Fundação Telefônica develops tool to help young entrepreneurs

The Semana Global do Empreendedorismo (Global Entrepreneurship Week) was created ten years ago to strengthen and spread the entrepreneurship culture. Since then, 2.5 million people in Brazil have engaged somehow in the movement – held every November –, some through 10,000 activities in the last three years. According to data from SEBRAE (Brazilian service of assistance to micro and small enterprises), the country reached its second-highest level of entrepreneurship in 2016, with 36% of the adult population involved in such activities.

Within this framework, Fundação Telefonica Vivo created the Programa Pense Grande (Think Big Program) in 2013 and since then has helped 50,000-plus young talents to develop their own businesses. The program invites young people aged 15-29 to become protagonists of their stories, using their knowledge and skills to develop businesses that positively impact others and, at the same time, generate income. “When young people connect their skills to the needs of their community, they develop an entrepreneurial attitude that goes beyond the business and can be applied in life as a whole,” explains Americo Mattar, CEO of Fundação Telefônica Vivo.

Last November, Pense Grande Program launched a channel to provide more visibility to the initiatives developed by the young entrepreneurs, promote relevant information and encourage people to materialize their ideas. The contempt is now available for free on the program website.