All posts by : Amaz Impact Accelerator

Photo: Gabriela Souza/AMAZ

Entrepreneurs accelerated by AMAZ were in Apuí, Amazonas, at the end of June, to learn about the work carried out with family farmers in the production of Café Apuí Agroflorestal.

The objective was to promote an immersion in the local reality, addressing peculiar aspects of agroforestry production, the relationship with farmers, as well as proven methodologies of ATER (Technical Assistance and Rural Extension) in the Amazon, logistics, productive flow and measurement of impacts generated.

The immersion was planned to meet the needs of three of the six businesses accelerated this year by AMAZ: INOCAS, Floresta S/A and Mahta. In addition to the entrepreneurs, members of the AMAZ and Idesam team were present, responsible for the coffee production chain and for Amazônia Agroflorestal, a company created to facilitate the commercialization of socio-bidiversity products.

“The objective of this activity was to bring together businesses that are related to agroforestry production and contact with small producers, in addition to contractual issues involving this universe as well. Café Apuí Agroflorestal is a successful case that we were able to present to them, in loco, from the Idesam network. This exchange will certainly yield interesting fruits and partnerships. Not only were they able to learn from the coffee experience, but they also shared their experiences with other cultures and regions, in different processes, but which keep some similarities,” analyzes Gabriela Souza, investment analyst at AMAZ.

Jânio Rosa, from INOCAS, considers that the exchanges carried out during the immersion were very good: “We were able to get to know the Agroforestry System they have here in Apuí, the issue of intercropping coffee with other crops. INOCAS intends to introduce, along with macaúba, other cultures as well. So this experience was very important for us. Having contact with farmers, seeing how the articulation with them works, the strategies adopted. There is also the issue of extracting the oils developed here, technical assistance, in short, a fantastic exchange, where we could see very closely the specifics of the Amazon biome.”

Edgard Calfat, from Mahta, visited an Agroforestry System for the first time, and said he was eager to see how it worked. “It is really a very dense forest, almost an imitation of the forest, none of that clean field of production in rows. As they presented more details of coffee production, we were also drawing our parallel of difficulties, challenges and ideas. know the process in loco and being immersed in the reality of what happens here – here in Apuí, and also in the Amazon – was quite intense. And talking to the producers, understanding how the relationship with them is, is also important for us. "

Marina Yasbeck, specialist at the Café Apuí Strategic Initiative (Idesam), who accompanied the immersion, highlights the richness of the exchange and how much this contact can contribute to the development of the business accelerated by AMAZ: “We are a little more advanced in the implementation and application of methodologies, of ATER, affecting all links in the production chain. These are things that these businesses are in the process of implementing, so this exchange makes sense, it will be useful for them. A lot of what we do here can be applicable to their grassroots as well.”

Photo: NaturalTech – disclosure

From June 8th to 11th, 32 businesses that value Amazonian knowledge and ingredients in original, beautiful and tasty products participate in NaturalTech, in São Paulo. Business is part of the movement Amazon at Casa Floresta standing, and offer visitors to the fair chocolate with native cocoa, agroforestry coffee, nuts, juices, guarana, food supplements, farofas, tucupis, jellies, peppers, sauces, oils, fish, biocosmetics, handicrafts, accessories, among other natural products.

The fair is an opportunity to promote the exchange of experiences between producers, retailers and end consumers, which will bring visibility and help to expand the presence of these products in the market. 

“We want to take the idea that, by consuming products from the forest responsibly, we help to keep it standing. These ventures will have the opportunity to show Brazil the power and influence of the knowledge and flavors of the Amazon on the economy, culture and maintenance of life on Earth”, says Guilherme Faleiros, coordinator of the market access program by AMAZ, impact accelerator.

With almost 100 m², the movement's stand will be the largest dedicated to the Amazon, offering unique experiences of flavors and cultures of the largest tropical forest on the planet. Tasting sessions will be held in the morning and happy hours in the late afternoon, which include babassu cake, water lily preserves, tucupi-based sauces, pirarucu carpaccio, organic jambu cachaça, among other regional delicacies. 

The central island of the stand will have snacks developed by chef Carla Pernambuco, who will give a show class during the lecture “Amazon at Casa Floresta em Pé: the challenge is to bring the forest to you!”, which will take place on June 10 at 3 pm at Arena Inspiration, a space dedicated to inspirational content during the event.

“Naturaltech is the largest fair in our sector for natural and sustainable products. Therefore, our expectation is to use it as a great showcase for brands, for new products from the Amazon and especially for consumers, distributors and partners to see forest products as a segment with great potential. We will be farmers, industries, brands and partners that make the entire Amazon product chain happen. And we will be there looking for the client, which in my opinion is the link that completes a business cycle from the standing forest, from sustainable production, to conscious consumption”, says Paulo Reis, one of the organizers of the movement's participation. Amazon in Casa Floresta in Foot at NaturalTech and entrepreneur at Manioca and Amazonique.

NaturalTech annually brings together the sector of natural, integral, herbal and complementary treatments products. According to the organization of the event, a market that grows about 4.4% per year, making Brazil occupy the 4th place in the ranking of world revenue. 

The fair takes place at the Anhembi Exhibition Pavilion, at Avenida Olavo Fontoura 1451. Participation is free, but you must register on the event website. 

Program starts training 2022 Call winners

The market access program Amazon in Casa Floresta in Foot started, in May, the program's practical training journey with the 20 enterprises selected in the most recent edition of the business call initiative, held between March and April of this year. This phase will last six months and includes practical classes, individual mentoring and face-to-face meetings, in addition to participation in NaturalTech. 

Classes are divided into four study modules focused on structuring commercial operations, logistics, marketing campaigns and impact measurement. The objective is to prepare and strengthen the strategies of each brand in the participation of planned campaigns, in fairs and events, as well as the improvement of logistics and commercial intelligence and the promotion of exchange between different impact entrepreneurs in the Amazon. 

Each module has a partner company, which offers training – and also its services – to program participants. With a focus on retail, the B2B module is supported by location.and and aims to broaden the market vision, improve the commercial policy and strengthen the trade marketing plan and management. 

The B2C module is carried out in partnership with the Entrepreneurship with Impact Program, from Mercado Livre, and will help businesses to create a virtual store and implement the online sales strategy on the platform, communicate better with the final consumer, access the Mercado Livre ecosystem and participate in the virtual gondola 'Amazônia em Casa Floresta in Foot', inside the platform. 

The Logistics module is supported by Soulog Fulfillment, which aims to broaden the vision of the business's logistics chain, optimize logistics routes, develop joint logistics strategies that enable cost reduction, learn about the main tax issues that affect the transit of goods in the national territory and integrate commercial and logistics operations.

One of the most anticipated phases of the journey will be the face-to-face meeting that will take place in São Paulo, after program participants will exhibit their products in a shared booth at the Naturaltech fair, on June 13th and 14th. 

The focus of the event will be on measuring impact, where workshops will be held on the theme of the meeting and communication and visits to the implementing partners of the program (Soulog and Mercado Livre). 

call 2022

In April 2022, the program opened a call for companies or community-based organizations that work with products from Amazonian sociobiodiversity. The call reached 92 applications from 13 different states. Although below the expected number of registrations, the result was considered positive by the organizers, considering the post-pandemic scenario. 

Pará was the state with the highest number of registered initiatives, with 45 registered businesses; Amazonas and Rondônia also stood out, with 17 and 7 entries, respectively. Considering the business categories, the entries included 14 individual micro-entrepreneurs, 46 companies, 13 associations, 9 cooperatives and 10 enterprises that are still in the formalization phase. 

Among those selected are eight community enterprises and 12 new businesses, representing six Brazilian states: Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul. 

In addition to the winners of the 2022 call, the actions of the training program can also be accessed by member businesses that participated in previous editions, totaling more than 35 initiatives attended by the program. 

Discover the businesses and organizations supported on the movement's official website: amazoniaemcasa.org.br

about the program 

Created in 2020, the movement Amazon in Casa Floresta in Foot It is coordinated by the Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon (Idesam), by AMAZ Acceleradora de Impacto and by Climate Ventures and aims to unlock market access for producers of Amazonian sociobiodiversity.

Its supporters are Mercado Livre, the largest e-commerce platform in Latin America, Fundo Vale, GIZ, CLUA, Instituto humanize and Instituto Clima e Sociedade.

The initiative seeks to bring together strategic actors and act collaboratively to overcome bottlenecks and increase sales and market access for these ventures to innovative and interesting forms of marketing.

Entrepreneurs, teams from AMAZ and FutureBrand SP – Photo: Zoid Creative

On the 11th and 12th of May, entrepreneurs accelerated by AMAZ were in São Paulo to participate in the AMAZ Branding Lab, promoted in partnership with FutureBrand SP.

Over two days, content, dynamics and tools were offered involving positioning, storytelling, visual and verbal identity, culture and digital. The entrepreneurs also had the opportunity to present their pitches to the FutureBrand SP team, which involved around 20 people in the process.

“This type of partnership is very important because we bring into the house these entrepreneurs who are making a difference, who are the brands of the future. It's nice to connect with them, understand what are these initiatives that are emerging in the market and make sure that our employees can have contact with them”, says Isabel Sobral, partner-director of FutureBrand SP.

“It is a training not only for entrepreneurs what happens here, but also for us. Our professionals prepare a lot for this type of workshop, they seek to understand which startups are these, which are the future unicorns of the Amazon, and they manage to bring this learning to our other customers. We strongly believe in this exchange, between the small and the large, which are increasingly coming together, creating these open innovation laboratories. It is of immense value”, he adds. 

For Thiago Campos, from Floresta S/A, “FutureBrand's expertise helps us to have clarity on what needs to be adjusted, and we hope that this will lead to a development that can really put all these tools that were presented into something concrete to apply in the our day to day.” 

“We always need to improve our process, as we have a very diverse audience, ranging from the producer at the end of the chain to the final consumer, including partners and investors. It is very important to have these inspirations with these great professionals”, evaluates Jânio Rosa, from Inocas.

Alexsandro Vanin, from BRCarbon, agrees with Jânio and highlights the importance of the workshop to exercise solutions to the difficulty, often, of communicating, in an engaging and human way, themes that are complex and abstract.

“Now, with our heads boiling, we have the challenge of building a development plan for the startups, with the assistance of the FutureBrand SP team, which is sensational. We have no words to sum up how much knowledge and motivation they transferred to the development of our startups”, evaluates AMAZ CEO Mariano Cenamo.

Check out the atmosphere of the Lab:

Related matter:

Isabel Sobral, FutureBrand SP/Zoid Creative

Impact businesses need to effectively communicate the positive, social and/or environmental impacts that are part of their purpose. Branding, narratives, verbal and visual identity, tone of voice, all of this counts in the contact with the different audiences with which these businesses dialogue.

FutureBrand SP, specialized in creating future-proof brands, has been partnering with civil society organizations and impact businesses in the last decade in order to translate the impact these institutions generate into communication. 

Among these organizations are AMAZ itself, Idesam, Climate Ventures and some Amazonian businesses, such as Café Apuí, Seringô, Na'kau and 100% Amazônia. According to Isabel Sobral, managing partner of FutureBrand SP, working with this type of institution brings knowledge about important topics such as climate change, agroforestry systems, regenerative economy, carbon market, and also depth in different chains such as fashion, livestock , palm oil and cocoa. 

“Each project becomes a kind of specialization in a subject. And how can we talk about future-proof brands if we don't understand these topics? Our purpose is to create brands that are future-proof and, in my opinion, there will only be a future for us, human beings, if brands really care and act in relation to the impact they generate, minimizing the negative effects, amplifying the positive ones. and establishing regenerative models in their businesses. It's a major paradigm shift that is underway, and the new generations have everything they need to connect to it and make a difference,” says Isabel.

In May, the partnership between FutureBrand SP and AMAZ promoted the AMAZ Branding Lab, a workshop on communication for businesses in acceleration this year 2022. On the occasion, Isabel talked to us about brands of the future, impact and communication businesses, the beginning of the relationship with the accelerator and consumer trends.

How did Future Brand come together, responsible for the branding of so many great brands and with presence in the market, with impact businesses and civil society organizations? What motivates this relationship?

Isabel Sobral (IS): On a personal level, since I was little, I have always been very connected with environmental issues, I think that this sustainability thing comes from the cradle, because of the way our parents and grandparents teach us to respect and honor nature and give us opportunities to live experiences related to it. And, growing up and living in a country as unequal as Brazil, I was also connecting to social issues. At the same time, I came to work at FutureBrand (FB), a consultancy that actually works with large companies, which generate huge impacts, both positive and negative.

I had been here for about seven years at FB when I felt my greatest disquiet, that crisis of the search for a greater purpose. I thought about leaving, going to work at a place full of purpose, a B company or something. On the other hand, I also saw that in few places I would have such easy access to top corporate leaders as working here. And it is precisely this leadership that hires us as a consultancy to show the best path and strategy for their brands for the future. Ready! I had the knife and the cheese in my hand.  

It was necessary to combine with the rest of the company and bring the theme to the table. Starting to talk about sustainability and climate change here was not something quickly understood by everyone, it simply seemed that these themes did not fit within the branding, when in fact branding is intrinsically linked to reputation, which in turn is linked to the way the brand stands. behaves towards society, how it generates value for its stakeholders, what are their socio-environmental practices and so on. It was necessary to bring the theme, raise awareness, and that's how we started to get closer to this ecosystem of innovation for impact.

The first major milestone was the partnership with Climate Ventures, already in the year of its foundation. We really wanted to do something together and, from this desire, came the idea of making a Comunicathon, which ended up becoming an event for more than 100 people where we brought together talks by representatives of Coca-Cola, Nespresso, Itaú and Social Docs and brought internal talks on topics as Circular Economy in Design and Storytelling for Sustainability. We got closer to the ecosystem, I was invited to the Innovation Lab in Manaus, when I met Idesam and Mariano [director of new business at Idesam and CEO at AMAZ]. 

We started doing projects for different brands, each one paid what they could, the important thing was to connect and find ways to help and make the projects viable. Our team learned about the topic and became an expert. A value-creating relationship where everyone wins. Then came the pandemic and we changed the event to an online workshop format, in 2020 we partnered with PPA, via the Acceleration Program, and with Climate ventures again. And in 2021 AMAZ was born, baptized by us and which took shape with this captivating identity.

How many cases of this type does FutureBrand SP already have in its portfolio?

IS: We have a long history of projects linked to institutes, foundations and civil society organizations, such as Instituto Ayrton Senna, Fundação Lehman and AACD, for example, but we did not have in our portfolio impact cases linked to small and medium-sized companies such as startups accelerated by AMAZ. But since 2019, based on our work with Climate Ventures, we have worked with companies and organizations such as Boomera, Stattus 4, Confluentes, Seringô, Fundo Vale, Na'kau, Positive Ventures, Mombora, Café Apuí, Idesam, 100% Amazônia, Agropalma , etc. And with our big clients too, we help create sustainability platforms like Re. by Nestlé and the Cria! from Riachuelo, for example. And we have several other cases in progress.

Is there a difference between creating for a big brand, with a big projection in the market, and for impact businesses and CSOs?

IS: There's enough. The processes are more agile, the governance much simpler and without hierarchies, there is a huge opening for what we have to propose. It is a more collaborative process, not least because we choose methodologies that provide greater interaction. The big customer wants to see the delivery ready and doesn't have time to get so involved in the process. The climate is usually very nice in these projects for impact businesses and organizations that work in this ecosystem, the teams feel very engaged and motivated. And the creative freedom we have ends up expanding our possibilities of winning prizes with these cases, as we won with AMAZ and Mombora, for example.

For Future, what does this type of relationship add as an experience?

IS: It brings knowledge on very important topics such as climate change, agroforestry systems, regenerative economy, ESG, circular economy, carbon market, as well as depth in different value chains such as fashion, livestock, milk, palm oil and cocoa. . Each project becomes a kind of specialization in a subject. And how can we talk about future-proof brands if we don't understand these topics?

How did you approach AMAZ and create the accelerator ID?

IS: We had already done projects for Idesam, Café Apuí and Fundo Vale. All successful. It was natural to be considered as an option to develop AMAZ's branding. It was a delicious project, which flowed very well, in my view, with extremely correct bets on the choice of name and identity.

Future has been our partner for some time, what has it offered to the AMAZ portfolio businesses and how do you rate this connection?

IS: It really seems like a decade of partnership, but it's only three years. In addition to the workshops, we have many meetings, sometimes a new idea or a new challenge comes up, and I believe that, in our exchanges, we can help by bringing insights, or introducing partners. Last year we plugged AMAZ into a partner of ours (the defunct Decode, which is now part of our FutureBrand ecosystem) and they made very interesting deliveries of social listening and performance in the digital environment for the startups from AMAZ.

Are purposeful businesses, which aim to generate social and/or environmental impacts, the future of brands? How do you see consumer behavior in relation to this and the ESG wave?

 IS: Our purpose is to create brands that are future-proof and, in my opinion, there will only be a future for us, human beings, if brands really care and act in relation to the impact they generate, minimizing the negative effects, amplifying the positive ones. and establishing regenerative models in their businesses. It's a big paradigm shift that's under way, and the new generations have everything to connect to it and make a difference. And I really hope they do.

The consumer itself does not even know what ESG is, many are still in their infancy to understand what sustainability is, but there is a new awareness. I remember about 10 years ago I heard about veganism, and at that time a vegan person was practically an ET. Nowadays it's the most normal thing, it shows how many things are changing in behavior. 

Rampant consumerism is also in check. It became tacky to be a super consumerist. Detachment, thrift store clothes, now that kind of thing is cool.

These are changes that we are really seeing, maybe still a little niche, but that will gain scale. The number of customers and prospects that are emerging with this agenda only grows. A sign of good changes to come.

Photo: SBSA Publicity

Interview with Aline Gonçalves Videira de Souza, partner of the SBSA Office

Impact organizations and startups are relatively new in the country, and their operation requires a favorable legal environment, with regulation and self-regulation in a permanent process of improvements and adaptations.

The growth of the ESG agenda in Brazil is an opportunity to move faster and pursue business impact maturity. This is the vision of Aline Gonçalves Videira de Souza, partner of SBSA office (Szazi, Bechara, Storto, Reicher and Figueiredo Lopes Advogados), who has been advising AMAZ since its inception and also the accelerated business.

Operating in the legal market for two decades, SBSA's work is focused on civil society organizations, such as institutes, foundations and associations; corporate social responsibility, private social investment projects, impact businesses and articulated actions between the public and private sectors. It has units in Curitiba, São Paulo, and one of the partners leads projects directly from Tel Aviv – Israel.

Partner for Innovation, Impact Business and ESG in the office, Aline sees a growth in the amount of business and startups committed to generating a positive impact: 

“I see the emergence of a new economic segment. In recent years, we have seen the creation of institutionalized incentives for this business profile, as is the case of AMAZ – Impact Business Accelerator in the Amazon, the BNDES Garagem programs to accelerate impact businesses and several other actions that have been generated due to the National Strategy for Investments and Impact Businesses, as well as the articulations of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem itself, in which Aliança por Impacto plays an important role.”

Specifically about the impact ecosystem of the Amazon, Aline points out the challenges of overcoming the generalized and simplistic vision that still prevails about how business is done in the region. 

“When we talk about the Legal Amazon, we are facing an area that concentrates more than half of the Brazilian territory, with many different realities and needs. Evidencing that there are quite different sizes and profiles of businesses in the Amazon is important. This is relevant due to the identity and cultural importance, but there are even more practical effects, such as attracting investments and consumers who are more adherent to the proposal of that business.”

Check out the interview below.

How has the SBSA Office been working with civil society organizations and impact businesses?

We have been in the legal market for twenty years, specializing in a niche that is not usually seen in law firms. We advise companies and civil society organizations on issues of Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment and Human Rights, bases of the ESG agenda. Many of our clients are foundations, associations and businesses with a socio-environmental impact. We also have a strong area of public law and we advise public interest bodies and projects. 

We are six partners (mostly women), with a team of around 30 professionals dedicated to serving both national and international clients. We have a peculiar characteristic, which is our direct involvement so that the legal environment is more favorable to impact organizations and startups. Therefore, for example, we played an important role in the formulation of Law 9,790/99 (OSCIPs Law), on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006, on Law 13,019/14 (Regulatory Framework for Civil Society Organizations). – MROSC). More recently, we contributed to the regulation of the General Data Protection Law, as well as the National Strategy for Impact Investments and Businesses.

We offer a wide range of advice and representation to our clients, with a team specialized in several areas of law, including tax, labor, corporate, environmental, human rights, compliance, public law, intellectual protection, contractual, data protection, litigation, litigation strategic, among other areas of knowledge We provide support from the initial structuring (with support for the creation of legal entities and contractual arrangements), through management support and constant improvement of the projects and initiatives that are presented to us. We believe that acting in this area demands a specialized look at sectoral legislation and also the need to contribute to the debates around the trends of regulation and self-regulation that are under construction in Brazil and in the world.

How do you rate the impact business ecosystem in Brazil today?

There has been an increase in the number of businesses and startups that come with commitments to generate positive impact. I see the emergence of a new economic segment. Following this phenomenon in recent years, we have seen the creation of institutionalized incentives for this business profile, as is the case of AMAZe and the BNDES Garagem programs to accelerate impact businesses, in addition to several other actions that have been generated as a result of the Strategy Investments and Impact Businesses (Enimpacto), as well as articulations of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem itself. 

With the pandemic, the importance of these businesses for solving complex problems in our society became evident. I align myself with the vision of the last mapping carried out by Pipe Social in 2021, that the time has come to act faster and seek more maturity for the business models. I add the importance of maturing the impact theses of these businesses, so that the new economic segment is consolidated on more solid foundations. I see the growing visibility of the ESG agenda as an opportunity for that to happen.

How has the firm been specializing in this area?

The biggest school for our constant specialization is given by the work we develop for our customers. I highlight some public cases where our performance was relevant, such as the case of the First Social Debenture in the Country, where we advised the Sustainable East Zone Fund in structuring the philanthropic capital of that operation. The creation of AMAZ; the feasibility of the Café Apuí initiative, among many other integrity and diversity programs that we implement with our customers.

It is also essential to participate in courses and training opportunities – either as teachers or as students. In recent years, I had the opportunity to be a student in ESG and Responsible Investment courses at Capital Aberto and IBGC. This year, I have already contributed with classes on the topic of Benefit Corporations in the ESG classes for Counselors offered by the IBGC and I continue to contribute to the Legal Group of Sistema B, as well as closely monitoring publications and research in this area. My partner, Èrika Bechara, is a commentator for environmental issues at CNN and weekly delves into relevant issues about the sector. 

I also highlight the importance of participating in collective spaces for dialogue, as is the case of the commissions at the OAB, the Legal Group of Sistema B, among others. Our partner Laís Lopes, for example, is president of the Third Sector Commission of the OAB/SP.

Both the partners and part of the team, we are professionals with experience in the field of organized civil society and impact business, being postgraduate professors who teach courses related to the themes in which they work and participate in research and consulting projects of renowned institutions. teaching institutions such as PUC/SP, FIA/USP and FGV. 

We are always involved in studies and research on the topics we work on. As an example, I was very happy to have launched, last year, a publication on the regulation in Brazil of the so-called “purpose companies” at the request of UNDP/SEGIB. On our website, we created an SBSA+ tab where we publish reference materials for the topics we are dedicated to.

What are the challenges faced by impact businesses operating in the Amazon?

I believe that the first one is to overcome the generalized and simplistic view, which still prevails, about the profile of businesses in the Amazon. It bothers me that, sometimes, the power that the people of the region have is not recognized, or a vision that, with few adjustments, it would be possible to adapt business models in the south and southeast regions of the country. When we talk about the Legal Amazon, we are facing an area that concentrates more than half of the Brazilian territory, with many challenging realities, such as fires, deforestation, illegal mining, violation of human rights. Recognizing the reality is very important so that businesses in the region can actually contribute to overcoming socio-environmental problems. Therefore, I think it is important to highlight that there are quite different sizes and profiles of businesses in the Amazon. I know of initiatives in the area of innovation and technology that develop solutions to systemic logistics problems in the region that other companies, and even the public authorities, have not been able to dedicate themselves to. This is relevant due to the identity and cultural value of these businesses, but there are even more practical effects from the recognition of these peculiarities, as is the case of attracting investments and consumers who are more adherent to the proposal of that business.

Another challenge that still exists is in relation to the conclusion of fair contracts. Sometimes, the private contracts celebrated between local communities in the Legal Amazon (such as extractivists, quilombolas and indigenous people) and companies or corporate investors are complex, difficult to understand and with disproportionate rules. 

There is an opportunity to improve this from methodologies that can support the celebration of fair contracts between these parties, as there is a growing context of interest in initiatives related to the green economy and biodiversity. In addition, communities have developed sustainable businesses with growth potential and increasingly want the protection of the assets and people they work with. We are precisely developing a project to support the creation of a methodology for the celebration of fair contracts.

The regulatory challenges are many. It is necessary to unlock the bioeconomy agenda, as important studies have already pointed out, especially on the National System of Access to Genetic Heritage and Traditional Knowledge and the sharing of benefits. Finally, a challenge that is not exclusive to the Amazon, which is so common in several locations in our country, is due to the precarious infrastructure of physical and virtual access that, unfortunately, still presents itself as a barrier to the development of so many businesses in the region.

How do you rate the partnership with AMAZ?

It is a great honor and satisfaction to be the law firm responsible for advising AMAZ and the accelerated business. It is a process of mutual learning. The firm has increasingly sought to use simple language and unconventional ways to make legal issues more accessible to different audiences. In addition, this link encourages us to produce innovative legal arrangements, as we are faced with multisectoral initiatives that are at the forefront of sustainable investments. In addition to AMAZ, the firm is an institutional partner of the Folha Empreendedor Social Award, held by Folha de São Paulo and the Schwab Foundation, since 2011. It is a signatory to several causes of public interest, such as the Pact for Democracy and the Coalition for Philanthropic Funds.

Created in June 2020, the movement Amazon at Home, Forest Standing opens 2022 as a business call aimed at supporting 20 businesses and community-based organizations that work with products from Amazonian socio-biodiversity. The initiative, coordinated by the Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon (Idesam), by AMAZ Acceleradora de Impacto and by Climate Ventures, aims to optimize logistics and increase the market visibility of these ventures. Applications are open from March 14th to April 1st, through the link amazoniaemcasa.org.br/chamada. 

Impact businesses that sell Amazonian products and are committed to keeping the forest standing will be selected. The next step is to participate in a training and promotion program focused on logistics and commercialization. 

For Guilherme Faleiros, selection and acceleration analyst at AMAZ and Idesam, this first call for business was motivated by the need for market access presented by small enterprises that operate in the Amazon and that face common challenges of marketing and logistics of their products for the main commercial hub in Brazil, the Southeast region. 

“Together, we will strengthen our Amazon brand collective and our learning community. They will be exchanges that develop innovative solutions and commercial strategies to bring traditional flavors and knowledge to the home of Brazilian consumers, conserving the forest and generating income for local populations”, says Guilherme. 

Impact businesses that already have a product tested on the market and operate in the Amazon can apply. The projection is, in two years (i.e., two program cycles), to support 50 Amazonian sociobiodiversity ventures that contribute to the conservation of 25 thousand hectares of forest and the generation of income for more than 1 thousand families in the regions of operation. The expectation is for a reduction of 50% in the logistical cost of the operations of these companies and an increase of 100% in the revenue of the brands involved. 

Coordinated by Idesam, AMAZ and Climate Ventures, the movement has as strategic partners and funders Fundo Vale, GIZ, Mercado Livre and Instituto Humanize, as well as a network of partners formed by CLUA, Conexsus, Origens Brasil (Imaflora), Local.e , Instituto AUÁ and Costa Brasil.

For more information or clarification of doubts, interested parties should contact the e-mail [email protected].   

regional support 

In the last two years, 15 impact businesses in the North were supported through marketing campaigns with digital influencers, in partnership with Mercado Livre. According to Guilherme, the return was positive, with businesses registering an increase in sales during the activation of these campaigns and being able to expand them to states where they still did not have customers. 

CEO of Manioca, one of the ventures supported by AMAZ, businesswoman Joanna Martins points out the accelerator as essential for the development of the brand. “It was a help that made our management more mature and that expanded the contacts of our network throughout Brazil. And this is either by strengthening the bioeconomy view in the region and impacting businesses or by accessing financing, credit and guidance for the use of these tools. In general, everything that AMAZ has brought us was fundamental for us to reach the stage we are at, with excellent results and growth plans, both in terms of impact and financial return”, he comments.

>> Learn more about the movement

https://amaz.org.br/2021/09/03/da-amazonia-para-voce-campanha-aproxima-empreendedores-amazonicos-de-consumidores-de-todo-o-brasil/

https://amaz.org.br/2021/04/05/amazonia-em-casa-floresta-em-pe-se-prepara-para-nova-fase/ 

https://amaz.org.br/2021/02/26/campanha-movimentou-vendas-online-para-negocios-amazonicos-no-fim-do-ano-de-2020/

Photo: Rodrigo Duarte/AMAZ

When it comes to the Amazon, Denis Minev, CEO of Bemol and one of the investors and founders of the impact accelerator AMAZ, is an interlocutor with varied experiences and who understands the role of different players to boost the impact ecosystem in the region.

Minev was Secretary of Planning and Economic Development of the State of Amazonas, when he helped to design institutions such as the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS) – of which he is a Counselor – and the Museum of the Amazon (Musa). 

He is also an angel investor who takes risks when selecting part of his investment portfolio, understanding that this is part of the search for solutions that have a positive impact on the region's economy. 

Although he recognizes that the impact ecosystem is still in its infancy, Minev sees in initiatives such as AMAZ a business catalyst that can impress by example and the positive impact generated and, thus, attract attention and investors who realize how this new economy can generate good opportunities. . 

In this interview with AMAZ, Minev highlights the importance of taking advantage of the wave of attention focused on the forest to leverage a more virtuous development, which looks at the conservation of the Amazon, but also brings prosperity to its populations. 

“We had three waves of attention to the Amazon. We lost the first two, which involved Chico Mendes and Marina Silva. There was a drop in deforestation, but there was no proportional improvement in living conditions. Our role is to try to take advantage of this third wave, this global mobilization that looks at the region with interest, and try to translate that into what would be a vision of prosperity in the Amazon.”

How do you evaluate the impact ecosystem in the Amazon region?

Denis Minev (DM) I still have the feeling that he is incipient, which bothers me. And this is not a criticism of entrepreneurs. My dream is for the next Guilherme Leal (Natura) to be from the Amazon. We are not at that point yet, of having this qualification among the Amazonians. So we matter. One thing I would expect from this new generation of businesses that are being accelerated by AMAZ is that they plant this seed a little deeper among the riverside people, with the communities with which they have contact, in order to inspire this movement.

Idesam and PPA (Plataforma Parceiros pela Amazônia) have been working on this front, and I have been working with Idesam for a few years now. The progress is extraordinary. But it is an advance from a small base, which still has a lot of room to develop. We do not have, for example, the riverine entrepreneur. My dream is to have this entrepreneur, who comes out of his community and manages to acquire sufficient education and business vision at the same time, perhaps influenced by some of these startups he may come into contact with.

What does it take for this ecosystem to develop faster?

DM I don't think we can be very fast, because we need examples. And there is nothing better than a successful startup. So we have to wait for them to work out to serve as an example, to demonstrate that sustainable businesses with an impact on the Amazon are good business. While we don't have these examples on a reasonable scale, I find it difficult to accelerate much. There are people who think about investing, but do not invest because they are not seeing it happen. For me, AMAZ is an attempt to set an example, it is for us to point out and show that this works here.

And we can do a little more. In AMAZ Business Calls, we encourage people to think and reflect on how to undertake. AMAZ is going to be really impactful when it takes at least two or three of these startups and they have a fair amount of success. There the game changes.

The Amazon today is in the spotlight. How to take advantage of this moment to enhance the development of new businesses that generate positive impacts?

DM Today everyone only talks about the Amazon, this movement is intense. But the international pressure is not for the development of the Amazon, but to protect the forest. We have to look for ways to stop deforestation and improve people's quality of life. And we are here at AMAZ to balance that. We are small, but if each of these companies is multiplied by 10, we will amplify the impact. 

When I was in the government of Amazonas, the Amazon Fund was being created. My suggestion to them was to create a venture capital fund, or to send the best professionals here, to develop businesses and entrepreneurs. But they ended up creating a philanthropic fund to conserve the forest.

You can defend the forest against deforestation, but you have to attack deforestation by offering alternatives. This is something generational, we're going to take at least 20 years to change that key. This wave of attention to the Amazon is just beginning, I hope it will be long and lasting. 

In the Amazon Concertation, what we want is to propose how we can complete the Amazon by becoming prosperous. Businesses like Inocas, BRCarbon and Floresta S/A, for example, can become big cases, and if this works, we will strengthen this wave. 

AMAZ also serves as a kind of stamp and opens doors for the right investors, who have these values.

You have said that we are in the third wave of opportunities to change the key to the development of the Amazon, and that we have lost the first two…

DM There have already been waves of attention to the Amazon, we are in the third of them. My view is that we missed the previous two, which came with Chico Mendes and Marina Silva. There was a drop in deforestation, but there was no proportional improvement in living conditions, and then the gains are wasted. I think our role is to try to take advantage of this wave, this global mobilization, which looks at the Amazon with interest, but with a degree of ignorance, and translate this into what would be a vision of prosperity with sustainability in the region. 

It cannot come from outside. An outsider will not be able to imagine what prosperity in the Amazon means. Looking at a riverside man who today has low education, low life expectancy, and thinking about this equation on how to change his life so that he no longer needs help and can prosper. This has to come from us. And I think this construction is what I expect from this wave of international attention. May we be able to receive resources and attention and translate that into prosperity. 

Impact businesses are the best for us to take advantage of this third wave. They are also important for transforming the region and inspiring other initiatives. 

What would Amazonian prosperity be?

DM We have 25 million people in the Brazilian Amazon. We also have the other neighboring Amazons. It is not possible to create a fence around the forest and try to isolate these 25 million people. A solution must be found, which I will call prosperity. You expect your child to have a better life than yours and your grandchild to have a better one than your child. There is no specific solution, but it is a principle that should also govern the environmental issue. 

My grandfather, Samuel Benchimol, who was a scholar of the region and used to write a lot on the subject, always said that the Amazon needs to be treated on four bases – economically viable, socially just, politically balanced and environmentally adequate. Any solution for the region would have to go through these four bases. And he wrote this in the 1980s, but it remains applicable in 2020, and unfortunately this is still ignored by most people who interact with the region. 

>> Read the interview with Antonio Ribeiro (Move Social) and Lucas Harada (Sense-Lab)

Photo: Rodrigo Duarte/AMAZ

All participants were vaccinated and properly tested against covid-19

Between March 8 and 10, female entrepreneurs from the six businesses selected by AMAZ in 2021 – BRCarbon, Floresta S/A, Inocas, Mahta, SoulBrasil Cuisine and Vivalá – participated in the first face-to-face workshop of the acceleration journey, which took place in Manaus, on the banks of the Rio Negro.

The meeting, facilitated by Sense-Lab, addressed OKRs (objectives and key results), socio-environmental impact management and structure and governance. 

Connections marked the three days. Artur Coimbra and Joanna Martins, founders of two businesses in AMAZ's portfolio – Na'kau/Na Floresta and Manioca – reported experiences, challenges and opportunities to undertake in the Amazon and participated in conversation circles with the group. 

Marcus Biazatti, from Idesam, spoke with entrepreneurs about the collective brand Inatú, which sells essential oils produced by Amazonian communities and also works with sustainable wood management. 

Results, positive impact generated, monitoring methodologies, the nuances of relationships with communities and production chains, forestry entrepreneurship, business and market management were presented.

Connecting entrepreneurs with other impact businesses already operating in the Amazon is one of the offerings of the acceleration journey, providing exchanges that can shorten the solution of problems from similar previous experiences. In addition, connections have the potential to generate partnerships between them, whether in sharing experiences or in market strategies. 

present investors

Photo: Rodrigo Duarte/AMAZ

Another connection provided during the meeting involved some AMAZ investors operating in the Amazon. 

In a conversation with the business, Denis Minev, Ilana Minev, Marcelo Forma, Mariana Barella and Matheus Faria participated in a frank and open dialogue, addressing topics such as the current stage of the impact business ecosystem in the Amazon, the importance of offering alternatives to deforestation that integrate the populations of the region, the need to invest in research and development to leverage a new economy in the region and to involve academia.

The group also highlighted the importance of realizing that there are different Amazons, which require different solutions, and therefore there is no path that will be common to all. The importance of new generations in designing a new Amazon economy and also in finding the 'right' investors to leverage impact businesses. 

Another point addressed concerns the profile of investors and what they expect from startups.

For Daniel Cabrera, from Vivalá, the highlights of the workshop were deepening the strategic alignment and advancing what was built at the pre-acceleration meeting, in November 2021, in addition to the review of impact indicators. He also highlights the connection with investors and Amazonian businesses: 

“The integration with AMAZ investors, who are people, those we met, mostly from the north, was very important for us to get closer to relevant actors in the region, people who are directly in the private sector, generating impact. In addition to the integration with all the other entrepreneurs, who even working in very different markets contribute in a very rich way with their visions, their experiences, and this exchange is extremely relevant.”

“The high point is precisely the meeting, the conviviality between this group. And specifically two things for me are very valuable. One was meeting with investors in the region, and the other thing is working with the impact model, which I think we still need to go deeper into,” says Maximiliano Petrucci, from Mahta.

For Letícia Feddersen, from SoulBrasil Cuisine, the connections and experiences with the other participants of the acceleration have been rich and have brought a lot of learning, especially in terms of management and thinking about the impact that can be generated. She also highlights the connection with other businesses operating in the Amazon and with investors:

“With the meeting with investors and other businesses in the region, I felt like I was going through an “MBA” in the culture, experience and business of the Amazon. The connection with other businesses in the region is very rich, and goes beyond acceleration, generating exchanges, synergies, even possible commercial partnerships”

>> Read interview with Denis Minev

>> Discover the six businesses that participate in this acceleration journey 

Photo: Andre Deak | flickr

The journey of accelerating the six businesses selected in 2021 to compose their portfolio and receive investment starts now.

During the month of January, the AMAZ team worked with entrepreneurs to diagnose their needs to grow and reach scale, and based on this diagnosis, the acceleration strategy was drawn up.

There are common demands and also very particular needs, and one of the great challenges is precisely to offer startups a journey of learning and joint construction, associated with customized advice and mentoring to overcome each one's growth challenges.

The acceleration journey offered by AMAZ has the differential of offering 'à la carte' solutions, customized to actually meet the needs of entrepreneurs working in the Amazon region.

In this way, the design of the program varies according to each selected group, seeking to work directly on the issues diagnosed as fundamental for the growth of each business.

“One of AMAZ's biggest differentiators is designing the acceleration to meet the real demands of the business instead of offering ready-made packages. The team works in partnership with entrepreneurs and enhances the exchange of experiences and connections between them, adding value and seeking innovative solutions to the group's pain”, says Mariano Cenamo, CEO of AMAZ.

Face-to-face meetings and advisory services begin in the coming months

The acceleration journey proposed by AMAZ includes two face-to-face workshops, prepared with great care and in accordance with the health situation brought about by covid-19. The first one takes place in March.

Until then, entrepreneurs continue to work with the AMAZ team on individual and preparatory issues for the first face-to-face workshop. The second workshop is initially planned for the month of May.

The monitoring of AMAZ specialists will be constant, in a partnership that aims to boost the business and help it to grow.

“Our team is already working with these businesses in a personalized way, we will support them in the refinement of the strategic plan, action plan and theory of change in this first stage. During the entire journey, our specialists and partners will have the mission of generating value, supporting management and opening paths for the startups supported, seeking to leverage their results and positive impacts on the conservation of the Amazon”, analyzes Ana Carolina Bastida, responsible for investment management and acceleration at AMAZ.

To follow the process of accelerating this class, keep an eye on our networks!

Photo: AMAZ pre-acceleration (Note: all participants were tested and immunized against Covid-19)

Six high-impact businesses operating in the Legal Amazon will receive investments from the accelerator

AMAZ impact accelerator concluded the process of selecting the businesses that will be accelerated and invested in 2022. 

The six businesses work with innovative solutions for the development of products and services in strategic value chains for the conservation of the Amazon in areas such as reforestation, carbon projects and forest conservation, oil production, food and community-based tourism. 

Those selected were BrCarbon, Floresta SA, Inocas, Mahta, Soul Brasil and Vivalá. The businesses operate in the states of Acre, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia and Roraima.

The six will undergo an acceleration process in 2022 and will receive an initial investment of R$ 200 thousand, with the possibility of reinvestment (follow) of another R$ 400 thousand at the end of the process. The group was selected from among 156 businesses enrolled in the 2021 Call promoted by AMAZ. 

“We were very impressed with the quality of the business, the scale of impact we can achieve, and the potential to practically build a new economy allied to forest conservation in the Amazon.”, assesses Mariano Cenamo, AMAZ's CEO.

The approximate impact potential of the six selected businesses, between five and ten years, includes more than one million hectares of preserved forests, more than 700 thousand tons of avoided carbon emissions annually, 3,700 hectares of recovered forests, hundreds of benefited families and injection of around R$ 30 million into local communities.

Know the business

► BrCarbon = Climate Tech Brasileira dedicated to forest conservation and ecological restoration specialized in carbon projects. With a highly qualified team, it uses innovative strategies and cutting-edge technology to accelerate, multiply and consolidate carbon and forest management projects in Brazil.

► Floresta SA = Implements regenerative models of agroforestry production at scale, with a portfolio of 10 agricultural and timber crops. In addition to bioeconomy products, it brings to the financial market an opportunity for direct investment in agroforestry in the Amazon, with a target return of 17% per year. 

► Inocas = Its objective is to generate an alternative to soy and palm oil, leveraging the macaúba production chain as a source of sustainable vegetable oils. The company's pilot plant is located in the Cerrado biome region of Alto Paranaíba, MG, and will have implemented, by the end of 2021, the planting of 2,000 hectares of macaúba in an agroforestry system in partnership with family farmers. With the entry into AMAZ, the company will expand its operations to the Legal Amazon in 2022. 

► Mahta = Foodtech that operates in the area of food supplements produced with ingredients predominantly from Amazonian communities. It aims to generate innovation and value, in addition to reducing negative environmental impacts, through production chains with the participation of local communities, a model that can be replicated for systemic change in the food industry. Simultaneously, it will deliver differentiated nutritional value to consumers, boosting the conservation and regeneration of the Amazon.

► Soul Brasil Cuisine = Its mission is to present products with ingredients from Brazilian biodiversity – especially the Amazon – sustainable, organic, vegan and free of artificial substances for Brazil and the world. It has been in the market for almost three years, present mainly in emporiums and supermarkets on the Rio and São Paulo axis, in addition to exporting to the United States and Europe. The products have organic certification.

► cheers = Conducts expeditions in Brazilian Conservation Units through community-based tourism. It promotes the country's socio-environmental development in an innovative way, bringing together experiences with communities and nature in expeditions. It has already engaged more than 900 travelers from 10 countries and injected R$ 627,000 directly into traditional communities by purchasing community-based services. 

About the selection process

Call 2021 promoted by the accelerator received 156 entries, of which 12 were selected to participate in a pre-acceleration process that took place in November, from a face-to-face meeting in Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas.

Entrepreneurs and female entrepreneurs worked on the Model C methodology, seeking to better understand the functioning of their businesses and the positive impacts they generate or are capable of generating, in addition to reflecting on how they can improve their business models as well as impact indicators and narratives that can add even more value to them. 

The immersion provided a lot of exchange and connection, and the group built its own business models and matrix of positive impacts, while generously contributing to the construction of other business models. 

The performance of the businesses in the pre-acceleration process, together with the steps taken by the AMAZ team to better understand the performance of each one of them and the performance of pitches in December, with the participation of investors and partners, were the factors that determined the choice .

About AMAZ

The impact accelerator AMAZ is coordinated by Idesam (Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon), and has a hybrid financing fund (blended finance) of R$ 25 million for investment in impact businesses over the next five years, the first focused exclusively on the region.  

Its founders and strategic partners are Fundo Vale, Humanize Institute, ICS (Instituto Clima e Sociedade), Good Energies Foundation, JBS Fund for the Amazon and Partners for the Amazon Platform (PPA). It also has a wide network of partners such as Move.Social, Sense-Lab, Mercado Livre, ICE, Costa Brasil, Climate Ventures and private investors.