Sonafe Brasil

What Sonafe Brasil does

Sonafe Brasil (legal name Sociedade Nacional de Fisioterapia Esportiva e da Atividade Física) is a Brazilian non-profit scientific-cultural society founded on November 8, 2003, in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo. It is the only national scientific society specifically dedicated to sports physiotherapy in Brazil, and it holds the official authority to grant COFFITO-recognized specialist titles in the discipline. The organization serves primarily COFFITO-certified specialist physiotherapists, professional (non-specialist) physiotherapists, and undergraduate/graduate students engaged in academic leagues, with secondary constituencies including athletes, amateur exercise practitioners, and interdisciplinary health professionals.

The society's product surface is a membership-based portfolio rather than a technology platform. Core offerings include the SONAFE Plus member portal, public directories for locating certified physiotherapists and clinics (Encontre um Fisioterapeuta / Encontre uma Clínica), certified postgraduate programs bearing SONAFE endorsement (Chancela SONAFE), webinars, courses, expert opinion documents (Pareceres SONAFE), and an academic leagues program. Operations are supported by 15 autonomous regional nuclei (Núcleos de Desenvolvimento Regional) covering all major Brazilian regions, a biennial National/International congress cycle that has continued since 2004, and active social/marketing channels including X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and a branded podcast (Fisio Sem Limites). There is no proprietary technology product, no API, and no AI/ML capability.

The business model is annual membership subscriptions across three tiers (Specialist COFFITO, Professional, Student), supplemented by event registration fees, postgraduate endorsement arrangements with partner institutions (including Instituto Paiva, Fac. Einstein/Cearafisio, IESF, FEEVALE, FIB, Unisinos, Centro Universitário Celso Lisboa, and CBI of Miami), promotional partnerships (DMC Group, SECAD Artmed), and government/regulatory engagement (notably with MEC and COFFITO). The organization is governed by an elected board led by President Rafael Fernandes Temoteo for the 2026-2027 term, operates with a 1-10 employee headcount, and does not publish revenue figures.

Name

Sonafe Brasil

Legal name

Sociedade Nacional de Fisioterapia Esportiva e da Atividade Física

Website

https://sonafe.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sonafe Brasil is a Brazilian non-profit scientific society founded in 2003 that grants COFFITO-recognized sports physiotherapy specialist titles, serving 500+ physiotherapist members across 15 regional nuclei through memberships, congresses, postgraduate endorsements, and public directories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports Physiotherapy Association

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)

Keywords

• Sports physiotherapy association
• Professional membership society
• Specialist certification programs
• Physiotherapy continuing education
• Healthcare professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: SONAFE generates revenue through membership subscriptions with three categories: Specialist COFFITO, Professional (non-Associated), and Student (League Participant). Members receive access to SONAFE Plus portal and certified courses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SONAFE Brasil is a non-profit scientific society that unites sports physiotherapy professionals in Brazil, offering membership subscriptions with access to the SONAFE Plus member portal, certified postgraduate program endorsements, continuing education courses, webinars, congresses, scientific opinions, and professional directories. It holds official authority to grant COFFITO-recognized specialist titles in sports physiotherapy and operates 15 regional nuclei across Brazil for local professional development.

Product overview

SONAFE Brasil (Sociedade Nacional de Fisioterapia Esportiva e da Atividade Física) is a professional scientific society for sports physiotherapy, not a technology product company. The organization offers a membership-based platform comprising the SONAFE Plus member portal, educational services including certified postgraduate programs, webinars, and courses, professional directories for finding physiotherapists and certified clinics, academic league programs, expert opinion documents, and regional chapters across Brazil. The primary offering is membership access to professional resources, educational content, and networking through 15 regional nuclei.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 500 dues-paying members including renowned sports physiotherapists
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DMC GroupminorOthersDMC Group is listed as a partner on the SONAFE website, indicating a business or promotional partnership relationship.
• SECAD ArtmedminorOthersSECAD Artmed is listed as a partner on the SONAFE website, indicating an educational publishing or promotional partnership.
• COFFITO (Conselho Federal de Fisioterapia e Terapia Ocupacional)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial collaboration with COFFITO for granting specialist titles in sports physiotherapy and regulatory matters. SONAFE collaborates with the federal council on professional matters.
• Regional Nuclei PartnerscoreOthers15 regional nuclei across Brazil (Amazonas, Bahia, Ceará, Distrito Federal, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Sergipe) operating with autonomy to organize events and professional development.
• Postgraduate InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSONAFE provides endorsement to postgraduate programs meeting its criteria. Partner institutions include Instituto Paiva, Fac. Einstein/Cearafisio, IESF, FEEVALE, FIB, Unisinos, Centro Universitário Celso Lisboa, and CBI of Miami.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Physical Therapy Association — Sports Physical Therapy Section: Specialty section of the US APTA dedicated to sports physical therapy, offering specialist credentials, continuing education, and member resources. Closest international analog to SONAFE's member, certification, and education model.
• International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy: World-level body for sports physiotherapy that aggregates national societies like SONAFE. Directly comparable as the international umbrella SONAFE would naturally interface with for cross-border recognition and events.
• Sports Medicine Australia: National multidisciplinary sports medicine association delivering accreditation, courses, and events for sports health professionals. Comparable structure as a membership body serving sports physiotherapy and related disciplines.
• Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte: Brazilian national society for sports medicine, occupying the medical-side counterpart to SONAFE's physiotherapy focus. Both target sports-health professionals in Brazil and engage in events, certification, and scientific publishing.

Others

• Conselho Federal de Fisioterapia e Terapia Ocupacional (COFFITO): Brazilian federal regulatory council that grants SONAFE authority to confer sports physiotherapy specialist titles. Not a competitor but a critical partner/regulator whose standards SONAFE helps shape.

Broad incumbents

• World Physiotherapy: Global umbrella for national physiotherapy associations covering all specialties. Operates at much broader scope than SONAFE but is the upstream body to which IFSPT-affiliated groups relate.

Regional players

• Asociación de Kinesiología Deportiva Argentina: Argentine sports physiotherapy association that has co-hosted SONAFE congresses (III National Congress in Ouro Preto). Comparable membership and congress-driven model, focused on a neighboring Spanish-speaking market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sonafebrasil
• YouTubeyoutube.com/sonafebrasil
• Facebookfacebook.com/sonafeBrasil
• Instagraminstagram.com/sonafebrasil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sonafe

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 Sonafe Brasil