Vinícius Santos

Vinícius is a Brazilian who has been deeply impassioned about education since his early years. In his youth, he achieved prominent results in the Brazilian National Mathematics Olympiads four years in a row, starting the path that would take him to pursue a Chemical Engineering degree a few years later.

In university, Vinícius discovered a new world of possibilities. Facing the challenges of a traditional and impoverished system of education due to lack of governmental support, he took action. In a year and a half, he actively participated in and co-founded student movements aiming to improve the standards of education and welfare of the population of the city he was living in, getting him involved in international NGOs such as Enactus, AIESEC and the Junior Enterprise movement.

However, it was not enough. As his network grew, he was invited to change to and work in São Paulo, the heart of Brazilian economy and innovation. This came at great cost, for Vinícius dropped out of university and left his family and friends behind to start a new life working on human development and leadership training.

Today, he is partner of a company empowering entrepreneurs to create new businesses, which are key to the transformation of Brazilian society.  He is also part of an NGO that aims to foster the culture of innovation through collaboration inside companies, organizations and communities, and works as a trainer and consultant on participative processes facilitation.