Energy efficiency, sustainability and security of supply have never been more on the agenda in Brazil than they are now. But two decades ago, a check for R$75,000 bounced and the entrepreneurial vision by Abraham Curi began the trajectory of Tecnogera, today one of the main names in the energy security not country.
“It was certainly the biggest deal I would do in my life, in something I didn’t know about,” says Curi.
In an interview for the podcast From Zero to Topa program that tells the story of successful entrepreneurs, Curi said he identified the opportunity after being fired and going to a logistics center in search of used orange juice machines, which he bought, refurbished and resold.
“I had absolutely no initial capital and the person offered me those 15 sets of generators for R$5,000 each. The machine I was going there to buy cost around R$2,000. I had just bought my first house and he offered me a sale for R$75,000”, recalled Abraham Curi.
Continues after advertising
Headquartered in São Bernardo do Campo, in ABC Paulista, Tecnogera has built a fleet with more than 2 thousand generators. Present throughout the country, the company develops solutions that avoid downtime, reduce operational losses and guarantee energy for strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy.
Also read:
Decision by pay phone
Before closing the deal, Curi went out to test whether there was a market for the equipment. Without easy access to the internet at that time and with the generators’ technical data written down on paper, he began calling potential buyers using a pay phone.
The response indicated that there was demand and that it would be possible to resell the equipment for 15 thousand reais each. Still, taking the risk was not a simple decision.
“Buying a business for R$75,000 and selling it for R$225,000 changes your life. But at the same time it could be a big risk,” he says. And he decided to move forward even without having all the money available at that time.
“I went back there and handed over the check for R$75,000. I just asked not to deposit it that day because I still needed to organize the money,” he says.
Continues after advertising
The bet ended up paying off, but not exactly as he had planned. The first interested buyer decided to take only five of the machines for R$15,000 each and not all of them as promised. Even so, the result ended up being positive. Curi refurbished the other generators and started selling them on the market.
Also read:
From buying and selling to the energy business
In the following years, the entrepreneur traveled to different regions of the country buying and reselling used equipment. The movement coincided with a period when many generators were available on the market following the energy crisis of the early 2000s.
Continues after advertising
“I spent two, three years buying and selling generator sets throughout Brazil. But buying and selling used equipment was profitable, not scalable”, he says.
Based on this conclusion, Curi decided to change the company’s focus. Instead of selling equipment, Tecnogera would start renting and offering complete energy security solutions for companies. This strategic change transformed the company into a provider of solutions for critical sectors of the economy, such as industry, mining and energy.
“While most people were discussing machine rental, I was discussing how to ensure that the customer would not be left without power”, says the founder
Continues after advertising
To find out more details about Tecnogera’s trajectory, see the full episode on . The program is available in its podcast version on the main streaming platforms such as , , , and
About From Zero to Top
The Do Zero ao Topo podcast is a production of InfoMoney and brings, every week, the stories of prominent women and men in the Brazilian market to tell their story, sharing the biggest challenges faced along the way and the main strategies used in building the business.
