Thirty years connecting
Brazil to the digital future
Since 1996, Softex has served as Brazil's most active catalyst for technology, innovation and digital transformation. We bridge talented people, ambitious companies, and forward-thinking institutions — creating an ecosystem where ideas become products, and products reach the world.
Years driving tech & innovation in Brazil
Years strengthening Brazil's technology and innovation ecosystem
Core thematic areas spanning the full innovation lifecycle
Active programs and national initiatives running simultaneously
Brazilian states reached through programs, partnerships and outreach
Built from a belief that Brazil's technology potential was limitless
Softex — the Brazilian Association for the Promotion of Software Excellence — was born at a pivotal moment in the country's economic and technological history. Founded in 1996 with a mandate to professionalize and grow Brazil's software sector, we started as a coordination body for technology companies seeking greater competitiveness, quality certification and access to international markets.
Three decades on, that founding conviction has only grown stronger. Brazil's ICT sector has evolved from a nascent, export-curious industry into one of the most dynamic digital economies in Latin America — and Softex has been an active architect of that transformation at every step.
Foundation & first mandate
Established to coordinate quality improvement and international competitiveness across Brazilian software companies.
MPSBR quality framework launched
Created Brazil's own software process maturity model, adopted by hundreds of companies seeking global certification.
Brasil IT+ internationalisation program
Began systematically supporting Brazilian software firms in entering global markets, from North America to Asia.
Digital transformation at national scale
Operating across six strategic themes, 12 programs and every Brazilian state — connecting talent, capital and opportunity.
Why we exist, where we're headed, and what guides us
Every program we run, every partnership we forge, and every initiative we launch flows from a clear set of commitments to Brazil and to the global innovation community.
Mission
To connect people, institutions, and opportunities in ways that accelerate Brazil's digital transformation — strengthening the ICT sector, fostering entrepreneurship, developing talent, and integrating Brazilian innovation into the global economy.
Vision
A Brazil recognized worldwide for the quality, creativity and global reach of its technology sector — where digital inclusion and innovation excellence go hand in hand, and where no region or community is left behind by the digital economy.
Values
The principles that underpin every decision and program we operate:
- Collaboration over competition
- Excellence and continuous improvement
- Inclusion and regional equity
- Transparency and accountability
- Strategic intelligence over short-term thinking
- Connection between ecosystem actors
Six strategic pillars that move the Brazilian tech ecosystem forward
Startups & Market Connection
We support early-stage technology ventures through structured acceleration programs, mentorship networks and market linkage initiatives — helping founders move from prototype to scalable business. From Amazônia to major urban hubs, we meet entrepreneurs where they are.
Research, Data & Public Policy
The Softex Observatory (Observatório Softex) produces authoritative research on Brazil's ICT landscape — workforce trends, investment flows, regional competitiveness and emerging technology adoption. Our data shapes policy at federal and state level.
Internationalisation & Global Connectivity
Through Brasil IT+ and the Soft Landing Global initiative, we open international doors for Brazilian technology companies — coordinating trade missions, building bilateral partnerships and preparing firms to compete in markets from the US and Europe to China and beyond.
Technology Innovation & R&D
We catalyse research and development partnerships between universities, industry and government — bridging the gap between scientific output and commercial application. Our PPI Softex and PNM Design programs are central to this technology transfer agenda.
Talent Formation & Capacity Building
From the Escola do Trabalhador 4.0 — which delivers free, certified AI and digital skills training — to specialized programs like Amazônia Geek for games talent and FavEla Empodera for women entrepreneurs, we build human capital at every skill level and social stratum.
Ecosystem Leadership & Convening
Softex Experience and our network of institutional partnerships bring together decision-makers, innovators and investors in productive dialogue. We don't just participate in Brazil's tech conversation — we help set the agenda and convene the rooms where change is decided.
An institution is only as strong as the people who believe in its mission
Softex is staffed and governed by specialists who bring together deep technical expertise, public policy experience and genuine passion for Brazil's digital future. Our team spans economists, engineers, educators, international trade advisors and program managers — united by the conviction that technology, applied equitably, can transform lives.
We deliberately seek diversity — of background, geography and perspective — because the problems we tackle are themselves diverse. The challenges of a startup founder in Belém do Pará are different from those facing a software exporter in São Paulo, and our team is built to understand both.
Long-horizon thinkers
We invest in structural change, not quick wins — building programs designed to outlast any single funding cycle or administration.
Connector mindset
Our instinct is to bridge — between public and private, between research and market, between Brazil and the world.
Evidence-led decisions
Everything we do is grounded in data, sector intelligence and measurable outcomes — not assumptions or received wisdom.
Genuinely inclusive
Softex Mulher, Softex Amazônia, FavEla Empodera — inclusion isn't a sidebar; it's embedded in how we design every initiative.
"We exist to make sure Brazil's talent and ingenuity reach their full potential — and reach the world."
— Softex LeadershipDigital transformation in service of sustainable development
Softex aligns its entire portfolio of programs with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For us, the SDGs are not a reporting framework — they are the lens through which we evaluate whether our work is genuinely contributing to a more equitable, prosperous and sustainable Brazil.
From free digital skills training that supports SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work), to our women-focused programs that advance SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and our regional initiatives in the Amazon that address SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) — the connection between technology access and human development runs through everything we do.
Read our SDG reportSDG 4 — Quality Education
Free digital skills and AI training reaching workers across all 27 states through Escola do Trabalhador 4.0.
SDG 5 — Gender Equality
Softex Mulher and FavEla Empodera actively close gender gaps in technology entrepreneurship and leadership.
SDG 8 — Decent Work & Growth
Supporting job creation through capacity building, certification programs and startup acceleration initiatives.
SDG 10 — Reduced Inequalities
Softex Amazônia and regional programs bring world-class digital opportunities to Brazil's most underserved communities.
SDG 9 — Industry & Innovation
Driving R&D partnerships, MPSBR quality certification and technology transfer between academia and industry.
SDG 17 — Partnerships for the Goals
Convening government, industry, academia and civil society in structured coalitions that accelerate systemic change.
What makes us a different kind of institution
We occupy a unique position in Brazil's innovation landscape — neither purely governmental nor purely private, operating with the agility of civil society and the strategic reach of a national institution. That positioning is precisely our strength.
National reach, local insight
With programs operating in every Brazilian state and deep-rooted regional expertise — from the Amazon to the South — we understand the diversity of the country's innovation challenges better than almost any other institution.
30 years of institutional trust
Three decades of consistent delivery means governments, companies and international partners engage with Softex not as a newcomer but as a proven, reliable steward of strategic programs and public resources.
Sector intelligence no one else produces
The Observatório Softex is the country's most comprehensive source of ICT-sector data and analysis — our research informs legislation, investment decisions, and the strategic plans of hundreds of companies.
A full-spectrum ecosystem player
From free AI courses for frontline workers to international soft-landing programs for scale-ups entering China — we operate across the entire innovation value chain simultaneously, creating synergies no single-focus organization can replicate.
Inclusion built into the model
Gender equity, regional development and social mobility are not add-ons to our work. They are design requirements embedded in our governance and in every program we operate.
Softex program coverage at a glance
Internationalisation
Brasil IT+ — active in 4 continents, 20+ destination markets
Talent & Education
Escola do Trabalhador 4.0 — free, certified, AI-focused
Sector Intelligence
Observatório Softex — Brazil's leading ICT research body
Women in Tech
Softex Mulher — programs active in multiple Brazilian states
Regional Development
Softex Amazônia — serving Brazil's most underserved tech talent
Built on 30 years of strategic alliances
Softex's reach and impact are multiplied through a broad network of government bodies, universities, industry associations, international organizations and private-sector partners who share our commitment to Brazil's digital future.
Ready to be part of Brazil's digital transformation?
Whether you're a startup seeking acceleration, a company ready to go global, a worker looking to reskill, or an institution seeking strategic partnership — Softex has a program for you.