There is something that has been drawing attention in conversations with businesspeople, boards and strategic meetings: more and more professionals come to the table already presenting themselves as founders. It’s not just a new role on LinkedIn. It is a clear change in posture, ambition and responsibility.
The data confirms this perception. According to the SMB Work Change Report, a proprietary report from LinkedIn, the number of professionals in Brazil who started using the title of founder grew 74% in the last year, almost three times more than in 2022. The largest professional network in the world points to a new breath of fresh air in Brazilian entrepreneurship: more authorial, more independent and, at the same time, more exposed to real business risks.
The study shows that small and medium-sized companies are undergoing a structural transformation, driven by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, the need to build more authentic brands and the strengthening of networks and communities. And this appears clearly in practice: never before has there been so much talk about positioning, efficiency and scale at the same time.
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Artificial intelligence stopped being futuristic speech and became an everyday tool. According to LinkedIn, 85% of Brazilian SME professionals believe that AI will improve their work routine. More than gains in productivity, there is a direct impact on career choices: 77% say that contact with technology led them to consider paths such as entrepreneurship, a finding in line with what is also observed in global markets.
But here comes a point that the report reinforces and that practice confirms: technology accelerates, organizes, cross-references data and expands vision. However, she cannot sustain a business alone. As Milton Beck, general director of LinkedIn in Latin America, stated, trust, reputation and human connections continue to be the pillars that transform innovation into long-term growth.
In meetings with SMEs, this becomes evident. Many business owners already use AI for marketing, sales and service, but still stumble on the basics of financial management. The technology helps to visualize cash flow, monitor inflows and outflows, analyze income, expenses, defaults and predict scenarios. But without routine, without clear monitoring rites and without management discipline, no tool delivers sustainability.
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What is most observed is that healthy businesses are not the most technological, but rather the most consistent. Those who look at numbers frequently, make decisions based on data and use AI as a support rather than a crutch.
And this transformation is already beginning to take concrete shape outside of data. Recently, leaders such as Guilherme Benchimol, David Vélez, and André Street announced a movement aimed at entrepreneurial training, on a non-profit basis, to support those who are building businesses in Brazil. A space for connections, exchange of experience and support for decision-making that goes beyond technology and directly targets the development of the person behind the company.
This shows us that, if artificial intelligence can accelerate learning and reduce operational friction, it is continuous training and community that transform potential into real impact.
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The SMB Work Change Report leaves a clear message for the coming years: technology and human skills need to go hand in hand. Communication, creativity, collaboration and the ability to build relationships continue to be competitive differentiators. AI enhances and the human being directs.
Brazil is undertaking more. Technology has never been so accessible. The challenge now is to transform this momentum into financially solid businesses, with prior direction and sustainable in the long term. And this is definitely not automated.
