-day multidisciplinary care (pediatrician, nutritionist, and speech therapist) for children with feeding difficulties.

The institute also operates the biennial Congresso Internacional Sabará-Pensi de Saúde Infantil — eight editions held since 2012, drawing 1,500+ participants and 300+ speakers per event — and disseminates knowledge through a blog, newsletter, YouTube channel (@saudedainfancia), and research prizes (324 projects funded through Prêmio Pensi). It shares clinical infrastructure and faculty with Sabará Hospital Infantil, one of Brazil's largest pediatric reference centers, and partners with UNIFESP (Universidade Federal de São Paulo) for academic accreditation.

As a non-profit subsidiary of Fundação José Luiz Setúbal — alongside Sabará Hospital Infantil and Instituto Infinis — Instituto PENSI is funded through foundation resources directed to its operational programs and a Heritage Fund that supports social projects in child and adolescent health. Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on professional networks in pediatrics, content marketing, and flagship events rather than traditional commercial sales channels.

Name

Instituto PENSI

Legal name

Instituto PENSI

Website

https://institutopensi.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Instituto PENSI is a São Paulo-based non-profit pediatric research and education institute, founded in 2012 under Fundação José Luiz Setúbal, offering medical residency, internships, clinical research, the CENDA feeding-difficulties center, and a biennial international children's health congress serving healthcare professionals, students, and families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Healthcare Research and Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) & Teaching Hospitals (HLAFAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Academic Medical Centers & Teaching Hospitals (University-Affiliated) (EDAHAGAA)

Keywords

• Pediatric medical education
• Child health research
• Medical residency programs
• Clinical research grants
• Pediatric healthcare training

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation-funded operations: Instituto PENSI is part of Fundação José Luiz Egydio Setúbal, a non-profit foundation. The institute focuses on research and education in children's health, with its financial results directed to a Heritage Fund that invests in social projects for Children's Health and Adolescence.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Instituto PENSI is a non-profit research and teaching institute that delivers pediatric medical education (residency, internships, theoretical-practical courses), funds and conducts clinical research in children's health, operates specialized multidisciplinary care centers such as CENDA for feeding difficulties, and convenes the annual International Sabará-Pensi Congress on Child Health. Its offerings are designed for healthcare professionals, medical students, researchers, and families seeking pediatric health information and care.

Product overview

Instituto PENSI is a healthcare research and education institute focused on child health, operating as a unified organization offering multiple interconnected programs. The portfolio includes educational programs (Medical Residency, Internships, Theoretical-Practical Hospital Pediatrics Course), the annual International Sabará-Pensi Child Health Congress, the CENDA Excellence Center for Nutrition and Feeding Difficulties, research project submission services, the Blog and Newsletter for health information dissemination, and the Boa Praça social program for public space revitalization. These services work together to fulfill the institute's mission of promoting child health through research, education, and community outreach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Programa de Residência Médica Medical residency program offering specialized training in pediatrics for healthcare professionals, providing practical hospital experience under supervision at Sabará Hospital Infantil.
• Estágios (Internships) Internship program providing practical experiences for students and professionals in pediatric healthcare settings at Sabará Hospital Infantil.
• Curso Teórico-Prático de Pediatria Hospitalar A 15-day intensive theoretical-practical immersion course in hospital pediatrics for medical students, offering observational experiences in various hospital areas.
• Congresso Internacional Sabará-Pensi de Saúde Infantil Annual international congress bringing together pediatric specialists, researchers and healthcare professionals to discuss current topics in child health, featuring multiple editions since 2012 with over 1,500 participants per edition.
• Centro de Excelência em Nutrição e Dificuldades Alimentares (CENDA) National reference center for diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of pediatric feeding difficulties, providing multidisciplinary integrated care with pediatrician, nutritionist, and speech therapist consultations on the same day.
• Submeta seu Projeto (Research Project Submission) Research project submission and award program (Prêmio Pensi de Pesquisa em Saúde Infantil) that evaluates and funds pediatric research projects, with 324 projects awarded across 5 editions.
• Programa Boa Praça Social program that recovers and revitalizes public squares and playgrounds in São Paulo, promoting inclusive play spaces for children with focus on naturalized parks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 11,000 total congress participants since 2012
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fundação José Luiz Egydio SetúbalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent foundation that owns and supports Instituto PENSI, Sabará Hospital Infantil, and Instituto Infinis. Established with mission of promoting children's health and adolescence through research, education and social programs. Financial results of institutes are directed to a Heritage Fund for social projects.
• Sabará Hospital InfantilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the largest pediatric reference centers in Brazil, affiliated with Instituto PENSI. Provides clinical settings for training and research. Both institutions share professionals and educational programs.
• Instituto InfiniscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewest member of the ecosystem under Fundação José Luiz Setúbal, focused on children's health initiatives and aligned with the foundation's purpose.
• Cidades.cominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpact business that enables revitalization of public spaces through public-private partnerships. Partnered with Instituto PENSI/Fundação José Luiz Setúbal on the Boa Praça program for recovering public squares in São Paulo.
• Instituto Alana - Programa Criança e NaturezaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit institute through its 'Child and Nature' program that promotes everyday contact with nature in urban spaces. Collaborated on the naturalized park project at Praça Horácio Sabino in Perdizes.
• UNIFESP (Universidade Federal de São Paulo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for medical education and research. Faculty members hold positions at UNIFESP, and the institute follows MEC guidelines for educational programs. Professionals trained and certified through UNIFESP programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hospital de Niños Ricardo Gutiérrez: Major pediatric teaching hospital in Buenos Aires with active pediatric residency programs and pediatric research output; comparable to PENSI as a pediatric research and teaching institution in Latin America.
• Hospital Pequeno Príncipe: Brazil's largest exclusively pediatric hospital located in Curitiba, combines pediatric clinical care, research (Pelé Pequeno Príncipe Institute), and medical residency/teaching — directly comparable to PENSI's integrated model of pediatric research, education and specialized care anchored at Sabará Hospital Infantil.
• Hospital de Pediatría Garrahan: Leading public pediatric teaching hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a major research arm and pediatric residency/training programs; structurally analogous to PENSI as a national reference pediatric institution combining research, education, and complex care.
• Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez: National pediatric reference hospital in Mexico City with residency programs and clinical research; serves as a regional comparator to PENSI for combining teaching, research and high-complexity pediatric care.

Broad incumbents

• Boston Children's Hospital: Global reference pediatric academic medical center affiliated with Harvard; analogous to PENSI as a research-driven, education-intensive pediatric institution, though at vastly greater scale and with broader funding sources.
• Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSP: University of São Paulo's main academic medical center in São Paulo; runs pediatric residency and research programs and shares PENSI's teaching-hospital model at far greater scale, making it a relevant incumbent benchmark.
• Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center: Major U.S. pediatric research and teaching hospital; comparable to PENSI for combining clinical care, residency training, and large-scale pediatric research funding programs.
• Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein: Large São Paulo-based hospital system with a well-known graduate education arm (where CENDA faculty also teach) and a teaching/research footprint that overlaps PENSI's medical education niche, although broader than pediatric-focused.

Others

• Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria: Brazilian pediatric professional society that runs continuing education, congresses, and certification programs for pediatricians; comparable as a national pediatric medical-education platform that overlaps PENSI's congress and training activities.
• Fundación Hospitalaria Materno-Infantil (or equivalent LATAM pediatric research foundation): Pediatric research and teaching entities in Latin America funded via foundations; relevant comparators for how foundation-funded pediatric research/education institutes scale, secure grants, and structure programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@saudedainfancia
• Facebookfacebook.com/InstitutoPENSIsaudeinfantil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/instituto-pensi
• Instagraminstagram.com/institutopensi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Instituto PENSI