More than 400 people gathered in June in Brasília, Federal District, for the 20-Year Entrepreneurial Alliance Summit—a meeting dedicated to developing public policies, sustainable development, and strengthening the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Microentrepreneurs, authorities, and representatives of organizations from all regions of Brazil were present, with particular emphasis on representatives from the North and Northeast regions, which have been consolidating themselves as strategic hubs for national microentrepreneurship, driven by female leadership and solutions adapted to local realities.
Among them, Project participants Root Business —an initiative of the Entrepreneurial Alliance, supported by Youth Business International (YBI) and funded by the Standard Chartered Foundation, through the Futuremakers program. Aimed at strengthening the bioeconomy entrepreneurial ecosystem in the North and Northeast regions, the project has already benefited more than 800 microentrepreneurs in its first cycle alone.
The meeting also brought together government officials, including representatives from the states of Pará and Maranhão, who actively participated in debates on public policies to strengthen microentrepreneurship. The program combined two events held annually by the Entrepreneurial Alliance: the National Meeting of Microentrepreneurs and the Brazilian Microentrepreneurship Forum, the latter held through the Empreender 360 Program.
Female protagonism in evidence
More than just a gathering of experiences, the Summit highlighted the leading role of these two regions, not only through the significant presence of entrepreneurs but also through the work of public officials and local organizations committed to regional development. One example of this was the participation of the Pará State Secretariat for Women (SEMU), represented by Clarice Laonel, Director of Coordination and Policies for Women, who presented several initiatives focused on sustainable female entrepreneurship in the region.
Among SEMU’s many initiatives, the Entrepreneurial Alliance is a partner for inclusive training, access to credit, and self-esteem enhancement for female entrepreneurs, especially those in vulnerable situations. “The Entrepreneurial Alliance deserves our full recognition for its excellent educational approach to using this platform (the Summit) for collective engagement between government, civil society, and the private sector, with a focus on inspiring more women to transform their realities,” stated Clarice. She emphasizes that the event contributed to a more representative collective development, aligned with local realities and segmented by region, promoting the sharing of knowledge and experiences with a focus on economic development.
Clarice also highlighted the growing female participation in informal entrepreneurship, even in the face of family care challenges. According to her, the material produced during the Forum will serve as a basis for improving public policies, decentralizing actions, and aligning strategies with the socioeconomic realities of Pará’s municipalities.
Following the Summit’s discussions, SEMU plans to implement active listening spaces to map local needs, provide training, and access to credit. It also plans to develop training paths with certifications in business management and digital marketing, among other topics. It is also in talks with the Entrepreneurial Alliance to deepen the partnership. It also plans to adopt digital platforms for managing and monitoring public policies, increasing the effectiveness and visibility of initiatives focused on female entrepreneurship in the state.
Microentrepreneurs of Root Business also participated
The project Root Business attended the event with eight entrepreneurs, including Aline Rodrigues da Silva Costa, Izabela Conceição Lopes, and Jéssica Santos da Cruz Moraes, participants in the first cycle of the three-year initiative. Participation in the event was an opportunity for them to exchange experiences, strengthen networks, and establish new partnerships to grow their businesses.
Psychologist Aline Rodrigues highlighted that the Summit provided meaningful connections with other entrepreneurs and representatives of institutions aligned with her mission. According to her, she learned a lot on topics such as management, impact, networks, and purpose. “The connections made will certainly directly impact the growth and expansion of the social impact of my work,” she stated. In a current period of expansion, Aline is taking her projects focused on women’s mental health to new spaces, with a clearer purpose and vision for the future..
“Seeing how each entrepreneur, even from different backgrounds, faces similar challenges and seeks creative and powerful solutions is something that greatly strengthens our journey. What struck me most was the power of collectiveness, collaboration, and the ability of each business to generate social impact in its territory, regardless of size or available resources,” he added.
The diversity of profiles and areas of activity among the participants was also a point highlighted by Isabele Conceição, from Iza’s Delights Confectionery. For her, the event highlighted the power of cooperatives and partnerships as drivers for small business growth. “The biggest lesson was realizing how each business can grow when supported by other partners. This showed me how important these connections are for the development of our work,” she stated.
Along the same lines, Jéssica Santos, from the initiative Women of Fiber, described her experience at the Summit as a true “turning point” for her business. She highlighted the unity among the entrepreneurs, regardless of regional differences: “It was wonderful! What stood out most was the unity. Even though we were from different places, we were there pursuing the same purpose, seeking experiences and knowledge.” For her, the event was also an invitation to overcome challenges and seek the right spaces to achieve goals: “Overcoming challenges and breaking paradigms, because experiencing that moment was incredible.”
Strategic partnerships
Credisol, a microcredit organization, also actively participated in the event, represented by ESG coordinator Stefano Mattei. Mattei believes the Summit deepened understanding of the diverse realities faced by microentrepreneurs, especially in the North and Northeast regions. The exchange of experiences reinforced the idea that the most effective solutions are those built on local characteristics, avoiding centralized models that have little impact on contexts characterized by informality and community ties.
According to Stefano, many entrepreneurs in these regions have presented initiatives rooted in their communities, with solutions adapted to local realities—whether in language, distribution methods, sales channels, or the use of available resources. “At the same time, I realized that a common thread among partners in the region is the need to create products and services—both financial and non-financial—that recognize this diversity from the outset. Ready-made, centrally designed models tend to fail where informality and community ties are stronger than formal structures,” he points out.
The event experience also highlighted Credisol’s strategic role as a regional coordinator within the impact ecosystem, especially by fostering partnerships with entrepreneurship training institutions such as Aliança Empreendedora. In this sense, the collaboration between the two organizations opens new possibilities for expanding access to microcredit and training, contributing to productive inclusion with a focus on social impact.
Among the key takeaways, Stefano highlights the importance of understanding the profile of the target audiences in greater depth, tailoring not only the credit offering but also the support provided in a more sensitive and contextualized manner. He also highlights the need to strengthen the organization’s institutional visibility by engaging in public and industry debate. He emphasizes the value of active listening as a tool for collaborative development with entrepreneurs, as well as the importance of clearly measuring and communicating the impact generated.
For Lina Useche, co-founder and Head of Institutional Relations at Aliança Empreendedora, it’s this diversity of voices that makes the Aliança Empreendedora Summit and the Brazilian Microentrepreneurship Forum unique events in Brazil. “These events are highly strategic moments where we can bring together narratives from across the country, fostering income generation and productive inclusion from end to end when it comes to entrepreneurship at the base of the pyramid. Having guests representing this powerhouse from the North and Northeast regions contributed to a rich agenda of debates, where the unique characteristics of each region directly influence the development of effective solutions for microentrepreneurs.”
