Brasília Startups to Watch in 2027: Verified Companies in Govtech, Edtech, Agtech, Animal Health and Space Education
Brasília (often written Brasilia in English), the capital of Brazil and seat of the Distrito Federal (DF), is where the federal government buys, regulates and sets public exams. That shapes the Brasília startups worth watching in 2027: a platform for public tenders, an edtech that prepares millions of Brazilians for civil service exams, a University of Brasília spin-off that makes nano-scale plant inputs, an AI drug-discovery company for animal health in the city's technology park, and a space education startup. The 2026 version of this article listed ten companies. When we checked them, not one was based in Brasília: they were in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Joinville, Kenya, India, Colombia or elsewhere. For this 2027 edition we started again: in November 2026 we checked each company on its own website, on official Distrito Federal and Sebrae news pages, and in the public CNPJ company register to confirm that it still operates, that it is based in Brasília and what it publishes about itself. Five companies passed. What happened to the old names is listed near the end.
Quick answer: the Brasília startups and scale-ups to watch in 2027 are Portal de Compras Públicas (govtech for public procurement), Gran (edtech for civil service exams and degrees), Krilltech (nanotechnology for crops, from the University of Brasília), Peptidus Biotech (AI-designed peptide drugs for animals) and Ideia Space (students build and launch satellites). For support in Brazil's capital, start with the UnB Multincubadora, the FAPDF Deep Tech programme, Sebrae DF and the Biotic technology park.
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Why Brasília Matters for Founders in 2027
Brasília's biggest customer is the state. Federal ministries, regulators, state companies and the Distrito Federal government all buy software and services here, which is why govtech, legal tech and exam preparation grow in the city. The second strength is research: the University of Brasília (UnB) has run its Multincubadora business incubator since 1985, and Embrapa, Brazil's agricultural research company, works with UnB on spin-offs such as Krilltech. The third is public support: the Distrito Federal's research foundation, FAPDF, funds startups through programmes such as Deep Tech FAPDF, and the Biotic technology park hosts resident startups and the BRB Lab innovation centre of the Banco de Brasília.
Several companies on this list grew with grants, partners and paying customers before they announced any funding round. For the wider picture, compare our guides to AI startup cities in South America and the best countries for early-stage startups, and our city lists for Buenos Aires, Lima and Mexico City.
Brasília Startups to Watch in 2027 Compared
Sources: each company's official website, Agência Brasília (Distrito Federal government) news pages and the public CNPJ register, checked 9 November 2026.
The Brasília Startups to Watch in 2027
1. Portal de Compras Públicas: govtech for public tenders
Portal de Compras Públicas runs an online platform where public bodies publish tenders and suppliers of every size, from individual micro-entrepreneurs to large companies, bid for them. It calls itself a govtech, says its processes follow Brazil's public procurement law (Lei 14.133/2021), is integrated with the national public procurement portal (PNCP), and lists ISO 9001, ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and ISO 20000-1 certifications. Its homepage says it has digitised more than 4,000 public bodies and has more than 634,000 suppliers, with over 300 procurement processes a day. The company behind it, Ecustomize Consultoria em Software S.A., has been registered since 2008, and its CNPJ record and website both give an address in SIA Trecho 17, Brasília.
Lesson for founders: Portal de Compras Públicas serves both sides of a public market: the buyers who must run fair tenders and the companies that want to sell to them. In govtech, a marketplace that makes compliance easier for the buyer brings the sellers with it.
Best for: founders in govtech, B2G software and marketplaces.
2. Gran: an edtech for Brazil's civil service exams
Gran (Gran Cursos Online) prepares students for Brazil's competitive public service exams (concursos) and the bar exam, and sells subscriptions to its courses, questions and mentoring. Its higher education brand, Gran Faculdade, offers undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA courses and was accredited as a university centre in June 2022 with the top grade (5) from Brazil's education ministry. Gran says it was started by Gabriel Granjeiro and Rodrigo Calado, has been in the market for almost 12 years, reaches more than 1,500 municipalities and has taught more than 2.5 million students. Its parent company, Gran Tecnologia e Educação S/A, is registered in Asa Sul, Brasília, according to the CNPJ register; the university centre itself is registered in Curitiba.
Lesson for founders: Gran grew from the city's own market: in the capital, preparing for a government job is a mass consumer need. Your first customers can be the ones your city understands best.
Best for: founders in edtech, online courses and subscription businesses.
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3. Krilltech: nanotechnology for crops from the University of Brasília
Krilltech makes products that act on plant physiology to raise yields. Its Arbolina line (Arbolin Biogenesis) is an organic, biodegradable nanostructure that it says works as a fertiliser, biofortifier and nutrient carrier, and its KrillGrowth product for sugarcane, launched at the CanaTech event, is made from carbon dots. The company is a spin-off of the University of Brasília developed in partnership with Embrapa, and its news page reports the opening of a new factory in Brasília, visited by the university's rector. It also reports that the agricultural distributor Casa Bugre became a relevant shareholder in March 2024 and that it signed a distribution agreement with the Spanish company Biorizon Biotech at the Fruit Attraction 2024 fair, its first step into Europe. Its homepage counts about 30,000 treated hectares, 23 crops and 210 clients in 18 Brazilian states.
Lesson for founders: Krilltech brought in a distributor as an investor. When your customers are spread across a huge country, a partner that already sells to them can be worth more than cash alone.
Best for: founders in agtech, nanotechnology and university spin-outs.
4. Peptidus Biotech: AI-designed drugs for animals
Peptidus Biotech uses its own AI platform, LAIKA, and peptide databases to design peptide drug candidates for livestock and companion animals, then tests the best ones in the lab. It says it has 10 peptides in development, has filed a patent for a wound-healing (Derma-Healing) asset, and plans to earn money by licensing its candidates to animal health companies. According to Agência Brasília, the Distrito Federal government's news agency, it was founded in 2023 by CEO Bernardo Petriz and CTO Rodrigo Ferreira, its most advanced projects are an antimicrobial for bovine mastitis and a wound treatment for pets, and in July 2026 it was one of eight Brazilian companies in the national stage of KPMG's Global Tech Innovator competition. Its headquarters is in the Governance Building of the Parque Tecnológico de Brasília (Biotic).
Lesson for founders: Peptidus chose animal health, a market with shorter paths to approval than human medicine, to prove its AI platform. Picking a smaller, faster market first can show that your technology works.
Best for: founders in biotech, AI drug discovery and animal health.
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5. Ideia Space: students who build real satellites
Ideia Space is a space education company. Its Space Challenge takes students from the idea for a mission to the launch of a real satellite, and its site offers classroom resources, programming tools and pages on the missions its students have built. The company, Ideia Space Educação Espacial Ltda, was registered in February 2022 with an address in Asa Norte, Brasília, according to the CNPJ register. It does not publish funding.
Lesson for founders: Ideia Space sells an experience that schools cannot easily build alone. A big, memorable project can be the product, not just a marketing stunt.
Best for: founders in edtech, STEM education and space.
Also Worth Knowing in Brasília
- Apura Cyber Intelligence: a cyber threat intelligence company (dark web monitoring, threat hunting, brand protection) that lists offices in Brasília, São Paulo and Miami. We could not confirm which of its Brazilian offices is the head office, so it is not on the main list.
- Mercado Bitcoin: often listed as a Brasília startup, but its company is registered in São Paulo, according to the CNPJ register.
- Deep tech pipeline: according to Agência Brasília, the number of deep tech companies mapped in the Distrito Federal rose from 15 to 51 in one year, and 30 of them received FAPDF grants in 2026. Expect new names from that group.
Where Brasília Startups Get Support
- UnB Multincubadora (CDT/UnB): the University of Brasília's business incubation programme, run by its technology development centre (CDT) since 1985. It offers mentoring and training based on the national Cerne incubator model, access to UnB's labs and researchers, and help connecting with investors. Krilltech came out of UnB.
- Deep Tech FAPDF: the research foundation of the Distrito Federal (FAPDF) launched this programme in 2025. According to Agência Brasília, it received 819 applications, gave 30 startups R$60,000 each in its second phase (R$1.8 million in total), and is choosing 10 of them for R$600,000 each, with R$9.8 million budgeted in all. The phase ended with pitches at BRB Lab in the Biotic park in August 2026.
- Biotic, Parque Tecnológico de Brasília: the Distrito Federal's technology park in Granja do Torto, home to resident startups such as Peptidus Biotech and to BRB Lab, the innovation centre of the Banco de Brasília.
- Sebrae DF: the Distrito Federal branch of Brazil's small business support service, with guidance and training for starting and growing a company. At national level, Sebrae's Fundo Sebrae Germina, managed by BTG Pactual, has grown to R$200 million; it does not invest directly but through venture funds that pick the startups, and its national money can go to companies anywhere in Brazil.
- InovAtiva: Brazil's national acceleration programme. Its website showed an election-period suspension notice (4 July to 25 October 2026) when we checked in November 2026, so check it again before you plan an application.
- Brasil Global Summit: a free innovation, technology and culture event in Brasília. Its 2026 edition was set for 24 to 26 November 2026 at the Arena Mané Garrincha, with 30 places for selected startups.
Brasília Companies From the Old List That Changed or Could Not Be Verified
The 2026 version of this article listed ten companies as Brasília startups. Here is what we found when we checked each one on its official site in November 2026:
- Asaas: a real fintech, but its website gives an address in Joinville, Santa Catarina.
- Gringo: its website gives a São Paulo address.
- Descomplica: its website gives a Rio de Janeiro address.
- Passei Direto and Hotel Urbano: we found no Brasília base for either company on their websites or in their public records.
- PULA: an agricultural insurance company whose website gives an office in Nairobi, Kenya.
- Wow! Momo: a fast food chain headquartered in Kolkata, India, according to its website. It was never a Brasília startup.
- Eocycle: a small wind turbine maker whose website shows customers in North America and no link to Brasília.
- YieldNest: a decentralised finance (DeFi) restaking protocol with no Brasília or Brazil base on its website.
- Cuantico VC: the old address now leads to Cuantico VP, a firm that describes its work in Colombia. It is not a Brasília startup.
We also removed the old article's funding figures copied from third-party profiles, its claims about AI features and fast validation that no source supported, and its links to third-party startup lists.
Which Brasília Startup Should You Learn From?
- You sell to government: study Portal de Compras Públicas and how it serves both public buyers and suppliers.
- You build a consumer edtech: study Gran, which grew from a need every Brasília family knows: public exams.
- You are turning university research into a company: study Krilltech, from UnB and Embrapa research to its own factory.
- You build AI for life sciences: study Peptidus Biotech and its choice of animal health as a first market.
- You sell to schools: study Ideia Space and its satellite-building challenge.
- You are just starting: talk to the UnB Multincubadora and Sebrae DF, and watch for FAPDF calls.
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How Founders Use Brasília's Startup Scene
Notice the pattern: Brasília startups grow from the public sector, from research institutions such as UnB and Embrapa, and from public grants before private money. If you build here, plan for long public sales cycles and use grants to get through them. Compare investors in our guides to angel investors in South America and edtech angel investors in South America, look at programmes in our lists of AI accelerators in South America, edtech accelerators and deep tech accelerators, and find non-dilutive money in our lists of deep tech grants in South America and edtech startup grants.
If you build in education, read our guide to the best countries in South America for edtech startups. Meet investors and customers at the top agritech startup events, top edtech startup events and top space tech startup events, and see our list of startup events for female entrepreneurs. To see how research cities elsewhere do it, read our lists of deep tech cities and of startups in Nottingham.
Before you copy any of these business models, validate your startup idea with real customers. Brasília startups that sell across Brazil need to be easy to find online: list your startup in the F/MS marketing directories, publish your startup press release, and write about your product with the F/MS AI SEO Tool or the AI SEO Blog so customers, investors and AI assistants can find you.
FAQ About Brasília Startups to Watch in 2027
Which Brasília startups should I watch in 2027?
Our verified list: Portal de Compras Públicas, Gran, Krilltech, Peptidus Biotech and Ideia Space. Each still operates and is based in Brasília, checked on its own site, official Distrito Federal news pages and the CNPJ register in November 2026.
Why are there only five companies on the list?
We only list companies whose own website, an official news page or the public company register confirms they operate from Brasília today. None of the ten companies on the old list passed that check, and we did not want to pad the list with names we could not confirm.
Is Brasília good for govtech startups?
Yes. The federal government, regulators and the Distrito Federal government are all in the city. Portal de Compras Públicas, a platform for public tenders, says it has digitised more than 4,000 public bodies.
Are there agtech and biotech startups in Brasília?
Krilltech, a University of Brasília spin-off developed with Embrapa, makes nanotechnology inputs for crops, and Peptidus Biotech, based in the Biotic technology park, designs peptide drugs for animals with AI.
What is the Biotic in Brasília?
Biotic is the Parque Tecnológico de Brasília, the Distrito Federal's technology park. It hosts resident startups such as Peptidus Biotech and BRB Lab, the innovation centre of the Banco de Brasília.
Where can Brasília startups get grants?
The Distrito Federal's research foundation, FAPDF, runs programmes such as Deep Tech FAPDF, which gave 30 startups R$60,000 each in 2026 and is choosing 10 for R$600,000 each, according to Agência Brasília.
Where can I find investors for a Brasília startup?
Sebrae's Fundo Germina invests through venture funds in startups anywhere in Brazil, and our guides to angel investors in South America list more options.
What happened to the startups on the old list?
None was based in Brasília. Asaas is in Joinville, Gringo in São Paulo, Descomplica in Rio de Janeiro, PULA in Nairobi and Wow! Momo in Kolkata, while Eocycle, YieldNest and Cuantico VC have no Brasília base on their sites.
What can founders learn from Brasília startups?
Sell to the customers your city knows best, turn university research into products, use public grants for the risky early stage, and bring in partners that already reach your customers.
Where can I get a backlink by writing about my startup?
You can publish a guest post in one of the Fe/male Switch startup blogs, which rank in Google and in AI tools. Get a quality backlink.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
