About a year ago, the Cais de Mauá, in the river port of Porto Alegre (RS), was covered by more than five meters of water. The local wall – built to protect the flood capital of floods – still boasts the brands of the 2024 tragedy, which killed 183 people and left a trail of destruction.
This week, however, the iconic space on the banks of the Guaíba River has gained new air. On all sides, visitors circulate, there are panels on innovation and there are several startup owners in the South Summit Brazil, One of the largest technology and entrepreneurship events in the Americas, which began on Wednesday (9) and ends on Friday (11).
And many of the startups present at the event played a key role in the efforts to face floods, offering solutions to mitigate the impacts of the disaster and accelerate the recovery of the city. Innovations include more efficient water level monitoring systems, waste collection and disposal initiatives, flood prevention technologies and educational projects focused on disaster response.
“They have greatly helped the city to recover. During and after the flood, it was evident as the startup model-especially here in Rio Grande do Sul-it is shaped to deal with uncertainties. They are entrepreneurs with a mindset focused on agile and practical solutions in everyday life,” explained David Santos Viega, Sebrae-RS innovation project manager.
Today, the state has about 1,800 startups, 15% of them classified as Greentechs – sustainability -oriented technology companies.
One of the startups that helped the gauchos during the tragedy was the TideSat Globalfounded in 2022 from a study group at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). The company offers a water level monitoring system using a technology called GNSS Reflectometry – a type of sensor that captures satellite signal reflection (such as GPS) on the water surface.
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“In practice, it’s like a GPS, similar to what we use in apps like Uber, but the differential is that we use signal reflection to measure water level,” said Tidesat CEO Douglas Leipelt.
According to him, there are two main models of measurement today: the traditional rulers installed on the banks of rivers and radar sensors, which are costly. Tidesat technology, on the other hand, allows the installation of sensors on top of poles and buildings – which was essential during floods, as many conventional equipment was destroyed by the water force.
“Our sensor was the only one who survived in Porto Alegre during the floods. As we were able to install at high points, such as pores of poles, the system continued to work,” said Leipelt.
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At the time, the company made its dashboard of monitoring, which recorded more than 270 thousand accesses. Currently, their equipment is used in various cities in Brazil and even abroad – including places in Spain, where technology has been used to measure snow accumulation.
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Another startup that collaborated with the recovery of Porto Alegre, especially in the post-ending period, was the Thickeningspecializing in waste management and reverse logistics. The company, founded in 2018, was also affected by the tragedy and had to stop part of the operation, which was impacted by the waters, but still helped the city deal with chaos.
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“We helped clean various regions of the city, allocating waste that had nowhere to go. Logistics were chaos, so we also support the public power in the search for solutions to the proper disposal of these materials,” said Trashin CEO Sergio Finger.
According to him, only in Porto Alegre were more than 40 thousand tons of accumulated waste that needed to be properly destined.
Trashin was born with six founding partners and today is a corporation of closed capital, with three executive partners. In total there are 38 employees. The company has already undergone investment rounds and is focused on expanding the positive environmental impact through technology.
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The journalist traveled to Porto Alegre at the invitation of MB Startups.
