Florianópolis began to invest in technology in 1984, with the creation of the Certi Foundation (Center of Reference in Innovative Technologies), the same period in which the city lived the boom of the seasonal tourism and began to be known in Brazil and in South America by the its natural beauties and the perfect beaches to practice surfing. Technology and tourism allied themselves and the development brought quality of life, which attracted even more company focused on innovation and technology for capital Santa Catarina.
After more than 30 years of research and development, the capital of Santa Catarina collects awards and mentions about its capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship in the technology market – from computer science to industrial automation, an area in which Florianopolis is also a national reference. This growth was especially noticed in the last decade, in the North of Santa Catarina Island, a region that concentrates technological parks and startups, and is already considered “the Silicon Valley of Santa Catarina”. With this, the place has been developing and attracting investors and residents from various parts of the country and the world in search of work and beautiful beaches nearby.
The Santa Catarina Association of Technology Companies (Acate) was founded two years after the creation of the Certi Foundation and since then has concentrated its efforts on the expansion and consolidation of the Santa Catarina technological market, serving as the main representative of the companies of the sector with the power education and research institutions, such as universities and technological institutes throughout the country. In order to strengthen the market and promote the growth of associated companies, Acate has created the brand “Florianópolis: Capital of Innovation”, which aims to highlight and highlight the enterprises carried out in the sector, to value initiatives – both small startups and incubators industrialists.
In addition to expanding business, the creation of this brand by Acate also encourages and strengthens an identity aligned to actions of sustainable economic development, adopted by the associated companies. All this in innovation center in the SC-401, highway that leads to the North of the Island of Santa Catarina.
Santa Catarina is a highlight in entrepreneurship
The technology market in Santa Catarina does not know the crisis, and the figures show this. According to Acate, the sector moves around 11.5 billion reais and, only in April 2017, opened almost 230 new jobs, with an average salary of R$ 4,500.00; and the capital accounts for most of these opportunities.
According to Daniel Leipnitz, president of Acate, Florianópolis has more than 900 technology-based companies, which together earn R $ 5.4 billion. In addition, it has 15 research and development institutions, between universities and institutes, from which a large part of the skilled workforce in IT and related areas emerge.
Florianópolis is among the ten most dynamic cities in the world, in the ranking of Newsweek; and is also considered by Você S/A magazine as one of the best places to work, and by Exame magazine, one of the best cities to do business. As if all this recognition was not enough, Florianópolis is still a highlight in quality of life by the United Nations (UN), and is considered the best city to raise children in Brazil.
Northern Region of Florianópolis is the one that stands out the most
Among the regions of Florianópolis, the one that most adopted the innovation and technology allied with quality of life and beautiful beaches was the Northern region of the Island of Santa Catarina. There is Sapiens Parque, a technology development center that also has large companies in the sector. The project develops innovative actions based on technology, science, environment, tourism and people.
If this were not enough, the North region still has beautiful beaches such as Praia dos Ingleses, Praia Brava, Lagoinha and Jurerê Internacional. It is the region that has assumed the best part of Florianópolis identity: beautiful beaches, quality of life and technological innovation.