RIO DE JANEIRO: For years, Rio de Janeiro's bohemian neighborhood of Lapa has been a hotspot for people seeking samba shows and late night partying. But recently, the area has also started hosting a different kind of crowd.
Once every two months, Lapa becomes home to "Geeks on Beer," a happy hour networking event for tech entrepreneurs and investors.
The meet-up includes a session of speed-networking, a round robin of meetings during which 15 startups have five minutes to woo investors into setting up another encounter.
"The romance with my investors started at Geeks on Beer," said Brunno Galvao, co-founder of O Holandes, a group-buying website with headquarters in Rio.
Events like Geeks on Beer are becoming frequent in Rio, a sign that its Internet startup scene is on the rise.
Investors and entrepreneurs are trying to capitalize on Brazil's Internet boom and make Rio its next startup capital, or at least offer serious competition for Sao Paulo in Web innovation.
To reach that goal, they face many obstacles, such as the rising cost of real estate and a dearth of experienced talent. But city officials are behind the effort and see it as another chapter of Rio's economic revival.
In August, Rio Negocios, the city's investment promotion agency, held a conference in London to promote opportunities in Rio's tech industries, claiming the title of "Silicon Beach."
"Rio has a mix of characteristics which we think could make it the main hub for digital entrepreneurship in Brazil," said Antonio Carlos Dias, commercial director at Rio Negocios.
There are reasons to believe the push will be a success. Rio already boasts sophisticated technological infrastructure for Brazil's oil and gas industry, is home to top-notch engineering schools, and offers an appealing, laid-back lifestyle for young entrepreneurs.
The city has already produced some noteworthy success stories, such as Hotel Urbano, Brazil's No. 1 site for travel and accommodation booking, and Peixe Urbano, a Groupon-style deals site.
Peixe Urbano was founded in 2010 and received financing from Benchmark Capital and General Atlantic. It now has 20 million registered users in Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Argentina.
"We opened some doors for other startups that now come to us for advice," said Leticia Leite, a Peixe Urbano executive. Brazil's 85 million Internet users and 255 million mobile phones are a promising market for digital ventures.
The information technology sector grew a hefty 11.3 percent last year to $100 billion, defying a broad economic slowdown that punished other industries.
That growth is expected to continue as Brazil's bulging middle class keeps expanding and a government-led push to extend Internet access bears fruit.
"We have an enormous internal market that is just getting started," said Marcelo Sales, a partner at 21212, a new digital accelerator with offices in Rio and New York that provides seed money, mentoring and infrastructure for startups.
indiatimes.com
Once every two months, Lapa becomes home to "Geeks on Beer," a happy hour networking event for tech entrepreneurs and investors.
The meet-up includes a session of speed-networking, a round robin of meetings during which 15 startups have five minutes to woo investors into setting up another encounter.
"The romance with my investors started at Geeks on Beer," said Brunno Galvao, co-founder of O Holandes, a group-buying website with headquarters in Rio.
Events like Geeks on Beer are becoming frequent in Rio, a sign that its Internet startup scene is on the rise.
Investors and entrepreneurs are trying to capitalize on Brazil's Internet boom and make Rio its next startup capital, or at least offer serious competition for Sao Paulo in Web innovation.
To reach that goal, they face many obstacles, such as the rising cost of real estate and a dearth of experienced talent. But city officials are behind the effort and see it as another chapter of Rio's economic revival.
In August, Rio Negocios, the city's investment promotion agency, held a conference in London to promote opportunities in Rio's tech industries, claiming the title of "Silicon Beach."
"Rio has a mix of characteristics which we think could make it the main hub for digital entrepreneurship in Brazil," said Antonio Carlos Dias, commercial director at Rio Negocios.
There are reasons to believe the push will be a success. Rio already boasts sophisticated technological infrastructure for Brazil's oil and gas industry, is home to top-notch engineering schools, and offers an appealing, laid-back lifestyle for young entrepreneurs.
The city has already produced some noteworthy success stories, such as Hotel Urbano, Brazil's No. 1 site for travel and accommodation booking, and Peixe Urbano, a Groupon-style deals site.
Peixe Urbano was founded in 2010 and received financing from Benchmark Capital and General Atlantic. It now has 20 million registered users in Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Argentina.
"We opened some doors for other startups that now come to us for advice," said Leticia Leite, a Peixe Urbano executive. Brazil's 85 million Internet users and 255 million mobile phones are a promising market for digital ventures.
The information technology sector grew a hefty 11.3 percent last year to $100 billion, defying a broad economic slowdown that punished other industries.
That growth is expected to continue as Brazil's bulging middle class keeps expanding and a government-led push to extend Internet access bears fruit.
"We have an enormous internal market that is just getting started," said Marcelo Sales, a partner at 21212, a new digital accelerator with offices in Rio and New York that provides seed money, mentoring and infrastructure for startups.
indiatimes.com
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