Mercadão holds the fair at startups

Icon in the history of São Paulo, the shopping center will invest in IoT and data logistics and mobility solutions

Centennial historical symbol of the capital of São Paulo, the Mercadão is getting ready for the next centuries of existence. In a partnership with the open innovation hub Ibrawork, an initiative of the Instituto Sociocultural Brasil China (Ibrachina), the consortium that manages one of the most traditional shopping centers in the country will select ten startups to eliminate bottlenecks and improve processes in the “Mercadão for Startups” project. . The Kinjo Yamato Market, known as “Cantareira” and managed by the same group, will also benefit from the program.

“There are a number of problems in Mercadão that we can solve with technology. From better understanding the profile of the public that circulates here today to avoiding food waste at the end of the day. Not to mention mobility and security issues on site. There is still no charging point for electric cars, for example”, says Tânia Gomes, head of innovation at Ibrawork and creator of the project. “This place is an icon of São Paulo. Physical restoration needs to be accompanied by a technological revolution.”

Since taking over the management of Mercadão last year, appointing the CEO Alexandre Germano, the concessionaire has carried out repairs to the physical structure. Before the pandemic, the estimate was that about 50,000 people passed through the place daily.

Now, management will establish partnerships that can transform the shopping center into a client or investor of these startups. Even acquisition proposals are considered by the group. There is still no estimated value for the investments.

At first, startups will be selected in the segments of fintechs, foodtechs, big data and IoT, agtech, logtech, energy and mobility. The ten selected will undergo a two-month acceleration program at Ibrawork.

In operation for less than six months, the hub has already mapped startups that may fit the project’s profile. SmartSky, one of the accelerators of the ecosystem, has already mapped the entire Mercadão plant in 3D, in a project that uses data crossing to predict areas at risk of deterioration in the structure.

The accelerator that will take care of innovation in the Market was founded by Thomas Law, leader in the Chinese community in São Paulo and son of Law Kin Chong, controversial “King of March 25th”.

Source: Value Pipeline