The Hidden Alliance of Innovation
Discover how connections between companies and leaders
shape Brazil's digital future
In this unprecedented study, GarciAIgnacio Network Thinking, in partnership with Rede Líderes Digitais, mapped the flows of
300 leaders who have worked in more than 1200 digital companies in Brazil over the last 10 years.
Browse the Digital Leaders Network!
The network below illustrates the exchange of executives between 1200 digital companies, and those in the process of digitalization, in Brazil during the last decade.
At the center of the network, "digital native" companies stand out, between which there is an intense exchange of executive leaders.
How to read the network?
This network has 1,495 nodes (network points).
1,205 are digital native companies or have digital businesses.
Companies that received above-average investments in the last 10 years are highlighted in red.
In green, the 290 are leaders (CEOs and CTOs) who occupy or have occupied positions in these companies.
The links between nodes represent two types of bonds:
Works/Worked with, and
Works/Worked in”.
Navigation suggestions
- Zoom in and see how the green nodes (leaders) connect with the purple and red nodes (companies).
- Click on a node to see who is connected to a separation step.
- Use the search box (magnifying glass) to find a particular company.
- By clicking the expand button (fourth button on the menu), you can browse the network in full screen.
Some data about this network
01
Central component
The companies that occupy the central component of the network are all digital natives, with some exceptions such as Banco Itaú and Grupo Boticário.
The most represented segments (excluding universities) are:
1. Finance, 2. Healthcare, 3. Retail, 4. Transportation, and 5. Delivery.
02
Small world
With a clustering coefficient of 0.6 and an average separation step of 3, the central component is what, in network science, is called a "small world" and which we will call here a "closed circuit" or simply a "bubble".
This bubble concentrates the largest number of executives with a digital mindset in Brazil.
03
Investments
Of the 10 companies that hired the most executives in the last 10 years, 6 of them received more than 4.57 billion dollars (well above the average for the others).
They have a level of network intermediation (betweenness) 3 times higher than the others, occupying strategic positions to attract high-level executives and, thus, obtain more financing.
04
Product Innovation
Several market surveys position practically the same companies that make up this circuit/bubble as the most admired for innovation in the product area.
"Product Market Outlook 2024-2025" by PM3 and Bain & Company.
Key learnings
Leaders move through a small world of digital companies
The flow of leaders (CTOs and CEOs) of digital companies is dominated by a closed circuit of companies such as: Nuvank, Rappi, Mercado Livre, iFood, Loft, 99 and Loggi.
These companies occupy key positions in attracting executives who bring knowledge, good practices and management models specific to digital companies, attracting greater investment.
Isolated Clusters Make the Network Less Cohesive
There are several groups of digital companies disconnected from the main circuit, revealing a loose and dense network, which indicates a clear challenge for the development of the Brazilian innovation ecosystem.
Leadership profile
- Gender: Only 6% of the 290 are women.
- Unicorns: 12% have worked or work at a unicorn.
- Training:
- 10% FGV, 7% USP, 6% Insper.
- 28% Engineering/Computer Science, 10% Economics, 10% Business Administration.
What is the main challenge facing the digital innovation network in Brazil?
The results of this mapping indicate the need to encourage diverse connections between companies and executives, "breaking the bubble" of the closed circuit of digital natives through which the main leaders circulate and creating strategic bridges with digital companies and those in the process of digitalization to expand the business ecosystem.
Garcia Ignacio
Digital Anthropologist and CEO of AI Network Thinking
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