With 170 speakers confirmed for the three-day event, the Startup Summit 2026 entered a new batch of tickets last week, marking the proximity of less than two months for Florianópolis to bring together big names from Brazil and the world and more than 10 thousand participants in one of the main innovation events in Latin America.
Among the names already confirmed for the main plenary is Luiza Trajano, president of the Board of Directors of Magazine Luiza. The executive participates, on August 26th, in the conversation “Technology with purpose: how AI can expand opportunities for people”, alongside Claudia Rosa, CEO of Rede Invest and participant of Shark Tank. The meeting will discuss how artificial intelligence can be applied to expand access to technology and create opportunities for different audiences.
The Startup Summit main plenary will have 23 speakers over the three days. In addition to Luiza Trajano, names such as Miguel Nicolelis, president of the Nicolelis Institute of Advanced Brain Studies; Konrad Dantas, founder of KondZilla; Sérgio Sacani, from Space Today; Rafael Kiso, founder and CMO of mLabs; and international experts Bret Waters, from Stanford University, and Yuanyuan Li, from Tsinghua University.
Photo: Gabriel Heusi
From agriculture to health: programming will have themed trails
With content aimed at founders, investors, executives and professionals in the technology sector, the Startup Summit will have tracks on artificial intelligence, DeepTech, AgTech, HealthTech, EnergyTech, RetailTech, security, M&A, marketing and sales, people management, internationalization and new software development models.
“We will have a program that follows the themes that are currently at the center of decisions made by startups, investors and companies, such as artificial intelligence, new software development models, internationalization, security, M&A and technologies applied to sectors such as health, energy, retail and agribusiness. The proposal is to combine discussions on trends with content that helps participants make decisions and develop their businesses”, says Sabrina Rocha, organizer of the Startup Summit.
On the first day, Sérgio Sacani, from Space Today, presents the talk “The triangle of the future: AI, rare earths and lunar exploration”. The program will also feature Théo Orosco, from Exact Sales, with “O Error no Prompt”, and Rafael Kiso, from mLabs, who will address strategic positioning on Instagram.
The day will end in the plenary with the launch of IBID SC 2030, which will have the participation of Fabio Pinto, from the State Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation of Santa Catarina (SCTI), and Fabio Búrigo Zanuzzi, technical director of Sebrae/SC.
Photo: Dani Andrade
Brazilian market and debates on AI
On the second day of the event, August 27th, the main stage will host debates on the AI scenario, with emphasis on the panel “AI in high growth: the first real portrait of Brazil”, with Edson Rigonatti, from manager Astella, and the lecture “AI — neither intelligent nor artificial”, with Miguel Nicolelis.
The neuroscientist will address the limits and implications of technology at a time of expanding use of artificial intelligence systems in different sectors of the economy. The second day will also feature Konrad Dantas, founder of KondZilla, with the talk “From zero to a million”, and Marcel Silva, from Google Cloud, who will discuss the evolution of generative artificial intelligence to the so-called agentic AI.
International content and new development models
On the last day of the event, the focus will be on international debates, with a 100% English program in the main plenary — with simultaneous translation for the audience present. Gio Mangoni, from Mogglia; Marcelo Echeverria, from Replit; and David Rosenberg, from Notion, participate in the panel “Vibe Coding for Startups: The New Stack from Idea to Launch”. The conversation will address how tools based on artificial intelligence are transforming the creation, validation and launch of digital products.
The program also includes the panel “The Innovation Race: What the US and China Are Getting Right”, with Bret Waters, from Stanford University; Yuanyuan Li of Tsinghua University; and Leandro Piazza, from 49 Educação. The debate will present different perspectives on the innovation ecosystems of the United States and China.
Photo: Gabriel Heusi
Held by Sebrae Startups in partnership with the Santa Catarina Technology Association (ACATE), the Startup Summit takes place on the 26th, 27th and 28th of August, in CentroSul, in Florianópolis. The meeting will bring together startups, investors, venture capital funds, large companies, universities, innovation hubs and entrepreneurship support organizations.
The 2026 edition will have as one of its focuses the expansion of international connections. The Startup Summit Global will feature a dedicated space within the business fair, participation of foreign delegations and matchmaking rounds between Brazilian startups, investors and representatives of ecosystems from other countries. The organization expects to receive participants from at least 30 countries.
Another new feature is Startup Summit Week, which will be held between August 19th and 29th. The agenda will bring together side events, meetings, technical visits, business rounds and activities organized by startups, communities, investors and companies in different parts of Florianópolis.
In the 2025 edition, the Startup Summit brought together more than 32 thousand participants, around 10 thousand in person and 22 thousand following the online program. The event received 152 investment funds and accelerators, 711 exhibiting startups and 105 sponsors. The investment intentions recorded during the program totaled R$350 million.
Service
Startup Summit 2026
Date: August 26, 27 and 28, 2026
Location: CentroSul, Florianópolis (SC)
Organization: Sebrae Startups and ACATE
More information and tickets: Startup Summit official website
Source: www.agenciasebrae.com.br
