Sebrae Drives Growth and Internationalization of Small Businesses Across Brazil
Sebrae advances programs fostering management skills and internationalization to boost Brazil’s small business growth, amid rising openings and closures.
- • Sebrae’s Avança MEI program in Maranhão concluded its first cycle, enhancing management and marketing skills of microentrepreneurs with a new cycle starting February 2026.
- • The Inova Amazônia – Global Edition initiative supports Amazon bioeconomy startups in international expansion with 80 spots available, including mentoring and global networking.
- • Rio Grande do Norte saw 51,733 new businesses in 2025, 97% of which are small enterprises, creating 19,300 formal jobs but also facing a rise in business closures.
- • Strategic planning and sustained support are highlighted as essential to improving the sustainability and success of Brazil’s expanding small business sector.
Key details
Sebrae, Brazil's key institution supporting small businesses, has launched significant initiatives advancing entrepreneurship sustainability and international growth. In Maranhão, the Avança MEI program recently concluded its first cycle, equipping microentrepreneurs with vital management, marketing, and strategic planning skills over five months. This program, launched in August 2025, addresses Maranhão's robust microentrepreneur population, accounting for over 70% of local businesses. Participants like Valdísia Viana Pereira and Eduarda Souza highlighted its transformative impact, improving their business perspectives and operational clarity. The next Avança MEI cycle will commence in February 2026, promising further opportunities for microentrepreneurs to refine their skills and expand their enterprises.
Simultaneously, Sebrae in Pará advanced the internationalization agenda by opening registrations for the Inova Amazônia – Global Edition program. This initiative targets startups and small businesses in the Amazon's bioeconomy, facilitating their entry into global markets and attracting investment. With 80 available spots reserved for enterprises from the nine Legal Amazon states, the program includes online workshops, mentoring, business rounds, and international missions. It collaborates with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to provide a comprehensive acceleration journey. Rubens Magno, Sebrae/PA’s director-superintendent, remarked on the program's creation in response to the growing readiness among companies to scale and internationalize.
In Rio Grande do Norte, Sebrae’s ‘Pequenos Negócios em Números’ report revealed that small businesses led the opening of 51,733 companies in 2025, representing 97% of new enterprises and driving the creation of approximately 19,300 formal jobs. The food sector is among the most dynamic. However, the state also faces challenges, with business closures more than doubling to 29,382 in 2025, signaling sustainability concerns. Alinne Dantas from Sebrae emphasized the critical need for strategic planning to complement this growth. Economic analyst Ricardo Valério noted the surge in MEI registrations and changing labor dynamics as growth factors, while cautioning that high interest rates may restrain economic momentum.
Collectively, these initiatives and data underscore Sebrae’s multifaceted approach to supporting Brazilian small businesses through skills development, strategic planning, and international expansion. With continued focus and upcoming program cycles, these efforts aim to bolster the resilience and global competitiveness of Brazil’s micro and small enterprises.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.