After spending almost 4 days travelling to and from MIT Brazil’s 1st MIT-Brazil Forum without access to a decent WiFi signal on a crowded Greyhound Bus across the country, I have to say the Forum was well worth the trip. In case you are only reading this blog post and have not viewed the previous ones posted on this past week here is a little introduction to the MIT-Brazil Forum.MIT Brazil is a program that started a little over two years ago at MIT in order to foster a stronger relationship with a country with the 5th Largest Economy in the World. This relationship would encourage the exchange of information, resources, and yes even students (myself included) in order to encourage growth and innovation in approaches towards tackling research, business, entrepreneurship, social policies, etc. The MIT Brazil program is in charge of many programs and initiatives in order to meet this goal:
- MISTI Brazil: A program which allows MIT students to spend a period of time in Brazil in order to engage in Research, a Business Internship, or a Public Service Project.
- MIT Seed Funds: Funds in order to encourage collaboration between MIT and Brazilian Institutions.
- Hosting Program: Host Brazilian Students at MIT in order to encourage collaborations between students.
As a proud participant of the MISTI Brazil 2010 program (and hopefully of the 2011 program), I had very high expectations going into the Forum. I was expected to be overwhelmed with information, being able to exchange information and ideas with the leading innovative thinkers in Brazil currently, and perhaps finding a new partner for Mbadika. Let’s just say all this came true and a little more.
I have to say that the conference/forum was almost perfect. The following highlights for me at the Forum are as follows:
- Clean Energy & Economic Growth: Rating 4/5 ****
-Ernest Moniz, Cecil & Ida Green Distinguished Professor of Physics, Director of MIT Energy Initiative
-Persio Arida, former Central Bank Governor, Brazil; Chairman of Asset Management; Board Member of BTG Pactual
- Comments: Both lecturers gave presentations that provided a great introduction to the importance of Clean Energy to Brazil’s future economic growth. However, the stand-out star in this section is Arida. I have taken a course describing the Clean Energy situation in Brazil. Arida summarized a semester of information in a 20 minute presentation. As you can tell from my notes, the information provided wasn’t filler like you experience in some presentations but facts and information that can be useful just to know. The amount of jargon in these presentations was limited as well (a huge relief when you are trying to type notes which can make sense to someone without background. Most interesting fact that stood out to me was the fact that over 50% of Brazil’s energy comes from Renewable sources. A goal that we in the United States can only dream about. However, it shows that it is possible to achieve such a goal and perhaps Brazil can teach us a thing or two about decreasing dependence on foreign oil. Brazil has changed from being one of the largest importers of oil into the 17th largest producer of oil (behind its sister country Angola). 🙂
- Biofuels: Rating 4/5 ****
Jose Goldemberg, former Minister of Education, Brazil
Biofuels in Brazil: Past, Present, & Future Perspectives
George Stephanopoulos, Willard Henry Dow Professor of Biotechnology & Chemical Engineering, MIT - Comments: For someone with very limited knowledge of biofuels and energy (except how they relate to physics properties) , the information provided in these presentations were great as well. Especially by showing the truth behind the headlines with biofuels and how effectives ethanol from sugarcane is in comparison to corn and soybeans. Several fact tidbits stuck in my brain which is what I like to get when I go to a conference or lecture. Especially the facts concerning the amount of farmland needed to be allocated towards production of ethanol (for example in order to produce enough corn ethanol for the US, we would need 4 times the arable land we currently possess). However, my only complaint was how the presentations sort of meshed together in my memory. I believe because they were on the same topic, the presentations naturally combined together. This could be a pro or con. I prefer distinct presentations because it is easier for me to remember and dissect them if I can keep them in parts.
- Being an Entrepreneur in Brazil: Opportunities and Challenges: Rating 6/5 ******
Richard Locke, Head of Political Science Department, Co-Director MIT- Brazil Program
Leila Velez, Founder and CEO, Instituto Beleza Natural
Gustavo Caetano, Founder and CEO, SambaTech
Mario Chady, Founder and CEO, Spoleto - Comments: The Highlight of Day 01! I was practically skipping when I left the conference (actually I broke out in song while waiting for the Subway). Becoming a successful entrepreneur in Brazil without coming from a significant cash cow is a rarity in itself. The difficult environment in Brazil for entrepreneurs does not end with the difficulty in obtaining a license but the culture which does not accept failure. It is a known fact that entrepreneurs are more successful their second or third time than their first. It is also true the second or third attempt is usually when success if found (e.g. Spoleto). Therefore, it is rare to hear 3 successful stories from young entrepreneurs ranging from food & service industry, beauty, and technology. All the stories provided useful points for people (like me) who are interested in working in Brazil.
- Presenters were awesome! Case in point! 🙂
- A nice sidenote, on Beleza Natural, many people in the audience did not connect to her company’s purpose because they do not understand her audience. As a woman with very, very kinky hair (even according to Brazilian standards), a product that allows me to have more defined curls is a goal that many African-American women have been pursuing for years through relaxers, texturizers, and tons of hair products. Despite the current ‘Back to Black’ movement in which African American women are trying to manage their natural hair without chemically altering it, I feel in a little bit of time that a market will re-emerge for this type of product and she could make a killing in the US. Exposure in the US will give her brand validity to a target audience in Europe and the future goldmine of Africa. African American Hair is a multi-billion dollar business alone. People spend thousands of dollars on fake hair and products to have their hair look like the hair offered by Beleza Natural. If the company continues to focus on low-income women and expands their practices, they could be very successful here. 🙂
Mbadika 