BRDE Labs SC 2026: Acceleration Program Opens Applications for Santa Catarina Startups in the Venture Stage

Registration is now open for the first stage of BRDE Labs SC 2026, a program supporting the development of startups and technology companies in Santa Catarina, carried out through a partnership between the Regional Development Bank of the Far South (BRDE) and the Catarinense Association of Technology (ACATE). This year’s edition was launched this past Monday (9), in Florianópolis, with the presentation of the project’s three tracks, starting with the Venture stage, focused on raising investment. Applications can be submitted until April 5 at this link. Results will be announced on April 16.

Created in 2022, BRDE Labs SC has already supported more than 400 startups, with an average survival rate above 93% among participants and more than R$1.05 million awarded in prizes. Companies with a technology-related CNAE, a CNPJ registered in Santa Catarina, and active revenue may apply. Up to 130 startups from Santa Catarina in the operation and traction stages will be selected, distributed across the Venture and Growth tracks — the first focused on preparing startups and connecting them with investors, and the second focused on sales acceleration. The final stage, Innovation, focused on generating business between startups and large companies, will connect up to 25 startups from across Brazil, selected starting in April, to challenges proposed by up to five companies from Santa Catarina.

In 2025 alone, in the Venture stage, participants recorded average monthly revenue growth of 28.6% and finished with an average runway of more than 12 months. In the Growth stage, 64% of startups recorded an increase in monthly revenue. “BRDE Labs SC has become a benchmark for how the public sector and private sector can work together to strengthen innovative entrepreneurship. We’ve gotten this far with concrete results and the certainty that we are contributing to building a strong, competitive ecosystem across every region of the state,” says Diego Brites Ramos, president of ACATE.

In the Innovation stage of the previous edition, 20 solutions were presented to four corporations, resulting in three startups being hired. “BRDE Labs SC is a practical demonstration of the role a development bank can play in fostering innovation. When we support startups in growing on solid footing, we directly contribute to job and income generation and to the sustainable economic development of Santa Catarina,” highlights João Paulo Kleinübing, CFO of BRDE.

Benefits and prizes for companies from Santa Catarina

The Venture stage lasts four months and includes workshops, group mentorship sessions, and business development tools. During this period, startups have access to a network of specialists for individual mentorship, more than US$250,000 in benefits, and can connect with other BRDE Labs SC startups and ACATE programs: Business Verticals, Thematic Groups, LinkLab, and MIDITEC. Among the 30 selected for this stage, the 15 startups with the highest investment readiness and standout performance throughout the program will have the chance to take part in Investor Day, the program’s closing event for connecting with investors, scheduled for July 1st.

In the Growth stage, which will open for applications in June 2026, R$360,000 in prizes will be awarded to companies. The startups with the best performance during acceleration will be selected to take part in evaluation panels organized by mesoregion. At the end of the Program, 18 startups will be awarded: first place in each of Santa Catarina’s six mesoregions receives R$30,000, second place receives R$20,000, and third place in each receives R$10,000.

Check out all the acceleration opportunities for your startup at BRDE Labs SC 2026!