The Amazon Bioeconomy and Innovation Park and Amazon at Cubo Itaú initiatives were selected for Latin America’s foremost technical and scientific forum on open innovation
Fundo Vale presented two case studies at the 5ᵗʰ Latin American Open Innovation Case Studies Congress, held by 100 Open Startups on July 30 and 31 in São Paulo: Amazon at Cubo Itaú and the Amazon Bioeconomy and Innovation Park. The congress brought together entrepreneurs, organizations, experts and leaders to showcase and recognize open innovation initiatives, as well as strengthen the quality, transparency and comparability of the case studies highlighted by the innovation ecosystem.
This year, the congress officially became part of the methodology used for the 100 Open Startups Ranking, Latin America’s leading database on collaborative innovation, cementing the event as the region’s foremost technical and scientific forum on the topic. In 2026, the initiative received 641 case studies, produced by 4,047 authors from 767 different institutions. Following a technical review, 222 cases were selected for presentation.
According to Giovana Serenato, from Fundo Vale’s Innovation team, presenting these case studies at an event dedicated to open innovation was a valuable opportunity to increase the visibility of initiatives focused on the bioeconomy and positive social and environmental impact in the Amazon.
“It was an opportunity to expand connections, exchange lessons learned and showcase initiatives built by many people. We need to bring together entrepreneurs, communities, researchers, investors, companies and institutions committed to an economy that values preserved forests and the people who live in them,” she said.
Amazon at Cubo Itaú
Amazon at Cubo Itaú, an initiative carried out by Fundo Vale in partnership with the Cubo Itaú innovation hub through Cubo ESG, connected local startups, large companies, investors and entrepreneurs from other parts of Brazil with solutions developed in the Amazon, creating opportunities for the development of businesses with positive social and environmental impact.
As part of the initiative, Fundo Vale organized immersion programs for executives from large companies in Belém, including technical visits and business matchmaking sessions in the region; training and selection processes for startups from Brazil’s North region; and opportunities for businesses with the greatest potential to scale up to connect with the broader Cubo Itaú community. Work at the hub contributed to the development of a paper co-authored by Giovana Serenato, published in Tecnologia e Sociedade, a scientific journal of the Federal Technological University of Paraná. The study assessed the experience of six large organizations that are part of Cubo Itaú and investigated how this kind of ecosystem contributes to incorporating environmental innovation into business strategies.
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Amazon Bioeconomy and Innovation Park
Launched in Belém during COP30, this public initiative is part of the Pará State Government’s strategy to advance the state’s bioeconomy policies. Coordinated by Semas-PA, its initial operations were sponsored by Fundo Vale and Natura, with technical collaboration from the CERTI Foundation. The park covers an area of 6,000 square meters and includes a Business Center that supports more than 200 startups, as well as a Factory Lab for developing food and cosmetics using ingredients derived from Amazonian biodiversity.
More than physical infrastructure, the park was designed as an innovation ecosystem that strengthens connections between science, traditional knowledge, communities, entrepreneurs and the market, supporting social and biological diversity value chains and impact businesses capable of generating economic value while contributing to forest conservation.
“The goal is to position the Amazon as a global innovation hub for business models that promote environmental protection, social inclusion and local economic development, aligned with global sustainability goals. It is part of PlanBio, the State of Pará’s Bioeconomy Plan”, explains Márcia Soares, Fundo Vale’s Amazon and partnerships manager.