Sao Paulo has 1,456 startups in our sample database. This represents about 47% of Brazil’s startups. Sao Paulo is the highest-ranked startup ecosystem in Brazil.
While Sao Paulo decreased by 6 spots in its global rank in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index of 2024, its ranking in Brazil remained stable at 1 nationally since 2023.
São Paulo, South America’s innovation hub, has a dynamic startup ecosystem The city serves as the nucleus for some of the continent’s most influential startups, drawing the attentionof investors and tech visionaries.
The Startup Ecosystem in São Paulo shows no signs of abating. With an ever-expanding user base of smartphone and internet enthusiasts and a profound economic transformation underway, São Paulo offers a fertile ground for startups specializing in innovative mobile solutions.
The Brazilian economic landscape is under transformation, characterized by the rapid ascent of the lower and middle classes. Moreover, São Paulo proudly stands as the financial hub of Brazil, bearing the weight of the nation’s economic prosperity. This role as the financial hub also positions the city as a magnet for multinational corporations, further showcases its economic potential.
Moreover, São Paulo has a rich pool of talent, owing to its numerous esteemed universities. While attracting the right talent to join a startup might pose a challenge when traditional job opportunities abound, the city’s academic resources enrich the talent pool.
There are many organizations that support entrepreneurs in Sao Paulo and InvestSP is one of the most important ones. InvestSP supports potential investors in their dialogue with public agencies, aiming to facilitate the decision making process and the implementation of new projects.
São Paulo’s startup success stories further showcases its strength. For example, C6 Bank, a full-service digital bank, has redefined banking services. Quinto Andar has streamlined rental processes for tenants and landlords, while Loggi optimizes same-day delivery and courier services. iFood, a Brazilian on-demand food delivery company, leverages innovative technology to transform the dining experience. Also, NuBank, a pantheon from Sao Paulo, was born in 2013 with the mission to fight complexity to empower people in their daily lives by reinventing financial services. Nu leverages proprietary technologies and innovative business practices to create new financial solutions and experiences for individuals and SMEs that are simple, intuitive, convenient, low-cost, empowering, and human.
These successes exemplify São Paulo’s entrepreneurial potential and its ability to foster innovation. While challenges like taxation and bureaucracy persist, the city serve as a nurturing ground for startups to pioneer creative solutions and propel São Paulo’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to even greater heights.
254 startups
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The health check tables allow you to look at the performance Sao Paulo has in each of the parameters that are part of StartupBlink's ranking algorithm. There are five tables, corresponding to the three subscores, the subscore analysis and industry ana...
Startup Funding in Sao Paulo 2017 - 2024
From 2022 to 2023, startup funding in Sao Paulo has decreased by 49.47%. During this period, the number of deals in Sao Paulo has decreased by 44.58%. Since 2017, total startup funding in Sao Paulo exceeded US$ $32.01B.
Average Funding in 2023
$10.52M
Funding in 2023
$2.47B
Deals in 2023
235
USD
Amount of Funding (USD)
Number of Deals
Sao Paulo is ranked within the top 30 startup ecosystems globally.
Sao Paulo’s startups excel particularly in Fintech where it ranks 4 and in Ecommerce & Retail, and Transportation. Find out more
Within Sao Paulo there is an increased attraction for entrepreneurs to set up their startups in industries such as Fintech, Ecommerce & Retail, Transportation. These three industries represent about 33% of the startups represented on the Startup Ecosystem Map of Sao Paulo.
Sao Paulo is Brazil's 1st best startup ecosystem and is ranked 1st in South America. With a population of 10M+ people, Sao Paulo is ranked 23rd in the world. The city has some notable startup success stories including Gupy and its startup ecosystem infrastructure is strengthened by organizations such as Nubank and VIP OFFICE.
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