Sponsored by a R$ 200 million donation of the Esteves family, and with institutional support from BTG Pactual, Inteli will be the Brazil's first project-based tech college.
SÃO PAULO, April 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With the challenging mission of developing future technology leaders who will help transform Brazil, André Esteves, Roberto Sallouti and BTG Pactual partners are joining forces to create the Institute of Technology and Leadership (Inteli), a private, non-profit institution located in São Paulo, Brazil designed to offer cutting-edge education in the country. Sponsored by a R$ 200 million donation from the Esteves family, and institutional support from BTG Pactual, Inteli will offer higher education for students in the technology area, with an emphasis on computing, business and leadership.
"Inteli was born of Brazil's need to become more relevant in technology. We want to train future leaders and, therefore, we will offer education that goes beyond computing, including subjects as entrepreneurship, market-based economy, rule of law and sustainability into the curriculum. It will be the first project-based tech college in Brazil", says André Esteves.
For Roberto Sallouti, digital transformation and leadership development are the main challenges for the future. "Inteli's mission is precisely to offer all the tools and the right environment to prepare a generation of leaders with a thirst of knowledge, an entrepreneurial spirit, a strong ability to adapt, and be fully oriented towards solving real problems. In our view, they are the ones who are going to help transform Brazil", Sallouti adds.
With the first classes scheduled for February 2022, Inteli will initially offer four on-campus undergraduate courses: Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science and Information Systems. The courses will last four years, divided into 16 modules. In addition to classes with expert teachers, in each of the modules, students will develop a project to meet the needs of a market partner, whether private enterprises, startups or NGOs. Enrollment of 250 students is planned for the first year. The goal is to have 1,000 students enrolled by 2025.
Inteli's mission is to develop its students in three sets of competences: computing, with in-depth studies in artificial intelligence, data science, and cybersecurity; business, covering areas such as corporate finance, market intelligence, digital marketing, people analytics and sustainability; and in behavioral aspects such as communication, ethics and resilience. The goal is that students learn, from the first week of class, how to make a real impact on society, while permanently guided to seek solutions for the world's inefficiencies in a practical way.
With a focus on attracting the best talent in Brazil, regardless of social and economic status, the Institute will have both scholarship and paying students. The most important point is that the students have a passion for transforming society, high potential, analytical capabilities and be able to develop creative alternatives for problems. In the future, Inteli also plans to offer graduate courses, remote learning, a startup incubator, and free courses.
The Inteli Board comprises: André Esteves and Lilian Esteves, a businesswoman and philanthropist, as sponsors; Roberto Sallouti as Chairman of the Board, Arthur Lazarte, Wildlife Co-founder and CEO; Mark Maletz, Senior Member of the Harvard Business School (HBS); Exame CEO Pedro Thompson; Silvio Meira, PhD in Computing and co-founder of Porto Digital in Recife; Ricardo Dias, Co-founder of Adventures. Inc. and formerly Ambev Marketing VP; and Sofia Esteves, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Grupo Cia. de Talentos.
The Board members also include Executive Director Maíra Habimorad, formerly CEO of Cia de Talentos and Academic and Innovation Director of Ibmec, who will be CEO of Inteli; Ana Garcia, Co-founder of Brasa, as Head of Operations at Inteli; and Maurício Garcia, with more than 30 years' experience as an Academic and Innovation Executive in large educational groups, as Academic Adviser. The entire Inteli team was designed to create a multidisciplinary group with different experiences, which is fundamental for thinking of an academic model with a vision of the future and aligned with market expectations.
The next steps include signing an agreement for installing the Campus in a horizontal, wooded, 9 thousand square meter space in São Paulo, and raising funds for financing scholarships.