Connecting people, ideas
and markets — at scale
For over 30 years Softex has been at the intersection of technology, talent and policy in Brazil. Our programmes span entrepreneurship, workforce development, international expansion, strategic research, software quality certification, and ecosystem building — covering the full lifecycle of a technology company, from its first prototype to its first overseas contract.
Turning technology ideas into market-ready businesses
Softex provides structured pathways for technology entrepreneurs — from early-stage ideation through acceleration and investment readiness. Our work brings together government bodies, corporate partners, and academic institutions to create real traction for startups in Brazil's technology sector.
We run dedicated acceleration tracks, connect founders with strategic mentors from the industry, and facilitate access to procurement opportunities, funding channels, and corporate pilots — closing the gap between a promising team and a scalable product.
- ✓ Startup acceleration programmes — structured cohorts with mentorship, expert workshops, and go-to-market support tailored for software and digital services companies.
- ✓ Market connection events — curated networking sessions and pitch opportunities that put founders in front of investors, corporate buyers, and policymakers.
- ✓ Softex Experience forum — a recurring platform for debate and knowledge exchange that drives collaboration across Brazil's innovation ecosystem.
- ✓ Inclusive entrepreneurship — targeted initiatives such as FavEla Empodera, supporting women entrepreneurs in underserved communities in Manaus.
ICT Sector Market Reports
Employment, revenue, and trade data for Brazil's software industryArtificial Intelligence in Brazil
Adoption trends, talent gaps, and readiness assessmentsCybersecurity as State Policy
Analysis: turning digital protection into strategic advantageRevista Softex
In-depth journal on IA, talent, internationalisation & competitivenessDigital Inclusion Studies
Mapping access, skills and infrastructure across Brazilian regionsThe evidence base that shapes Brazil's technology agenda
The Observatório Softex is Brazil's leading source of strategic intelligence on the ICT sector. Through rigorous data collection, independent analysis and published research, we give decision-makers — in government, industry and academia — the hard evidence they need to make sound investments and craft effective policy.
Our research agenda covers software and services market dynamics, workforce trends, emerging technology adoption (including artificial intelligence and cybersecurity), digital inclusion, and Brazil's competitive position globally. Publications are peer-reviewed, openly distributed, and actively cited in public policy debates.
- ✓ Sector market studies — annual and thematic reports covering revenue, employment, exports and investment in Brazil's software and digital services industry.
- ✓ Public policy advisory — evidence-based input into federal and state-level technology policies, drawing on longitudinal data and international benchmarks.
- ✓ Revista Softex — a curated journal bringing together analysis on AI, talent formation, internationalisation, innovation and national competitiveness.
- ✓ Open data dissemination — findings shared freely with the broader ecosystem to support informed decisions at every level.
Taking Brazilian technology companies to the world
Brazil is home to world-class software talent and innovative digital products. What many companies lack is the structured pathway to international markets. Softex has spent decades building exactly that — through the Brasil IT+ programme, Soft Landing missions, and curated global connections that help Brazilian firms reach customers across North America, Europe, Asia and beyond.
Our current focus includes the Soft Landing Global — China 2026 mission, preparing qualified Brazilian technology companies to enter one of the world's most dynamic and demanding innovation markets. Enrollments are open through 7 August.
- ✓ Brasil IT+ Programme — Brazil's flagship software export initiative, supporting companies with export readiness assessments, market intelligence, trade missions and investor introductions.
- ✓ Soft Landing missions — immersive market-entry programmes that place Brazilian teams on the ground in target markets, with local partners, mentors and qualified deal flow.
- ✓ Global partnership network — established relationships with trade bodies, accelerators, and government agencies across multiple continents to smooth market entry and reduce time-to-revenue abroad.
- ✓ Export readiness diagnostics — structured assessments that identify gaps in product, commercial, legal and cultural preparation before a company commits to international investment.
Export Readiness Assessment
Gap analysis across product, team, commercial model and target market fit.
Market Intelligence & Strategy
Country-level reports, buyer personas, competitive mapping and pricing benchmarks.
Trade Missions & Soft Landing
Guided in-country immersion with pre-arranged meetings and local partner introductions.
Deal Support & Follow-Through
Legal, contractual and cultural guidance to close first international deals.
First International Revenue
Ongoing alumni network, export tracking and market expansion support.
Raising the quality bar for Brazilian software development
Software quality is not a luxury — it is the baseline requirement for winning enterprise and government contracts, exporting successfully, and building technology that endures. Softex has led Brazil's software process improvement movement for decades, most visibly through the nationally developed MPS.BR (Melhoria de Processo do Software Brasileiro) model.
Designed to be achievable for small and medium-sized companies — not just large enterprises — MPS.BR provides a structured, internationally aligned quality framework that makes Brazilian software firms competitive, certifiable and credible in procurement processes at home and abroad.
- ✓ MPS.BR qualification support — guidance and resources for technology companies pursuing process maturity levels, from initial diagnostics through official assessment by accredited institutions.
- ✓ PPI Softex methodology — a project and product innovation framework that helps organisations manage technology development with discipline, creativity and measurable results.
- ✓ LISSoftex — an innovation laboratory system that supports applied R&D in partnership with universities and technology companies, translating research into commercially viable products.
- ✓ P&D facilitation — connecting companies with research incentive programmes and academic partners to co-develop next-generation digital solutions.
Building the workforce that the digital economy demands
The biggest constraint on Brazil's technology ambition is not capital or market opportunity — it is qualified people. Softex addresses this directly through large-scale training initiatives that meet workers, students and entrepreneurs where they are, equipping them with skills that are immediately applicable in the modern labour market.
From free AI certification courses for the general workforce through Escola do Trabalhador 4.0, to specialised digital-games training in the Amazon through Amazônia Geek, our talent programmes combine accessibility with rigour — ensuring that Brazil's technology workforce reflects the full breadth and diversity of the country.
- ✓ Escola do Trabalhador 4.0 — free, certified online courses designed to upskill workers for the digital economy, with a strong focus on practical AI literacy and application. Open to any Brazilian citizen.
- ✓ Amazônia Geek — a regional training programme forming digital games talent in the Amazon, combining creative and technical disciplines to build a sustainable creative technology hub in Northern Brazil.
- ✓ Softex Mulher — dedicated initiatives to attract, train and advance women in technology careers, reducing the gender gap and expanding the talent pipeline for the whole sector.
Softex Mulher — closing the gender gap in Brazilian technology
Women remain significantly underrepresented in technology careers in Brazil, losing out on economic opportunity while the sector loses out on talent, perspective and innovation. Softex Mulher is our programmatic response — a cross-cutting initiative that runs through our training, acceleration and ecosystem work to actively recruit, develop and elevate women in tech at every career stage.
🎓 Education & Skills Access
Priority enrolment and tailored curricula in digital skills programmes, ensuring women gain the technical credentials to enter and advance in technology careers.
🚀 Entrepreneurship Support
Dedicated acceleration tracks and business development support for women-led technology startups, including FavEla Empodera in Manaus.
🌐 Visibility & Networking
Forums, speaker opportunities and community platforms that increase the visibility of women leaders in Brazil's ICT sector and create peer support networks.
📊 Data & Accountability
Observatório Softex tracks gender representation data, giving the sector an evidence base to measure progress and identify where targeted action is most needed.
Technology Companies
Software houses, SaaS startups, IT services firms and digital agencies seeking growth, quality and market access.
Federal & State Government
Ministries, agencies and secretariats shaping technology policy, procurement and workforce investment.
Universities & Research Centres
Academic partners co-developing curricula, conducting R&D and producing the next generation of tech talent.
Corporate & Investor Partners
Large enterprises and investment organisations providing market access, capital and strategic partnerships.
International Bodies
Trade agencies, foreign accelerators and global partners that open doors for Brazilian technology abroad.
Civil Society & Communities
Local organisations, NGOs and community groups ensuring technology opportunity reaches underserved populations.
The connective tissue of Brazil's digital transformation
No single organisation can transform a national technology ecosystem alone. What is needed is a trusted, neutral convener — an institution with the credibility, reach and track record to bring government, industry, academia and civil society into productive alignment. That is the role Softex plays.
Through the CONECTANDO programme and our broader institutional mandate, we facilitate strategic dialogue, co-create shared agendas, and ensure that Brazil's digital transformation effort is coherent, inclusive and internationally competitive. We also maintain the Softex Amazônia initiative — a sustained commitment to ensuring that Brazil's vast Northern region is a full participant in, not a spectator of, the digital economy.
- ✓ CONECTANDO programme — a structured platform for cross-sector collaboration that bridges the gaps between technology companies, public institutions, and funding bodies.
- ✓ Softex Amazônia — a dedicated regional strand delivering talent, entrepreneurship and digital inclusion programmes across the Amazon basin, building a technology economy that reflects Brazil's full geography.
- ✓ Institutional partnerships — a curated network of strategic partners including MCTI, MDIC, APEX-Brasil, SEBRAE, CNPq, and leading universities, ensuring Softex initiatives are well-resourced and broadly relevant.
- ✓ Digital inclusion initiatives — programmes that address connectivity, device access, and digital literacy in communities currently left behind by the technology transition, building the broadest possible foundation for Brazil's digital future.
Initiatives delivering real impact across Brazil
Each of Softex's programmes is designed around a specific market failure or strategic opportunity — with clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and real resources behind them. Below is our current active portfolio.
Brasil IT+
Brazil's principal software and digital services export programme. Brasil IT+ prepares companies for international markets through a structured multi-stage journey covering readiness diagnostics, market intelligence, trade missions and deal closure support. The programme has helped hundreds of Brazilian companies establish their first international revenue streams.
Escola do Trabalhador 4.0
Free, certificate-bearing online courses giving Brazilian workers practical digital and AI skills. Designed for people already in work who need to adapt their capabilities to a changing labour market — no prior technical background required. Courses are updated regularly to reflect the current state of industry demand.
Observatório Softex
Brazil's authoritative source of strategic data and analysis on the ICT sector. The Observatory produces annual market reports, thematic studies on AI, cybersecurity and digital inclusion, and the Revista Softex journal — all of which inform public policy decisions and private investment strategies across the Brazilian technology ecosystem.
MPS.BR — Software Quality
A nationally developed, internationally aligned software process improvement model that enables Brazilian companies of all sizes to achieve certified quality maturity. With seven defined levels (G through A), MPS.BR has become the standard framework for public-sector software procurement and is increasingly recognised by international buyers evaluating Brazilian suppliers.
Softex Amazônia
A sustained programmatic commitment to building a genuine technology economy in the Amazon region. Softex Amazônia delivers talent training (including Amazônia Geek for digital games), entrepreneurship support for local founders, and digital inclusion initiatives that ensure Northern Brazil participates fully in the country's digital transition — on its own terms and with its own identity.