Programa Centelha

What Programa Centelha does

Programa Centelha is a Brazilian federal government entrepreneurship support program launched in 2021, designed to transform innovative ideas into viable businesses by providing non-reimbursable financial resources, training, and ecosystem access. It is promoted by the Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (MCTI), Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (Finep), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), in partnership with the Conselho Nacional das Fundações Estaduais de Amparo à Pesquisa (CONFAP) and Fundação CERTI as the operational coordination partner. The program serves individual entrepreneurs with innovative ideas—including professors, students, researchers, inventors, and early-stage entrepreneurs—as well as nascent micro and small enterprises (MEEPPs) constituted up to 12 months prior to the call. Selected projects receive approximately R$ 50,000 in non-reimbursable economic subsidies (subvenção econômica), CNPq technical support scholarships, training by innovation experts, and access to incubators, investors, and the Comunidade Centelha alumni network.

The program operates a decentralized execution model in which state-level Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa (FAP) entities in each of Brazil's 26 states and the Federal District manage local calls, evaluations, and project monitoring, with SEBRAE acting as co-executor in selected states. Geographic reach is achieved through per-state online portals, a national helpdesk, a network of "Agentes Centelha" community agents, and presence across LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and email newsletters. The organization has 28 employees and is headquartered in Brasília, with key promoting institutions also in Rio de Janeiro (Finep) and operational coordination in Florianópolis (Fundação CERTI).

The business model is not commercial; Programa Centelha does not generate revenue but instead disperses public funds through economic subsidies to approved applicants. Funding is supplied by federal institutions (MCTI, Finep, CNPq, CONFAP) and state FAPs. In its third edition (2025), the program achieved full national coverage for the first time, targeting support for more than 1,100 projects. Cumulative reported outcomes include 26,502 ideas submitted, 65,800 entrepreneurs trained, and 1,640 startups supported across prior editions. Evaluation is conducted by specialist reviewers with a third reviewer serving as arbiter when needed, and applicants progress through multiple evaluation phases prior to fund disbursement.

Name

Programa Centelha

Legal name

Programa Centelha

Website

https://programacentelha.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Programa Centelha is a Brazilian federal government entrepreneurship program that provides approximately R$ 50,000 in non-reimbursable funding, training, and ecosystem access to individual entrepreneurs and nascent micro/small businesses across all 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Entrepreneurship Support Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration (EDADAHAD)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship support program
• Startup funding grants
• Innovation capacity building
• Business incubation services
• Seed funding program

Headquarters

HQ city

Rio de Janeiro

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Non-reimbursable funding (Subvenção Econômica): The program provides non-reimbursable economic subsidies to selected startup projects. Entrepreneurs receive approximately R$ 50 thousand in the form of economic subsidy for development of innovative solutions. Additionally, CNPq provides technical support scholarships to selected projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Programa Centelha is a Brazilian federal government entrepreneurship support program that provides non-reimbursable funding of approximately R$50,000 per selected project in the form of economic subsidy (subvenção econômica), combined with entrepreneurship training, CNPq technical support scholarships, and access to incubators and investors. The program is executed through a decentralized model via state-level research foundations (FAPs) across all 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District. Selected entrepreneurs progress through multiple evaluation phases before receiving resources to transform innovative ideas into viable businesses.

Product overview

Programa Centelha is not a technology product company but rather a Brazilian government entrepreneurship support initiative. It is a decentralized program promoted by the Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (MCTI), FINEP, and CNPq, in partnership with CONFAP and Fundação CERTI. The program provides financial resources (subvenção econômica/subsidy), training, access to incubators and investors, technical support scholarships, and networking opportunities to transform innovative ideas into businesses across Brazil's 26 states and the Federal District.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Programa Centelha (main innovation entrepreneurship support program) Federal government entrepreneurship support program that provides non-reimbursable funding (subvenção econômica), training, technical scholarships, and ecosystem connections to Brazilian entrepreneurs and nascent small businesses (MEEPP) developing innovative products or services across all 26 states and Federal District.
• Subvenção Econômica (non-reimbursable economic subsidy) Non-reimbursable financial resource of approximately R$50,000 BRL per selected project, delivered as economic subsidy to develop innovative solutions. Awarded to projects that successfully pass all evaluation phases; beneficiaries must constitute a Microempresa or Empresa de Pequeno Porte (MEEPP) in the participating state before contracting.
• Capacitação em Empreendedorismo Inovador (entrepreneurship training) Specialist-led training in entrepreneurship and innovation themes, offered to selected projects to support development of products and business models. 65,800 entrepreneurs have been trained through the program as of the 2025 retrospective.
• Bolsas de Apoio Técnico CNPq (technical support scholarships) Technical support scholarships from CNPq awarded alongside the economic subsidy to each selected project, augmenting the human resources of the entrepreneurial team to support product development.
• Comunidade Centelha (networking and partner services) Ongoing Centelha Community that connects selected entrepreneurs to a wider network of successful founders, potential partners, incubators, investors, and program partners offering services and discounts. Designed to expand the network of contacts and amplify visibility of the supported businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65,800 entrepreneurs trained through the program (2025 retrospective)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

32 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (MCTI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal ministry that promotes and supports Programa Centelha as part of Brazil's national science, technology and innovation agenda.
• Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (Finep)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal funding agency that provides financial resources for the program, supporting the subvenção econômica (non-reimbursable funding) for selected startups.
• Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research council that provides technical support scholarships (bolsas) to selected projects and co-promotes the program.
• Conselho Nacional das Fundações Estaduais de Amparo à Pesquisa (CONFAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational council representing state research foundations that partners with the program to enable decentralized execution across all Brazilian states.
• Fundação CERTIcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFoundation responsible for program execution support, providing operational coordination for the initiative.
• SEBRAE (Various State Offices)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIn several states (Acre, Roraima, Alagoas, Rio Grande do Norte, Piauí), SEBRAE acts as co-executor, providing entrepreneurship support expertise and local network.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Acre (FAPAC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Acre, with SEBRAE as co-executor.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação Tecnológica do Estado de Sergipe (FAPITEC/SE)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Sergipe.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in São Paulo, Brazil's largest state.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Estado de Santa Catarina (FAPESC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Santa Catarina.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Roraima (FAPERR)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Roraima, with SEBRAE as co-executor.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Rondônia (FAPERO)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Rondônia.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Rio Grande do Sul.
• SEBRAE RNmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIn Rio Grande do Norte, SEBRAE executes the program with FAPERN as co-executor.
• Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Rio de Janeiro.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Piauí (FAPEPI)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Piauí, with Investe Piauí as co-executor.
• Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Pernambuco.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Paraíba (FAPESPB)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Paraíba.
• Fundação Amazônia de Amparo à Estudos e Pesquisas do Pará (FAPESPA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Pará.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Minas Gerais.
• Fundação de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul (FUNDECT)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Mato Grosso do Sul, along with SEMADESC.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Mato Grosso (FAPEMAT)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Mato Grosso, along with SECITECI.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Maranhão (FAPEMA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Maranhão.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás (FAPEG)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Goiás.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Espírito Santo (FAPES)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Espírito Santo.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Distrito Federal (FAPDF)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Distrito Federal.
• Fundação Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (FUNCAP)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Ceará.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia (FAPESB)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Bahia.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Amazonas (FAPEAM)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Amazonas, with AFEAM as co-executor.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amapá (FAPEAP)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Amapá.
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Alagoas (FAPEAL)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Alagoas, with SEBRAE as co-executor.
• Fundação AraucáriacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState research foundation that executes Programa Centelha in Paraná, with support from SETI and SEIA.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Y Combinator: Global benchmark startup accelerator providing seed funding, mentorship, and investor access in exchange for equity. Comparable as the model reference for early-stage startup support programs combining capital, training, and network effects.
• MassChallenge: Global zero-equity startup accelerator operating in multiple countries with corporate and government partners. Comparable as a publicly-supported, equity-free accelerator model targeting early-stage entrepreneurs across geographies.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network providing mentorship-driven programs and seed investment. Comparable in role of channeling early-stage startups to investors and ecosystem partners, though equity-based rather than subsidy-based.
• Startup Brasil: Earlier federal program run by MCTI targeting acceleration of Brazilian startups through public-private partnerships. Highly comparable as a government-backed entrepreneurship support instrument aimed at early-stage founders, though narrower in funding mechanism.
• InovAtiva: Brazilian startup acceleration program historically supported by the federal government, providing mentoring and connections to investors. Comparable as a publicly-supported acceleration program for early-stage Brazilian startups.
• FAPESP PIPE: São Paulo Research Foundation's Innovative Research in Small Business program, which provides non-reimbursable seed funding to researcher-entrepreneurs. Comparable as a state-level public grantmaking instrument targeting innovative ventures, though confined to São Paulo.

Broad incumbents

• ANPROTEC: Brazilian Association of Science Parks and Business Incubators, representing the national incubator and innovation ecosystem infrastructure. Adjacent peer that overlaps in mission of supporting nascent innovative ventures through Brazilian incubation infrastructure.
• Endeavor Brasil: Brazilian arm of Endeavor, supporting high-impact entrepreneurs through mentoring, networks, and content. Comparable as a national entrepreneur-support organization, though focused on scale-stage founders rather than nascent startups.
• SEBRAE: Brazil's primary federal/state-backed small business support service offering training, mentoring, and capital access nationwide. SEBRAE is both a co-execution partner and the broadest incumbent peer in Brazilian entrepreneurship support, overlapping with Programa Centelha in target audience and services.
• BNDES Startup Program: Brazilian Development Bank's entrepreneurship and innovation financing lines for startups and innovative SMEs. Comparable as a federal development-finance instrument aimed at fostering Brazilian innovative ventures through public capital.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/programacentelha
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/programacentelha
• Instagraminstagram.com/programacentelha

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Programa Centelha