Fast and international: startup from Brasilia makes a splash abroad
Even though it is new to the market, the Brazilian startup Leadfy was selected, among more than a thousand companies in the world, for one of the best global innovation and technology acceleration programs in Canada.
For the first time, a startup from Brasilia is taking part in a global acceleration program. The company Leadfy, which operates in the automotive sector, went through a rigorous selection process at Techstars Toronto in Canada - one of the most renowned and best acceleration programs in the world. It is on the list of 24 that were selected out of 1,600 startups, all linked to innovation and technology.
The acceleration program began on June 10 and runs until September 30, with three months of immersion and contact with mentors, global CEOs and a network of corporate partners, to better shape the business. Leadfy received a US$ 120,000 investment from Techstars Toronto, which valued the startup at around US$ 3 million.
The brilliant minds behind the successful startup are Aurélio Araújo, from Brasília, and Alfredo Moreira and Eldon Clayton, from Goiás, who were high school and college entrance exam teachers in 2010 and decided to leave everything behind to take the plunge into entrepreneurship. According to Aurélio, the company's revenue has increased by 25% since the start of the program.
But today's reality was once just a dream. The startup was born this year, with the proposal to help stores and dealerships generate new customers and, consequently, sell more cars. In practice, the business uses data intelligence to drive the acquisition and qualification of leads, allowing dealers to focus solely on closing deals.
For Aurélio Araújo, taking part in an accelerator program means recognition for hard work: "It shows that we were producing quality technology in Brazil. Even more so in Brasília, which is a city that revolves around public service. We've been showing that it's possible to go beyond that," he says. Partner Eldon Clayton believes that taking part in this program is proof that entrepreneurship can change lives. "Just as it changed mine," he says.
Trajectory
As well as sharing a classroom, the three teachers also shared an apartment. And it was after work that they thought of new opportunities for the future. The first business they started together was a distance learning and social networking platform for the education sector. The office of C7, the name of the company, was the apartment where they lived in Águas Claras and the work was mostly done at night, after teaching an average of 40 classes a week.
In 2018, the three of them had already left the classroom to devote themselves 100% to the business, which migrated to a basement in Asa Norte. At that time, they were already serving different digital marketing clients, including some car dealerships. But in 2020, they decided to change C7's focus to the automotive market. And this year, they saw the need to open another company, Leadfy, focused on digital data intelligence for automotive companies. And even though it's so new, the startup has shown that it's here to stay.
Aurelio says that the three of them have always had an entrepreneurial streak: "Today, when we look at our history, we see that it was worth it. We had no certainties, because entrepreneurship is about taking risks, but what we are experiencing today, we couldn't have imagined 12 years ago. This has surpassed every plan and expectation, we're sure we made the right decision," he says.
Future
For the future of the newly promising startup, Aurélio envisages continuing to grow the client base in Brazil and, in the coming months, they will be working with Canadian and American clients. "We want to start generating revenue in dollars and we've been talking to several potential partners," says the partner. "We want to show how Brazilian business and entrepreneurship are relevant abroad," he concludes.
Acceleration program
Startup acceleration programs are run by companies that collaborate with the development of businesses that are starting out, helping to find new investors and shaping the company's objectives. In addition, the accelerator collaborates with mentoring, providing important knowledge that can help managers, and in building networks.
