FI Brazil GovTech Advisor Lab
Powered by the Founder Institute, FI Brazil GovTech Advisor Lab is a groundbreaking 11-week program that connects startups and government using the Founder Institute's international methodology. The program enables the startup ecosystem — founders, advisors, and investors — to validate and sell innovative solutions to the government (states and municipalities) to accelerate public innovation in Brazil. Leveraging Silicon Valley startup methodology alongside the Legal Framework for Startups (LC 182/2021), participants will develop real GOVTECH pilots and structured B2G go-to-market strategies.
Program Dates
Program Cost
Program Structure
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Designed for Portuguese speakers, all program sessions are held in Portuguese with some international English speakers.
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Intimate cohort of founders, advisors, and public managers
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One weekly session (3 hours) plus 10–20 hours of growth sprints with weekly deliverables
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11-week hybrid program with in-person networking sessions at the beginning and end of the program
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World class innovation curriculum, weekly assignments, and reading materials
Who is it for?
An intensive 11-week program connecting startups and government to accelerate public innovation in Brazil. This program is for:
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Founders and startups who want to sell to the government (B2G)
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B2G entrepreneurs looking to validate and scale solutions in the public sector
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Advisors of startups and public and private institutions
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Public managers and innovation areas who want to contract innovation with confidence
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Organizations that want to hire innovative solutions more effectively
What you will get out of GovTech Advisor Lab
The program is designed for founders, startups, advisors, public managers, and innovation leaders who want to validate and sell innovative solutions to the government — or learn how to hire innovation with confidence.
- Validation of public problems with real government agencies
- Development of an MVP for a GOVTECH pilot
- B2G go-to-market strategy and business model adapted to the public sector
- Data structure, LGPD compliance, and legal security for public contracts
- Pitch and 12-month growth roadmap
Your Local Instructors & Advisors
Leonardo Gmeiner
Leonardo Gmeiner is a father of three and has been an entrepreneur for 20 years, founding and running four different companies during that time. His most recent venture is School Guardian, a startup in the education sector with a presence in seven countries outside of Brazil. He is a journalist and IT Manager with an MBA in Digital Business. Leo is also a professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in FIAP's MBA program and serves as the coordinator of Rock New Ventures, FIAP's innovation unit. Additionally, he is the director of the Founder Institute Brazil and Portugal, an analyst at SharkTank Brazil, an advisor to Bett Brazil, and several startups. He is also the founder of the Ibero-American Association of Edtechs (IAAE).
Mayra Motta
Mayra holds a law degree from PUC-SP, a post-graduate degree in Tax Law from FGV-SP, and a specialization in Medical-Hospital Law from Escola Paulista de Direito (EPD). She is also certified by the University of Toronto, Canada (UOT) in Professional Environmental Management and in Agribusiness Law by Insper - Executive Education. Her career began at the Federal Attorney General's Office (AGU), where she worked on projects and public policies focused on regional development in the Midwest, North, and Northeast regions of Brazil, particularly those with socio-environmental impacts. After a decade as a federal public lawyer, she founded her own law firm in São Paulo, where she provides legal advice to companies on Governance, ESG, and Legal Solutions for Innovation. Her work is dedicated to transforming and advancing legal practice through open innovation, connecting clients with national and foreign startups. Mayra is currently the ESG director of the Founder Institute Brazil-Portugal and has played a key role in the acceleration of over 300 startups in the past four years. Additionally, she serves as a mentor and advisor to startups, contributing her expertise and experience to their growth and success.
Alexandre Uehara
Speaker and Corporate Innovation Advisor. Over 20 years of experience in large companies. Former Executive Committee member of Febraban (Brazilian Federation of Banks), MBA professor in Innovation Management, Curator of ABFintechs Events; Top 3 Mentor of the Year Startup Awards 2022/23/24; FI Global Startup Mentor Award for LATAM Most Supportive; Startup Investor; Primary Ambassador SingularityU Sao Paulo Chapter; Shark Tank Brazil Analyst.
Marco De Biasi
Professional highly skilled in administration, finance, and management consulting with over 30 years of international experience. Responsible for administrative, financial, and commercial start-up of multinational companies in Brazil and Latam countries. Acceleration Program Director Founder Institute for Brazil & Portugal since 2017. Managing Partner in 2 companies focused on early-stage startup investment, focusing on raising fund operations, Startup Selection & Valuation and investment management. Technology passionate, entrepreneurial spirit and deep knowledge of the Startup Ecosystem. Mentor & Investor of several startups in Brazil and Italy.
Morganna Tito
Top 10 Best Mentors in 2024/2023. Community Manager at inovabra - Bradesco's innovation hub. Morganna was Community Coordinator at Abstartups, leading the Inovativa hub. Consultant in Innovation and Startup Ecosystem, with actions focused on the development of startups and businesses, aligned with strategy and innovation with over 15 years of experience in community, branding, corporate communication, strategy, innovation and development of new businesses. Master in Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer from UFPE. She was Innovation Manager at the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation of Campina Grande. She promotes the startup and innovation ecosystem.
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The real question is: can the Founder Institute be game-changing for your business? The answer is yes. Without FI, Udemy may have never raised any money.
Gagan BiyaniUdemy (IPO, 2021) -
FI's content and structure were extremely helpful to learn everything in a step by step manner. It saved me a significant amount of time and prevented me from making a lot of mistakes!
Purva GuptaLily ($41M+ funding) -
The biggest challenge I had during fundraising was explaining our value proposition. It was complicated. The advice I got around everything from FI was spot on!
Ernest ChanPredictNow ($750K+ funding)
Program Schedule
This intensive 11-week program contains hybrid in-person and online workshops, assignments, and networking opportunities with founders, advisors, and public managers across Brazil. The program runs in three phases: Weeks 1–4 focus on public problem identification and validation; Weeks 5–6 on legal frameworks, data, and pilot design; and Weeks 7–11 on B2G go-to-market, business model, funding, compliance, and final pitch.
Program Dates
Kickoff and Advisor Best Practices
The program begins with a hybrid and in-person networking session where participants can get to know each other, exchange ideas, and discuss advisor best practices. There will be a comprehensive overview of the program to align expectations and present the main resources and support available to participants.
- Meet other aspiring innovation leaders, founders, and public managers
- Share ideas and get inspired
- Learn advisor best practices in the GOVTECH context
Public Mission, GOVTECH Thesis and Stakeholders
The program continues its weekly online sessions from 6 pm to 8:30 pm BRT. Participants will define their vision and mission, identify priority public problems, and map the relevant government agencies and stakeholders for their GOVTECH thesis.
- Define a public vision and mission statement
- Develop a GOVTECH one-liner (problem + target agency + result)
- Build an initial stakeholder map (agencies, controllers, users)
Discovery with Government and Problem Validation
The program continues its weekly online sessions from 6 pm to 8:30 pm BRT. Participants will apply customer development techniques adapted for startups and public managers, conducting real discovery interviews with government stakeholders to validate their problem hypotheses.
- Develop an interview script for government stakeholders
- Conduct and report at least 5 discovery interviews (insights + hypotheses)
- Refine the public problem definition and non-objectives
Value Proposition, Impact and Entry Paths
The program continues its weekly online sessions from 6 pm to 8:30 pm BRT. Participants will develop their GOVTECH value proposition and identify entry routes into the public sector, including pilots, calls for proposals, cooperation agreements, and regulatory sandboxes.
- Build a Value Proposition Canvas for 2 different agencies
- Define 3–5 public impact indicators (efficiency, transparency, inclusion)
- Map entry paths (pilot, call for proposals, integrator, sandbox)
Legal & Equity
The program continues its weekly online sessions from 6 pm to 8:30 pm BRT. Participants will be empowered to structure challenges and contracts using the Public Contract for Innovative Solutions (CPSI), based on LC 182/2021 and official materials from AGU, ENAP, TCU, and other government bodies.
- Learn how governments structure public challenges and CPSI contracts
- Understand how startups participate in and are selected for public calls
- Learn how to execute pilots with legal security under LC 182/2021
- Learn how to convert pilot tests into effective government contracts
Solution Architecture, Data and LGPD
The program continues its weekly online sessions from 6 pm to 8:30 pm BRT. Participants will design their solution architecture, address integrations with legacy government systems, and tackle government data and privacy requirements under Brazil's General Data Protection Law (LGPD).
- Develop a high-level solution architecture (flows, integrations, data sources)
- Define minimum security, privacy, and interoperability requirements
- Build a data matrix (data used, legal basis, risks, and mitigation)
GOVTECH MVP and Pilot Design
The program continues its weekly online sessions from 6 pm to 8:30 pm BRT. Participants will define a minimum viable MVP for a pilot with a target government agency, structuring their proposal with clear objectives, metrics, and counterparties.
- Define the MVP specification (functional scope + IT and government constraints)
- Draft a Pilot Proposal (objectives, metrics, duration, counterparties)
- Build an approach roadmap for 3 potential government agencies
B2G Go-to-Market and Sales Funnel
The program continues its weekly online sessions from 6 pm to 8:30 pm BRT. Participants will develop a go-to-market strategy tailored to the government, including a B2G sales funnel, qualified government leads, and approaches for engaging internal champions within public institutions.
- Build a B2G funnel (stages, estimated timelines, and desired conversion rate)
- Identify 10 qualified government leads with a contact plan
- Develop an initial meeting script for engaging public managers
Funding
The program continues its weekly online sessions from 6 pm to 8:30 pm BRT. Participants will explore funding instruments available for GOVTECH ventures, learn best practices from experienced startup leaders, and work in groups to discuss real-world funding scenarios in the public innovation context.
- Learn best practices pertaining to funding for GOVTECH startups
- Explore public and private funding instruments available in Brazil
- Discuss practical funding scenarios in working groups
- Network with peers
Business Model, Risks and Compliance
The program continues its weekly online sessions from 5 pm to 7:30 pm BRT. Participants will define their GOVTECH revenue model, map political and legal risks, and build an internal compliance guide for ethical relationships with public authorities.
- Define 2 revenue model scenarios (license, SaaS, performance, etc.)
- Build a GOVTECH risk matrix (political, legal, IT, data) with mitigation strategies
- Develop a brief internal guide to ethics and relationships with public authorities
GOVTECH Pitch, Traction and Roadmap
The final session of the program will be hybrid and in-person. Participants will deliver a final GOVTECH pitch to a mixed panel of government representatives and investors, present a real or simulated agency case study, and share their 12-month roadmap. The session concludes with networking opportunities and program wrap-up.
- Deliver a GOVTECH Pitch deck (10–12 slides) to a mixed panel
- Present a case study (real or simulated) of application in a government agency
- Share a 12-month roadmap (product, pilots, contracts, funding, compliance)
- Hybrid and in-person networking with peers and program wrap-up
What You Will Achieve
By the end of the GovTech Advisor Lab, participants will have:
- Startups ready to sell to the government with a validated B2G go-to-market strategy
- Public managers trained to contract innovation using CPSI and LC 182/2021 tools
- Projects structured via the Public Contract for Innovative Solutions (CPSI)
- Real connections between innovation and the public sector
Powered by the Founder Institute
Based in Silicon Valley, the Founder Institute is the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator. Since 2009, FI's accelerators have helped launch fast-growing, funded technology companies across nearly every geography, industry, and sector.
9,000+
Portfolio Companies
2BN+
Portfolio Company Funding
200+
Chapter Cities
100+
Chapter Countries
6
Continents
40,000+
Global Mentors & Advisors
Frequently Asked Questions
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The program is designed for founders and startups who want to sell to the government, B2G entrepreneurs, advisors of startups and public and private institutions, public managers and innovation areas, and organizations that want to contract innovation with confidence.
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Most of the weekly sessions will be held online except for the first and the last week. The first and last week sessions will be held in a hybrid and in-person format.
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The program is designed for Portuguese speakers. All content will be delivered in Portuguese with occasional English-speaking guest speakers.
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Refunds will be processed if requested 7 days after the program pass is purchased. You can request your refund at [payments@founderinstitute.com](mailto:payments@founderinstitute.com)
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You can pay the full amount or contact us at [payments@founderinstitute.com](mailto:payments@founderinstitute.com) to request a flexible payment plan.
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No, unfortunately not at this time. Early-bird discounts are available for a limited period.
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Do not hesitate to contact us at [marco.debiasi@fimail.co](mailto:marco.debiasi@fimail.co)
The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 9,000 entrepreneurs raise over 2BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide.
