The city of Rio, through the Rio Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SMCT), and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced, on Friday (August 7th), at Rio Innovation Week, the signing of a memorandum of understanding aimed at boosting the city's innovation, science and technology ecosystem. The initiative foresees the allocation of up to R$ 20,5 million in cloud credits through the AWS Activate program.
– We are building an increasingly favorable environment for those who want to start businesses, innovate, and create jobs in Rio. This partnership expands access for our startups to cutting-edge technology and strengthens the city's innovation ecosystem. Our goal is to make Rio one of the main technology and artificial intelligence hubs in Latin America, creating opportunities for Rio residents and attracting more and more investment – says the mayor of Rio, Eduardo Cavaliere.
To qualify for the incentive, startups must meet the following requirements: be a technology-based startup less than ten years old; be in a stage prior to Series B investment (the investment round focused on expanding the business after the startup has already validated its product); have a website or public profile; and maintain an active AWS account. The municipality estimates that there are approximately 600 active startups that generate around 14,4 jobs and meet the requirements. This data comes from the study "Panorama das Startups Cariocas" (Overview of Rio de Janeiro Startups), prepared by the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, through the Municipal Secretariat of Economic Development (SMDE) and Riotur, in partnership with Maravalley.
Each qualified startup will be able to access up to R$ 25,5 in credits, in addition to receiving technical training, business support, and connection to the AWS global innovation network.
– Since its arrival in Brazil 15 years ago, AWS has prioritized fostering startups as one of its main investment focuses, as they lead innovation. By joining forces with the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, we will be more effective in identifying these new businesses and supporting their growth, thus promoting the economic and social development of the city – says Karina Lima, startup leader at AWS Brazil.
Since its global launch in 2013, AWS Activate has delivered over $8 billion in credits to more than 350 startups worldwide, including early-stage companies like Airbnb, Reddit, Rappi, Perplexity, Nubank, and iFood.
The initiative will be implemented in conjunction with Rio.IA, the artificial intelligence hub of the city of Rio de Janeiro, which connects government, universities, startups, companies, and investors to accelerate the development of AI-based solutions. In addition to supporting the dissemination of the AWS Activate program, Rio.IA will work to mobilize the entrepreneurial ecosystem, connecting startups with training opportunities, mentorships, and innovation networks, also connecting the AWS Academy and AWS Treina Brasil professional development programs, thus strengthening the city's technological development environment.
– Cloud credit is an important tool, but its greatest impact occurs when it's part of an innovation ecosystem. That's precisely the role of Rio.IA: connecting technological infrastructure, training, research, investment, and entrepreneurship to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence solutions. With this partnership, we are expanding opportunities for more startups to innovate, grow, and develop technology from Rio de Janeiro – says Gabriel Medina, Municipal Secretary of Science, Technology and Innovation of Rio.
AI.CUBE, one of the Brazilian finalists in the third edition of the Generative AI Accelerator (GAIA), a global AWS program dedicated to generative artificial intelligence, is another AWS-supported success story that has reached a new level. The company is investing R$ 2 million, in partnership with the City Hall through Rio.IA, to develop AI solutions focused on municipal public health based on Qilbee, its main platform, an operating system entirely based on AI that performs tasks on computers like a human.
About Rio.IA
Rio.IA is Rio de Janeiro's innovation hub focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI), connecting startups, industry, academia, and government to transform challenges in the Brazilian productive sector into scalable solutions.
Aligned with the Brazilian AI Plan (PBIA) and the missions of the New Industry Brazil (NIB), the hub connects cutting-edge science, industry, and public policies to accelerate digital and green transformation, boosting startups, deep tech, and impacting Brazilian industry and society.
This is a strategic action by the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation of the Rio de Janeiro City Hall (SMCT), the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development (ABDI) and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), based in Porto Maravalley.
About AI.CUBE
Founded by Brazilians in 2024 and headquartered in Silicon Valley, AI.CUBE is the creator of Qilbee, an agentic artificial intelligence platform that executes end-to-end corporate processes. The technology allows digital agents to operate systems, process information, and preserve organizational knowledge, under human rules and supervision.
The company has already applied its technology to projects with public and private organizations from different sectors. In 2025, AI.CUBE was among the 40 startups selected globally for the AWS Generative AI Accelerator—five of them from Latin America and three from Brazil. The program offered participants up to US$1 million in AWS credits, as well as technical and business mentoring to support the development and expansion of their technologies.
About SMCT
The Municipal Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SMCT) is the body responsible for promoting public policies to foster, encourage, and train the use of technological methods, techniques, and tools, as well as the practical application of scientific knowledge.
Promoting scientific and technological strengthening in the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro, through public policies that support the democratization of access to the digital world, boosting the development and economic growth of the Municipality.
