The next generation of technology in Brazil has the potential to be born global. “The first phase was to put the country on the map. Then, we stopped creating copycats to develop local companies to a global standard. Now, in this third wave, we believe that Brazilian startups are already born global”, said Eric Acher, co-founder and managing partner of Monashees, during panel at Web Summit Rio 2026.
In Eric’s view, the advancement of artificial intelligence comes at a strategic moment for Brazil, after two decades of ecosystem development, talent training and the maturation of local companies. “If this revolution had happened 20 years ago, we wouldn’t be as prepared to capture value,” he stated. For him, this scenario favors the emergence of a generation of entrepreneurs with technical quality and creativity to compete globally.
It is in this context that the Monashees joined the Google to launch the Gama Fundan initiative that provides for co-investments of up to US$10 million (R$51.7 million) in five Brazilian AI startups.
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According to Fábio Coelho, president of Google Brazilthe project was structured as a two-way street. In addition to financial support, the selected startups will have access to Google Cloud credits, technical mentoring from senior teams and the company’s latest AI models. In return, feedback from these companies should help Google teams refine and improve their own artificial intelligence models.
The selection process foresees open registrations and continuous analysis of startups monitored by the teams during events and interactions with the ecosystem. To participate, companies must have AI at the center of their business model, have Brazilian founders — working in Brazil or abroad — and demonstrate interest in collaborating with Google engineers and researchers.
Persistent barriers
In a panel mediated by the editor-in-chief of StartupsGustavo Brigatto, the executives converged on the diagnosis of the main obstacles in the Brazilian ecosystem.
For Eric, from Monashees, The biggest bottleneck continues to be access to capital. “The available volume is disproportionate to the companies’ potential,” he stated. In his opinion, the role of the government and regulators should be to reduce barriers to execution and reduce bureaucracy in the business environment, rather than creating direct incentives or expanding public contributions.
Fábio, from Googlereinforced the argument from the perspective of legal certainty. According to the executive, foreign capital tends to seek markets with institutional and regulatory stability. He cited the Marco Civil da Internet and the General Data Protection Law as examples of relevant regulatory frameworks, and highlighted that Google has worked with Congress to defend an environment favorable to innovation, especially in the advancement of AI.
Fábio highlighted that Brazil brings together characteristics that few markets have at the same time: a sophisticated consumer base, advanced productive sectors — such as agribusiness and the cellulose industry — and strategic reserves of critical minerals. “We have to take advantage of our talents to make this a reality,” he said.
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The challenge, according to the executives, is to transform these assets into technology companies with global impact, and not just exporting commodities or replicating models created outside the country. In this view, the Gama Fund appears as a bet that the next generation of Brazilian founders is already prepared to take this leap.
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