The event brought together students, researchers, startups, and investors from different parts of the world (Photo by Carolina de Paula)
The Unicorn Summit South America 2026, which concluded this week in Juiz de Fora, has energized the region's technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Bringing together students, researchers, startups, and investors from around the world, the event featured the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) as one of its strategic partners, reaffirming the institution's role in generating knowledge and innovation.
Responsible for organizing this year's edition, the Office of Innovation and the Regional Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer (Critt/UFJF) have placed the city and the University at the center of global debates about the technological potential of Latin America, and the development of talent and research as a bridge to local development.
Present at the event, the rector of UFJF, Girlene Alves, highlighted the University's partnership as a bridge between public policies and the productive sector. "It is important that the community, in general, can access and share the lessons of an event that aims to say that innovation can indeed be transformative and reduce inequalities, a vector of inclusion," she pointed out.
Throughout the event's program, the Unicorn Summit stages addressed topics such as artificial intelligence, health, longevity, and well-being. Participants also attended presentations of startups with the potential to become unicorns – that is, companies with a valuation of $1 billion – and presentations of the Scientific, Technological, and Innovation Showcase with the approved works from the event.
One of the highlights of the program was the panel “Women leading the AI era: Innovation, empowerment, and a better world”
One of the highlights of the program was the panel “Women Leading the AI Era: Innovation, Empowerment, and a Better World”Dedicated to female leadership, the event brought together prominent figures in the field of artificial intelligence and research, including Débora Henderson, founder and CEO of the Inspired Leadership Center, Shannon McElyea, Vice President of Strategic Alliances at Elev8 Data, as well as Brigitte Hanly, Natasha Vita-More, and Girlene Alves, Rector of UFJF. The discussion highlighted the urgency of expanding gender equity in attracting investment and creating technology companies.
Impact on UFJF
The rounds ofnetworkingThe initiatives promoted throughout the event reflect the success of the maturation of the Juiz de Fora ecosystem. For the Pro-Rector of Innovation and Director of the Critt of UFJF, Fabrício Campos, "when we think about results, impact, the first thing we need to understand is that we are not just talking about an event, we are talking about a movement that is behind it, that is much larger. And this movement does bring results and effective impacts," he commented.
During the four days of the event, the exhibitions and scientific presentations made it possible for researchers to meet with potential investors and disseminate knowledge produced by the University.
The innovation community of Juiz de Fora will continue to be mobilized from the agreements and partnerships established, a continuous strengthening of the local ecosystem and consequences for the next editions. According to the founder of Unicorn Summit, Nuno Martins,“The Unicorn Summit brings connections with major investors to South America, transforming the solid base that already exists here into real opportunities for global scale.