Brazil became the epicenter of innovation through our EmTech and Innovators Under 35 events

As part of our efforts to spread the culture of innovation across the four corners of the globe, we turned Brazil into the epicenter of innovation. We chose Brazil for the first time as the location of our emerging technologies conference, EmTech, following previous editions held in Spain, Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador, which also hosted EmTech for the first time earlier this year. The event, which we organized through our publication MIT Technology Review, Portuguese Edition, was celebrated on November 18^th and 19^th.

Over 800 people filled the conference hall at the City of Arts in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) to the rafters. Thanks to our global network of experts, we assembled a powerful panel of speakers who delivered two days of content aimed at analyzing future challenges both in Brazil and worldwide. In line with other EmTech conferences, the protagonists were the most disruptive, current technologies like the study of genomics, wearable devices, the recent advances in 4D printing, and artificial intelligence.

EmTech achieved our goal: to disseminate and boost the latest technologies capable of writing our immediate future, and to promote innovation within the Brazilian society. To this end, we received support from FINEP, the public Brazilian institution for the financing and promotion of innovation; the Brazilian Agency to Promote Exports and Investments (Apex-Brasil), the Mapfre Bank of Brasil Insurance Group; B2W Digital, Senac, RJ, Embratel / Claro and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).

All of these sponsors helped us to achieve a resounding success with our first EmTech Brasil conference, which also included a venture point program. This space provided 15 Brazilian start-ups with the opportunity to present their projects to 30 national and international angel investors and investment funds.

EmTech Brasil also dedicated part of the agenda to the second generation of Innovators Under 35 Brasil, an award bestowed by MIT Technology Review, Portuguese Edition. For the second time, we recognized the work of 10 young Brazilians for their ingenuity and their potential to change our world. "We  choose the ten projects with the greatest capacity to positively impact our society in different fields like medicine, healthcare, education, consumerism, urban transportation, citizen engagement and construction," our general manager of EmTech Brasil and the assistant director of MIT Technology Review, Portuguese Edition, Cecilia Nicoliniexplains.

The ten finalists presented their projects to the audience in three minute pitches. Two innovators received the additional recognition of Innovator of the Year and Social Innovator: Cláudio Trinidade and Danielle Brants respectively.

Brazil, the epicenter of innovation: this is how we might define our decision to unite for the first time the first in-country edition of the emerging technologies conference EmTech with the second edition of Innovators Under 35 Brasil in Rio de Janeiro. The momentum of the entrepreneurial and technological ecosystem in Brazil has made this country an indispensable showcase for our EmTech philosophy.

Here is the complete list of the second generation of Innovators Under 35 Brasil 2015:

Innovator of the Year: Cláudio Trindade, 33. Created a new intraocular implant device for treating corneal diseases.

Social Innovator: Danielle Brants, 31. Developed a digital newspaper that translates the news into a language children can understand.

Diego Aranha, 32. Created a platform that allows society to supervise election results.

Mateus Calligioni de Mendonça, 34. Created a system to track and organize the waste chain using technology.

Marcelo Cicconet, 32. Developed an application to facilitate the music education and a new musical instrument.

Tales Gomes, 27. Developed a diagnostic platform to detect diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases.

Tallis Gomes, 28. Developed a taxi application that revolutionized urban mobility.

Anielle Guedes, 23. Created a startup that will use 3D printing to build low-cost housing.

Fábio Piva, 33. Created a new technology for mobile commerce that allows physical stores to eliminate checkout lines.

Ronaldo Tenório, 30. Created a sign language translation platform.