Mentora, a startup that uses artificial intelligence to accelerate the development of business leaders, recently received an investment of 1.5 million reais in a pre-seed round (the first investment that a startup receives to bring its idea to life). The investment was made by DOMO.VC, a Brazilian venture capital company that invests in technology startups in Latin America. Mentora, which has as one of its co-founders the 27-year-old Gabriel Goichman from São Paulo, who graduated in Mechatronic Engineering at Insper, aims to revolutionize the leadership development market with an innovative technological approach.

 

Founded in 2023, Mentora stands out in the market for its proposal to combine artificial intelligence with human expertise in leadership development. The solution integrates a virtual assistant with group sessions led by human facilitators, creating a hybrid approach that aims to maximize the practical application of leadership skills.

 

“The problem we identified in leadership development is that scalable solutions, such as online programs and workshops, do not generate the necessary impact, while effective methods, such as mentoring and individual coaching, are expensive and not accessible to everyone,” says Gabriel.

 

From this realization, Mentora sought to create a model that combined technology with individualized follow-up. “When GPT-3 was launched, we realized we could use this technology to develop a digital mentor, offering personalized follow-up for leaders,” says Gabriel. The great differentiator of Mentora, according to him, was to combine artificial intelligence with human facilitators — certified specialists — creating a “hybrid intelligence” approach that seeks to unite the best of both worlds.

 

 

 

Entrepreneurial Spirit Awakened

 

 

Gabriel's journey at Insper illustrates how education can foster innovation and entrepreneurship. Gabriel graduated from Insper in Mechatronic Engineering in 2019 and was part of the program's first cohort.

 

“My relationship with Insper was very intense, I was always very engaged with the school's purpose and in several initiatives. I participated in several student organizations, received candidates at the school, participated in career fairs representing Insper, and even gave an interview.” (In this video, see a testimonial given at the time by Gabriel about what makes Insper's Engineering program different.)

 

Gabriel says he was always curious, with a passion for physics and understanding how things worked, something he inherited from his father, also an engineer. “Insper was the place where this passion consolidated, especially being part of the first cohort of the Engineering program, where professors with an entrepreneurial profile were creating something completely new. We, students, were encouraged to give constant feedback, which made us feel part of the construction of a differentiated program.”

 

For Gabriel, it was this experience, along with the commitment of the professors and the dynamic environment of the institution, that awakened an entrepreneurial spirit in him, something he already carried but that Insper helped strengthen. “Besides the classes, I participated in several initiatives, such as organizing the entrance exam, which reinforced my engagement and passion for the academic environment and entrepreneurship,” says Gabriel.

 

Still during his undergraduate degree, Gabriel founded TechEdu, a social project that developed technology and entrepreneurship skills in young students from public schools selected by Ismart Online, a virtual study platform. The project, supported by Insper, impacted over a thousand students over three years. “In this project, volunteer students taught classes on 3D printing, entrepreneurship, and design thinking, helping teenagers develop practical projects,” says Gabriel. “Some teenagers who participated in this project are now students at Insper.”

 

After graduating, Gabriel worked for four and a half years at Endeavor, a global organization that supports and accelerates entrepreneurship projects. “At Endeavor, my main function was to identify entrepreneurs who already had structured companies in an accelerated growth stage. The focus was to support these companies to scale by connecting them with experienced mentors,” he says.

 

It was during this period that he met his current partner, Marina Proença, and began to develop the idea that would become the Mentor. Marina is now responsible for Mentor's marketing, while Gabriel is the Chief Product Officer (CPO). Wagner Cassimiro (CEO) and Bruno Kloss (CTO) complete the team of co-founders of Mentora.

 

 

 

Opportunities in leadership development

 

Since its founding, Mentora has conducted pilots with various companies to validate its model. The idea was to test the use of artificial intelligence in combination with human support to develop leaders in a personalized and efficient way. After many tests and adjustments, the model solidified, and since July, the startup has accelerated its expansion, aiming to reach thousands of users by the end of the year. According to Gabriel, the platform, which combines the AI's "digital brain" with human facilitators, has shown excellent results, with over 90% of users regularly interacting with the AI, demonstrating high retention and engagement.

 

Mentora is already applying its solution in companies like the construction company RM Mais, where it has contributed to developing greater protagonism and autonomy in leadership. Now, with the 1.5 million reais funding received from DOMO.VC, the startup plans to enhance its platform, especially in voice interaction, to become increasingly effective in understanding and supporting users. "For 2025, we plan to raise a new round of investments and are already in talks with funds to accelerate growth," says Gabriel. "In addition, we are discussing internationalization strategies, aiming to take Mentora to other countries and consolidate the product in the global market."