The fourth edition of Braskem Labs Scale, a company acceleration program conducted in partnership with ACE, elected three consecutive times as the Best Startup Accelerator in Latin America by Latam Founders, selected 10 companies to participate in the training that will be offered this year. In total, 150 entries were registered.

The selection was based on criteria such as capacity for innovation, market potential, profile of the entrepreneur and the team involved, business model, and the socio-environmental impact. The program selects companies with sustainable and innovative solutions related to chemistry or plastics and has a special category that aims to address solutions to societal challenges. In 2018, it opened space for businesses that offer contributions to reducing food waste, without necessarily involving plastics or chemistry.

In the coming months, those selected will be participating in mentoring sessions by Braskem and ACE professionals seeking improvements in their business. In the final stage, they will be able to conduct a presentation on a Demo Day to a group of entrepreneurs, investors, investment banks and other market players in search of capitalization and partnerships. In the 2017 edition of the program, 60% of the participating companies received investments or are in advanced conversations with investors.

"The program is improved every year, and I am confident that we have developed an acceleration model that can contribute immensely to the selected companies, generating a greater impact for society and the environment," said Luiz Gustavo Ortega, Leader of Sustainable Development at Braskem.

Learn more about the selected companies:

Paraná

Rio Grande do Sul

Rio de Janeiro

São Paulo

About Braskem
With a global, human-oriented vision of the future, Braskem's 8,000 members strive every day to improve people's lives by creating sustainable solutions in chemistry and plastics. It is the largest resin producer in the Americas, with an annual output of 20 million metric tons, including basic chemicals and petrochemicals, and R$50 billion in revenue in 2017. It exports to Customers in approximately 100 countries and operates 41 industrial units, located in Brazil, the United States, Germany, and Mexico - the latter in partnership with Mexico-based company Idesa.