The 34 teams that will be part of the Academic Working Capital program, which helps students transform their Final Projects into technology-based startups, have already been selected. Of the 228 applicants from more than 100 public and private colleges, the 88 students forming the teams will participate in workshops, teaching assistance and in the Investments Fair, besides receiving funds to build their prototypes. This way, by the end of the year, their projects turn into startups.
Health-related proposals are the record holders: in total, eight involve issues such as new diagnostic technologies, more efficient prostheses and accessibility for people with disabilities. Projects in the areas of agriculture and education were also picked, with six and three selections, respectively. In agriculture, the focus is on increasing productivity, thinking on quality, while in education, they involve the use of new technologies.
Other proposals addressed Management, Creative Economy, Clothing, Accessibility, Architecture, Industry, Information Technology, Mobility, Sustainability, Tourism, Construction, and Livestock.
In this fifth edition of the program, more than 30% of the teams are led by or have female participants. AWC has been working to increase the participation and leadership of women in teams and, partnerships with organizations such as Rede Mulher Empreendedora and Meninas Digitais, collaborate with this objective. By 2018, the number of women participating or leading teams was less than half this year, totalizing 13%.
The subject of Workshop I was Scientific Entrepreneurship and details on how to create a startup. The next step is a Follow-up of the teams during the months of May, June and July.
