The founder and chairman of the Board of Directors of XP Investimentos, Guilherme Benchimol, was the keynote speaker on the second day of ABPI’s Congress. Below are some of his ideas about entrepreneurship in Brazil.
Industry challenge
“The cost of capital in Brazil is very high. With average interest rates in the range of 13% per year, for an industry that does not have a margin of more than 10%, it is almost impossible to find brave entrepreneurs to make this happen. Therefore, the most important thing is for the country to make sure to have a low opportunity cost. Consequently, entrepreneurs take more risk, and industrialization becomes a natural option”.
Innovation and Technology
“The new jobs come from this aspect. In Brazil, we will have a labor shortage of almost 500 thousand people in the coming years. In order to be connected to new technologies, we have to train good people with an educational policy that advances this”.
Brazilian dream
“In 2010, the dream of Brazilians was to work for the government, to have stability. Today, 70% of Brazilians dream of becoming an entrepreneur, and this is the biggest transformation that has been happening in the country”.
Trust in Brazil
“Brazil is the country with the most opportunities in the world. As everything is lacking here, it is the dream of entrepreneurs. Who will change Brazil is not government A or B, but the 20 million entrepreneurs, who employ 50 million people”.
