[{"jcr:title":"Insper and Cubo Itaú establish a strategic partnership to strengthen Brazil’s innovation ecosystem","cq:tags_0":"centro-de-conhecimento:hub-de-inova--o-e-empreendedorismo-paulo-cunha","cq:tags_1":"tipos-de-conteudo:acontece-no-insper/institucional","cq:tags_2":"tipos-de-conteudo:acontece-no-insper/parcerias","cq:tags_3":"area-de-conhecimento:gestão-e-negócios/empreendedorismo-e-inovacao"},{"richText":"The Paulo Cunha Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub leads an agreement that positions Insper as a higher education partner of Cubo Itaú, an innovation ecosystem focused on Latin America","authorDate":"24/02/2026 08h50","madeBy":"Por","tag":"centro-de-conhecimento:hub-de-inova--o-e-empreendedorismo-paulo-cunha","title":"Insper and Cubo Itaú establish a strategic partnership to strengthen Brazil’s innovation ecosystem","variant":"imagecolor"},{"jcr:title":"laranja - turquesa - vermelho"},{"themeName":"laranja - turquesa - vermelho"},{"containerType":"containerTwo"},{"jcr:title":"Grid Container Section","layout":"responsiveGrid"},{"text":"The Paulo Cunha Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub at Insper and Cubo Itaú, an innovation ecosystem focused on Latin America, announce a strategic partnership that marks a new chapter in the integration between academia, industry, and entrepreneurship in Brazil. Through this agreement, Insper joins Cubo as a higher education partner, strengthening the connection between applied research, leadership development, and business creation within the innovation ecosystem. The partnership expands Cubo’s role as a strategic platform for the development of innovation in Latin America, connecting startups, large companies, investors, and academia around real challenges and concrete growth opportunities. “The partnership already existed for executive programmes focused on connecting innovation and strategy. Now, as partners within Cubo’s ecosystem, we will create specific strategies to capture collective value, with a focus on developing solutions with economic and social impact,” says Rodrigo Amantea, Head of the Paulo Cunha Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub at Insper. Created more than 10 years ago by Itaú Unibanco, Cubo has evolved from a startup hub into a mature innovation ecosystem that now connects more than 550 startups and around 120 organizations, including corporations, investors, and partners. The initiative has established itself as a driver of growth for companies and society, promoting applied innovation, business generation, and collaboration among different market players. “The entry of Insper further strengthens Cubo’s role as an ecosystem that connects different worlds to generate real impact. Academia plays a fundamental role in shaping the future of innovation, and this partnership expands our ability to bring together knowledge, market, and technology around concrete societal challenges,” says Paulo Costa, CEO of Cubo Itaú. The new partnership is aligned with Cubo’s strategic pillars — business generation, entrepreneurship & technology, community, and futures — and reinforces the ecosystem’s value proposition as an environment for qualified connections, experimentation, and the development of scalable solutions. The agreement includes strategic collaborations such as Insper’s access to Cubo’s network of startups and corporations, as well as the use of its physical space for events and meetings. On Cubo’s side, the partnership provides access to executive education programmes, researchers, faculty, and Insper’s academic production. One of the main differentiators of the collaboration is Insper’s role as a strategic partner in producing applied research for the Cubo ecosystem. The Hub’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Observatory will contribute by validating theoretical hypotheses, mapping markets, and analyzing startup investments, generating reports and studies that benefit the broader Brazilian entrepreneurial ecosystem. Among the planned initiatives is a joint research project on founders, focusing on the profile and challenges of entrepreneurs in Brazil. The Insper ecosystem is recognized as a key driver of fundraising and startup development in Brazil. Through initiatives such as the Fellowship Early Stage Program, Aceleradora Foks, Insper Angels, and a broad network of entrepreneurial alumni, the institution brings together standout startups such as QI Tech, Remessa Online, Alice, Evino, and Mottu. With this partnership, this community gains expanded access to Cubo’s network and to new opportunities for connection with large companies and investors. For Beatriz Barreto, Liaison and Partnerships Analyst at the Paulo Cunha Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub, the partnership represents an important milestone. “It is a great source of pride for us that Insper is a higher education partner of Cubo. We have a long-term vision for this partnership to generate mutual benefits and strengthen the connection between our students and the real market. We are excited about what lies ahead,” she says. The integration between Insper and Cubo also strengthens the Hub’s work across its strategic pillars: innovation with organizations, entrepreneurship development, and community management. With more than 170 events held, 48 webinars, nine newsletter editions, and 15 podcast episodes, the Hub has built an active ecosystem in recent years that now expands through access to Cubo’s infrastructure and network. The two institutions plan several joint initiatives, including applied research programmes, expanded opportunities for startups from both communities, and new formats for connecting academia and industry. The partnership aims to strengthen the joint role of Insper and Cubo Itaú as strategic agents in shaping the future of innovation and entrepreneurship in Brazil."}]