Alexandre Messina

Publishers vão se aliar a OpenAI Aqui só um primeiro exeplo como : OpenAI has struck a deal with Reddit OpenAI will use content from the social media platform for its artificial intelligence chatbot, sending shares in the company up as much as 15 per cent in after-hours trading. Thursday’s announcement is the latest in a number of deals between the Microsoft-backed start-up and media brands as the competition for high-quality and reliable data to underpin powerful new AI models intensifies. At the same time, OpenAI is fighting copyright lawsuits from publishers who are reluctant to allow their content to be used by the ChatGPT-maker. The agreement gives OpenAI access to content on Reddit’s website and will allow the social media platform to embed more AI tools. Financial terms were not disclosed, but a jump in Reddit’s stock would mean a windfall for Sam Altman, the co-founder and chief executive of OpenAI, who has invested tens of millions of dollars into the social media group. Altman, who has said he has no equity stake in OpenAI, held close to 10 per cent of Reddit’s stock ahead of its public listing in March via various entities, according to public filings. The 39-year-old, a serial entrepreneur and investor, did not lead the negotiations with Reddit, according to OpenAI. The deal will also be a boon to Reddit’s monetisation efforts, which have until now mainly focused on building up its advertising-based business model. On its roadshow ahead of its listing, Reddit told investors that it also hoped to see a windfall from selling its data to third parties so that they could train their AI. It has already struck deals with Google and Cision. OpenAI has struck a series of deals with publishers this year, including the Financial Times, US-based Associated Press, Germany’s Axel Springer, France’s Le Monde and Spain’s Prisa Media. Those deals give the San Francisco-based start-up access to material which can in turn be used to develop and run generative AI technology that can create text, images and code from human prompts. “We are thrilled to partner with Reddit to enhance ChatGPT with uniquely timely and relevant information, and to explore the possibilities to enrich the Reddit experience with AI-powered features,” said Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s chief operating officer. Including Reddit in ChatGPT “upholds our belief in a connected internet, helps people find more or what they’re looking for, and helps new audiences find community on Reddit”, said Steve Huffman, Reddit’s co-founder and chief executive. While some media brands have partnered with OpenAI, others have resisted. The New York Times and other publishers have instead sued OpenAI and Microsoft for harvesting their articles. In December, the NYT filed a lawsuit seeking billions of dollars in damages from the two companies for “profit[ing] from the massive copyright infringement, commercial exploitation and misappropriation of The Times’s intellectual property”.

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🎥 Our co-founder, Mayra Siqueira, was invited by CNBC (TIMES BRASIL - LICENCIADO EXCLUSIVO CNBC) to comment on and explain Bitcoin’s historic milestone of reaching 100k USD this week. The sentiment is that institutional recognition and adoption are likely to increase, further validating Bitcoin’s potential as one of the most relevant assets in the world. Additionally, this milestone cements the current moment as part of a bull market cycle. What changes will this bring in the short, medium, and long term? We’re ready for this strengthened vision of Bitcoin’s future.🐂 🎥 Watch the interview here: https://lnkd.in/g5RQGUDE

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Ana Zucato knows how to fight her corner! She’s the cofounder and CEO of Brazilian neobank, Noh, which I have previously described as ‘a lifestyle bank for couples’ (see https://lnkd.in/dfCrqVSX). But this proposition is proving to be as much a challenge as an opportunity. So today (4/12/24) Ana banged the drum on her LinkedIn feed to try to dispel the myth that a bank just for couples is too niche. I must admit, that was my worry when I first heard about Noh, but Ana has since convinced me otherwise. She makes three what she sees as compelling arguments. First, ‘couples’ are not a niche target market. She reckons up to 80% of the Brazilian adult population are in some sort of couples relationship; and second, even if you are not in a relationship today, one day the chances are you will be. But it’s her third argument that I think is key. Ana presents Noh as a ‘horizontal’ bank – a sort of ‘overlay’ bank, built by design to use Open Finance to link to users’ accounts with other banks, both traditional and neo (see pic below). Indeed, she says you should think of Noh as ‘seu primeiro segundo banco’ (your first second bank). That’s a great strapline! It’s also a nod to the reality that Noh – in common with most other neobanks – does not yet offer the full range of financial services that established players offer. These services take time to build. In Noh’s case, Ana is creating a network of partner financial services organisations that expand Noh’s offerings, rather than build the services in-house. Other neobanks make use of ‘neobank as a service’ suppliers, such as Celcoin, the Brazilian banking infrastructure software startup presciently founded in 2016 by former banking industry CTO, Marcelo França Corrêa, which raised $125m in a Series C funding round in June this year. Both strategies for bank-building are perfectly valid. I see partnering as being the quicker route to market, whereas ‘NbaaS’ (Neobank as a service – geddit?) offers a more bespoke ‘white label’ approach. Whichever suits best. Ana Zucato is, rightly and relentlessly, front and centre of Noh’s market visibility. Judging from the hundreds of ‘likes’ and multiple comments on her LinkedIn post, she is making real headway in changing the hearts and minds of the sceptics.

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The Game Brazil 2024 Survey revealed impressive data about the online gaming market in Brazil. With 73.9% of the Brazilian population stating that they play some type of digital game, the country is consolidating itself as one of the largest gaming markets in the world. 📊 Survey Highlights: - 50.9% of Brazilian gamers are women, showing high diversity in the audience. - During the pandemic, the number of players increased from 57.1% to 85.4%. - Most players prefer to play for up to one hour a day, with 30.5% consuming games for one to three hours. 🔗 Read more about the survey: https://lnkd.in/dY-XPCCp These numbers indicate a booming market, with great opportunities for online gaming companies looking to enter Brazil. Let's discuss how we can seize these opportunities together! #Gaming #BrazilianMarket #GameBrazilSurvey

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🎙️ "How to crack the code of building a thriving startup ecosystem!" 🚀 Just wrapped up an incredible episode of the Founders Podcast and trust me, this one’s an absolute gem. 💎 I had the pleasure of chatting with Sonia Couto, a true visionary in the startup world. We dove deep into: ✨ What it takes to build not just a company, but an ecosystem. ✨ Strategies for creating a support network for founders. ✨ Their journey of turning bold ideas into impactful realities. This conversation left me inspired and buzzing with new ideas, and I’m sure it’ll do the same for you. 🧠💡 👉 If you’re a founder, aspiring entrepreneur, or someone curious about how startups can change the game, you don’t want to miss this one. 🎧 Tune in now, and let’s grow together! Tag your founder friends who NEED to hear this! ⬇️

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Thanks to Wharton Fintech for hosting a special conversation with Carlos Netto and Wesley Aster. ◾️Carlos shares his unique perspective on the rise of Fintechs in Brazil and the factors that contributed to the success of Pix. ◾️By focusing on the latest, most modern tech, Carlos and team have been well positioned to take advantage of this incredible financial services evolution. ◾️When Pix launched, it was clear that Core banking systems were not designed for the level of stress that comes with 24 X 7 X 365 demands. ◾️Digital Twin - software that enables "always on" transaction authorization - was created to help banks deliver around-the-clock digital experiences. ◾️Thanks to Brazil's QR Code standard, consumers can easily pay businesses instantly. A QR Code standard is being developed in the U.S. too. ◾️As for Pix - volume is poised to increase. Consumers will soon be able to set up recurring Pix payments with their favorite services and e-commerce sites like Netflix and Amazon. They will be able to "tap and Pix" via NFC - same user experience as #applepay. And, more opportunities will emerge to pay by Pix Credit (e.g. pay a merchant today, and pay the bank back over time). https://lnkd.in/eKjh2NfD

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Cat Swetel, director of engineering at Nubank, shares how they grew rapidly on Amazon Web Services (AWS), from a small startup to a company with 100 million customers 🤯 Nubank uses more than 40 AWS services, including Amazon EC2, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon S3, and more, to run an infrastructure that’s stable, scalable and highly cost efficient. When the Brazilian Central Bank proposed a major change in how people transfer money, Nubank quickly supported the new ‘Pix’ protocol, developing a transfer flow with 10 second latency in under 5 months. In one year, Pix transactions exceeding total debit and credit transactions, causing stress and instability across Nubank’s infrastructure. Using AWS, Nubank spearheaded a multi-team effort to increase stability while optimizing latency and costs, positioning itself to continue growing while saving its customers over $8billion in fees. Nubank keeps impressing me. Find this helpful? [ 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 ] Anything to add about this subject? [𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁] Nice story, Marcel. Next! [ 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 ]

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Brex is one of my favorite fintechs. Ever wonder what their journey from $0 to over $300M in revenue within 7 years looked like? 2017-2018: The Birth of Brex • Henrique Dubugras and Pedro Franceschi, both 22-year-old Stanford dropouts, decided to flip the fintech world on its head by launching Brex, a corporate credit card tailored for startups. • With their co-CEO model (which has become popular), they doubled their management bandwidth. Internal & external duties? No problem when you have twice the number of CEOs to lead folks 2019-2020: Rapid growth • Brex quickly partnered with big names like DoorDash, Flexport, and Roblox. • In 2019, they secured $300 million in funding, catapulting their valuation to $2.6 billion. It’s amazing what you can achieve when you’re swimming in a pool of investor cash. 2021-2022: Diversification and challenges • Brex expanded its product suite to include expense management, bill pay, & travel booking services. If you’re going to burn through cash, you might as well make it convenient. • Despite their success, they faced some “minor” hiccups. Layoffs in 2022 were a delightful reminder that even fintech unicorns aren’t immune to cutting costs by cutting people. 2023: Strategic shifts • Transitioning to a single CEO model, Pedro took the helm while Henrique became chairman. Having two brains was slowing things down? • They continued to innovate, integrating AI into their platform. By the end of 2023, Brex hit over $300 million in revenue, proving that even with all the chaos, they were still making bank​. 2024: Path to profitability • With a goal of being cash-flow positive by 2025, Brex halved its cash burn by chopping 20% of its staff and focused on sustainable growth. Making money instead of burning it is always a sound strategy. • Serving 30K+ customers globally, Brex’s commitment to transparency & customer-centric solutions has kept them in the game. They’re not just participating – they’re rewriting the rules. Want to copy their homework? 1. Identify a significant pain point in an industry and create a solution that addresses it. Please don't start a business without doing this. 2. Utilize a strong co-founder dynamic to maximize efficiency & divide responsibilities effectively. Two heads are better than one, until they aren’t. 3. Secure early partnerships with influential companies to build credibility and a customer base. It’s always about who you know. 4. Listen to your customers. & Expand your product offerings to meet their evolving needs. 5. Maintain a strong focus on transparency & trust to build a loyal customer base. People surprisingly prefer not being lied to. 6. Strategically manage growth, and make tough decisions like layoffs when necessary to ensure long-term sustainability. 7. If you want to go public, be profitable. Did I miss anything?

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing industries worldwide, and Brazil is no exception. According to the comprehensive report Google and the vertical of startups by Google for Startups Brasil, supported by Associação Brasileira de Startups and Box1824 , AI is poised to create significant value and drive substantial growth in Brazil. Here are some key takeaways that I would like to share: 🚀 Startups and Innovation: Brazil boasts over 12,000 startups, 22 of which are unicorns, showcasing a robust innovation ecosystem. These startups are instrumental in integrating AI into everyday life, from virtual assistants to advanced analytics. 📈 Economic Impact: AI is expected to add $13 trillion in value globally by 2030, with a projected 5% increase in Latin America’s GDP. This highlights the immense potential for economic growth driven by AI technologies. 📚Education and Edtech: 29% of AI companies are transforming the education sector, developing personalized learning experiences, intelligent tutoring systems, and data-driven insights to improve educational outcomes. 🏫 The report highlights the urgent need to integrate AI and technology subjects into public schools and regions beyond the Rio de Janeiro-São Paulo axis. This expansion is crucial to foster a more inclusive and tech-savvy generation . 🌍 Regional Insights: Despite Brazil's vast geographical size, 92.7% of AI companies are concentrated in the South and Southeast, particularly in São Paulo. This regional concentration highlights the need for a more balanced distribution to foster nationwide growth. 🧠 Key Sectors: The report identifies several sectors where AI is making significant strides: Health and Biotechnology: 60% of AI companies focus on this sector, driving advancements in medical research and patient care. Agriculture and Food: 46% of AI firms are innovating in agtech, optimizing food production and sustainability. Finance: 45% are leveraging AI for financial services, enhancing risk management and customer experiences. By making informed decisions and fostering innovation, we can ensure AI contributes positively to our society and economy. Once again, congrats to André Barrence Head of Google Startups in Latam. #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Innovation #Startups #Brazil #TechEcosystem #FutureOfAI #EconomicGrowth #Edtech #Education

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#growthhacking 🛑 I present my new book: MANAGING EMOTIONS - How to Manage Emotions and Lead Strategically to Win in High Competitive Markets. 🔹 The book is available at HOTMART. Just click on the link: https://lnkd.in/dvSdkAUJ 🔸 SUMMARY: The management of emotions in the corporate environment is a determining factor for the productivity and success of modern organizations. This paper examines the emotional impacts that influence business productivity, from the individual to the organizational level. By understanding and applying emotional intelligence, companies and professionals can create a more balanced and efficient work environment, where employees feel motivated, engaged, and able to overcome challenges with resilience. Emotions directly affect decision-making, conflict management, and interpersonal communication, impacting relationships in the workplace. Therefore, we will address topics such as the relationship between emotions and leadership, the importance of empathy in the corporate environment, and the impact of emotions on organizational culture. The use of emotional intelligence, combined with management techniques, can contribute to optimized performance and the achievement of organizational goals, helping companies to remain competitive in an increasingly demanding market. A big hug and good reading. Fernando Marchesini

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This post deals with Public Private Partnerships- PPPs. First of all, I would like to apologize for publishing a link in Portuguese about a topic as arid and difficult as PPPs contract renegotiations. Second, I want to congratulate the Brazilian magazine Piaui ( heralded as the New Yorker of Brazil) for having the courage to explore such a specific, complex and mercurial topic to a broader, wider audience. Third of all, I would like to kindly remind you all that a general public magazine cannot devote the seriousness and complexity that this topic requires. PPPs contract renegotiation is not easy, and the magazine obviously went for erroneous conclusions and butchered the entire debate by trying to pick sides and “ denounce yet another scandal in Brazil “. One of my great teachers of PPPs Jose Luis Guarch , use to say that the concession really happens in the contract renegotiation phase, not during bidding. Duering my long career dispensing very technical advice on PPPs, I have always reminded governments that they need to hire advisors. A lot of them. Very expensive ones. Simply because the concessionaire always had the best advisors, bankers, lawyers, and they would always win. Hence, government should in fact try to avoid losing too much value, whenever possible. Thus, to try to make a scandal about something as complex as PPP contract renegotiations, when the government always ( or almost always) loses money ( the question becomes how much) and what is the alternative, in terms of value destruction of interrupting a PPP and finding new bidders over a many months and years. These new bidders will have to secure financing and contractors for capex, and service providers for opex. Without looking at the specifics of each project, I can tell, without shadow of a doubt, that this article is very likely to be misleading. This does not take away the merit of Piaui to publish this. But rather it does require the government to hire more and better ( unconflicted, unbiased) advisors to defend their interests in renegotiations. Because the other side is filled to the brim with top consultants. Like I said in the beginning: - PPPs are complex and boring topic. I apologize to those who read it up to here… #ppps #contractrenegotiations revista piauí Mauricio Portugal Ribeiro Lincoln Flor #projectfinance #infrastructure Sergei Samolis Schafik Collazo Filip Drapak Here is the link to the story: https://lnkd.in/e-_BW-4Q

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Dear friends, we’re thrilled to announce that we’re (finally) launching our set custom of gen-ai solutions for the Brazilian market at the #riosebsummit. AI is a game changer for everything analytics. It’s all in Portuguese for now (sorry!),hit me up and we can walk you through our approach and why it’s different. A hint: it’s all powered by Observable. Everything is light-weigh, modular, auditable and reproducible. You can check it out at https://ai.belo.re

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Brazilian digital bank PicPay collaborates with Citi for US IPO #PicPay, a Brazilian mobile banking app owned by J&F Investimentos S.A, is preparing for a potential #USIPO with #Citigroup, pending favorable market conditions. Initially aiming for an $8 billion valuation in 2021, the company withdrew its registration. In 2023, PicPay reported a net income of 37 million reais ($6.8 million), marking a significant recovery from a 693 million reais loss in 2022. With over 35 million active customers and approximately 70 million total users, PicPay continues to expand its footprint in the digital banking sector. For more insights, the Brazilian country profile is available in the members area (https://lnkd.in/d54iD7Um) for members. Non-members can download it for free here: https://lnkd.in/dQzexCQ5 #CInnovation #FintechInsights #FintechInnovation #FinanceInsights #BankingRevolution #DigitalTransformation #BankingInnovation #FinancialGrowth #Finance #Banking #NeoBanking #FinancialServices #Fintech #BankingNews #TechInFinance #FinancialNews

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Finalmente, um pouco de ordem e progresso. Brazil enacts landmark legislation for its video game industry. The new law is expected to create more opportunities for the gaming sector Brazil has enacted a new law that redefines the legal landscape for video games, providing a comprehensive framework to support and regulate the industry's future growth. The legislation is the result of two years of discussions and advocacy efforts by games trade body Abragames - Associação Brasileira das Desenvolvedoras de Jogos Digitais, along with regional associations and game studios across the country. "The Legal Framework for Games will stimulate industry growth, create employment opportunities, combat illegal activities, and lessen tax burdens. This will give the Brazilian gaming industry greater visibility and legal clarity." Senator Leila Barros, one of the key proponents of the bill, said, Abragames' president, Rodrigo M. Terra, highlighted the broader implications of the new legislation, stating, "This is a win for Brazil, not just the gaming industry. The Legal Framework will bolster the ecosystem of creation and production in one of the world's fastest-growing sectors, positioning Brazil to be recognized for its vast potential in this crucial segment of the creative industry. The new law should attract significant private investments, both local and international, reduce bureaucratic obstacles for importing materials, and encourage greater support from regional and federal authorities." I may be biased, however, Brazil is such an untapped market for gaming. Everyone in Brazil loves gaming, and have been passionate about gaming for the past quarter century, be it narrative single player games to competitive esports. So happy to see this pass.

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Brazilian investors join forces to support brain tech startups. Neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis, professor emeritus Duke University, and Flavio Pripas, General Partner at Staged Ventures, launched a US$200 million VC fund to help "transform healthcare and enhance human performance through cutting-edge innovations in areas such as brain-machine interfaces, neurodiagnostics, and cognitive enhancement". Other movers & shakers in the Brazil tech scene of last month included: * Teachy, the #edtech startup leveraging AI to support teachers, secured a series A R$40 million round led by Goodwater Founder: Pedro Siciliano * #legaltech platform Jusbrasil raised US$86.1 million round led by Warburg Pincus LLC cc @ Founders: Rafael C. Gustavo Maia Luiz Paulo Pinho Daniel Murta (Coxa) * communication platform Blip raised a US$60 million Series C led by SoftBank with participation from Microsoft Founders: Roberto Oliveira Daniel Costa Sérgio Passos * #payroll startup Tako received a US$13.2 million seed round co-led by Ribbit Capital and Andreessen Horowitz Founder: Fernando Gadotti These highlights and more at: https://lnkd.in/gtK5JxNB #brainmachineinterface #BMI #neuroscience #startupfunding #vcfunding #baybrazil

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🌎💡 Investing in Latin America: A High-Performance Opportunity At Symbionts 🧬, we believe in the untapped potential of the Latin American market for venture capital. Recent data shows that investors who are focusing on the region, particularly Brazil, are outperforming global benchmarks. With sectors like fintech and green energy leading the way, the time to invest is now! Investors who have already placed their bets are seeing up to 3.5x returns over indices like the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the next big wave of innovation. 👉 Check out our founder’s Bruno Cordoni thoughts on this growing market and join the conversation! #VentureCapital #InvestmentOpportunities #LatinAmerica #Brazil #Innovation #Symbionts #Fintech #GreenEnergy #GlobalGrowth #BusinessTransformation

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The Catalyst for Brazil's Innovation Boom #30anosdoReal The graph below shows Brazil's monthly inflation rates over the past decades. The Plano Real, implemented in 1994, put an end to the hyperinflation that once reached 82.39% in a single month in 1990. Before that, the economic environment was a roller coaster, and doing business in Brazil was extremely challenging. Entrepreneurs weren’t just heroes—they were SUPER HEROES. The Plano Real brought stability, which was crucial for attracting long-term investments. Along with privatization efforts across various sectors, this allowed Brazil to rebuild critical infrastructure, including in telecom, setting the stage for modern innovation. A new wave of innovation has flourished since 1994. Endeavor entered Brazil in 2000, CUBO Itau was founded in 2015, and landmark startups like iFood (2011) and Nubank (2013) emerged. In its seed pitch, Nubank highlighted its online distribution strategy, citing a WSJ article: "Brazil: The Social Media Capital of the Universe." Today, Nubank is the world's largest digital bank outside of Asia. As we celebrate the Plano Real's 30th anniversary, we also honor the ingenuity and resilience of Brazil's entrepreneurs who, present through economic turbulence and stability alike, ignited this new cycle of innovation and will continue to spread opportunities in the cycles ahead. The Plano Real unleashed Brazil's new innovation era, setting the stage for a thriving startup ecosystem that continues to evolve and inspire. https://lnkd.in/g4GziiND

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