Proving that strong culture is synonymous with high revenues has long been the mission of Rio de Janeiro businesswoman Manuella Gonzalez. UFRJ’s oil engineer, she has worked for Petrobras () and was a partner of Ambev () before deciding to follow her mission as an entrepreneur, when founding Humanup, a consultancy that helps companies to climb their results from culture, management and people.
The entrepreneur participated in the new series of From zero to topthe program shows the history of successful entrepreneurs. This edition, which has the support of, will feature the trajectories of entrepreneurs who invested in the transformation of their business. Manuella’s history is an example of this.
His personal trajectory, marked by dedication to studies and ascension in large corporations, served as the basis for the creation of Human Up, a consultancy that works alongside small and medium entrepreneurs in Brazil. “Education has changed my life in the past and continues to change. Learning is the way to remain sophisticated and interesting,” he says.
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Entrepreneurial journey
The businesswoman’s career turn came with the entrance to the Ambev trainee program. By running for areas such as Finance, Sales, Marketing and People Management, Manuella discovered the passion for organizational culture and human behavior. It eventually led the company’s cultural transformation, at a time when the company sought to balance efficiency with innovation. “Culture is not a product of HR, it is CEO’s responsibility. And I understood that transforming culture was, in the background, transforming human behavior,” recalls Gonzalez.
Experience has paved the way for an impact career. He decided to leave Ambev and join Alice, a health startup, at a time of explosive growth – when the company left 70 to 900 employees in just over a year. “My departure from Ambev, has it had a lot to do with wanting to understand what it is to create new management models? At Alice was a period of intense learning, in which I had to download the ego and do a little of everything,” he says.
If in the giants Ambev and Alice she learned about management, culture and accelerated growth, in entrepreneurship Manuella found an unexplored space: to bring high level solutions to companies that are not served by large consultancies.
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Manu has seen in small and medium enterprises the opportunity to transform organizational culture bringing sustainable growth. IBGE data, according to the businesswoman, reveal that 48% of companies in Brazil break up to 3 years for lack management.
Humanup has so far carried out more than 160 projects in 49 companies, won ROI positive and, in 2024, was recognized with the best cultural evolution award in partnership with Willbank. The consultancy differs, according to the founder, by adopting a personalized approach, as each project starts from the immersion in the reality of the business and the direct involvement of the entrepreneur.
The result appears quickly. According to the founder, about 100% of the projects carried out have already paid with revenues, efficiency or cost reduction. More than a consultancy, Manu wants Human UP to be recognized as a strategic partner of Brazilian SMEs. “We believe that we have a lot of opportunity to scale the concept of organizational culture within medium and small businesses. Showing that culture is not, and it will never be, a loose and written word in the wall. There is no transformation of the company without the transformation of people,” he says.
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Watch the full episode on the YouTube channel from scratch to the top or the main podcast aggregators.
For more details of the company’s history and know your strategy for the future, see the full episode in. The program is available and in its podcast version on the main streaming platforms such as,,,
About zero to the top
O podcast From zero to top It is a production of Infomoney And this edition, which has the support of XP Enterprises, will feature the trajectories of entrepreneurs who have invested in the transformation of their business.
