Growth of over 40% in five years and a revenue added of R $ 42.5 billion in 2024: this was the result of the technology sector of Santa Catarina, according to a study released during the Startup Summit, which happens between August 27 and 29, in Florianópolis. With this, the state of Santa Catarina exceeded neighboring Rio Grande do Sul in revenues and reached fifth place in the national ranking, behind only Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Paraná.
The rise in segment revenues in 2024 was 11% in the year, surpassing the national average (7.7%), a result that expands sector participation in state GDP to 7.75%, the third largest among Brazilian states, and has been following the upward pace of the last five years: since 2020, the sector has registered a 15.7% increase in its participation in state GDP. In per capita revenues in the segment, Santa Catarina also stands out with R $ 5,200 per inhabitant, behind only the Federal District, Sao Paulo and Amazonas.
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In the national scenario, the technology sector in Brazil won R $ 813.2 billion in 2024, representing a 7.7% increase over the previous year. Looking at all states, Sergipe, Acre, Amapá and Rondônia stood out with growths above 30%. Among the 10 states of greatest expression in the segment, Ceará (+20.5%), Paraná (+18.7%), Bahia (+15.6%), Federal District (+11.8%), Santa Catarina (11%) and Minas Gerais (+10.8%).
The data were collected by the Santa Catarina Technology Association (ACATE) with neoway data and information extracted from public sources.
Ranking of the technology sector in Brazil (by revenues)
| Position | State | Invoicing | Growth (%) |
| 1º | São Paulo | R $ 376 billion | 6,6% |
| 2º | Rio de Janeiro | R $ 68 billion | 4,1% |
| 3º | Minas Gerais | R $ 64 billion | 10,8% |
| 4º | Paraná | R $ 55 billion | 18,7% |
| 5º | Santa Catarina | R $ 42.5 billion | 11% |
| 6º | Rio Grande do Sul | R $ 41 billion | 2,5% |
Source: Observatory Acate 2025 for the year 2024
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The rise in revenues was also accompanied by growth in the number of technology companies. Santa Catarina recorded the highest proportional increase in business volume in the sector last year, up 6.2%, while Sao Paulo (-0.4%), Rio de Janeiro (-4.5%) and Rio Grande do Sul (-1.2%), presented retraction. With 29,400 active businesses, the state now occupies the 6th national place in absolute number of technology companies.
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“The growth of the technology sector is not a punctual phenomenon, but the reflection of a consistent construction, based on talent qualification, entrepreneurship incentive and a collaborative environment between academy, productive sector and public authorities,” says Acate President Diego Brites Ramos.
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For the executive, the results of the study reveal a structural advance of the Santa Catarina innovation ecosystem. “The fact that we lead the growth in the number of companies, even in a year of national retraction, reinforces the resilience of our ecosystem,” he says.
Ranking of the technology sector in Brazil (by number of companies)
| Position | State | Number of companies | Growth (%) |
| 1º | São Paulo | 222.313 | -0,4% |
| 2º | Minas Gerais | 51.885 | +0,15% |
| 3º | Rio de Janeiro | 51.879 | -4,5% |
| 4º | Paraná | 39.591 | +1,3% |
| 5º | Rio Grande do Sul | 32.610 | -1,2% |
| 6º | Santa Catarina | 29.365 | +6,2% |
Source: Observatory Acate 2025 for the year 2024
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National Panorama
Despite losing a percentage of participation in the last four years, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro remain the states that have the most in the technology sector. In number of companies in the segment, São Paulo adds 222 thousand (in 2023 there were 223 thousand), with a total revenue of R $ 376 billion per year.
Rio de Janeiro occupies the second position, with revenues of R $ 68 billion, but the drop in the number of companies to 51,879, compared to 54,316, in 2023, caused the state to be overtaken by Minas Gerais – with 6 more companies (51,885).
Other states also had greater economic participation last year. This was the case of Paraná (+0.53 pp), Ceará (+0.29 pp) and Santa Catarina (+0.28 pp), which reduced the participation of revenues from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro to 54% – compared to 57% in 2018.
