2005 By Anand Kantaria
As we hustled round a small table in a crowded coffee shop in Logan airport, my mind began to speculate as to what the week had in store. Could we really get to know Brazil (a country of 160 million people and a host of cultures) in just seven days? What would the people and the terrain be like? Was it really as dangerous as some of the stories we had heard?
As we touched down in Sao Paulo, the excitement started to brew and I knew that the next seven days would be filled with the spirit of adventure. Working hand in hand with Fundacoa Getulio Vargas (the country’s leading business school), Babson had laid on a program of academic study, company visits, talks from entrepreneurs, cultural tours and even found time to give us a little rest and relaxation.
After a day of touring the city we were thrown straight into an action packed schedule. Highlights included visits and tours of the Brazilian Stock Exchange; SEBRAE, government support service for entrepreneurs; EMBRAER, one of the world’s top aircraft manufacturers; Johnson & Johnson; and Eccelera, a VC co-founded by a Babson alum.
In addition to understanding the corporate beat of the city, we also had the opportunity to understand its soul. An inspiring talk from Mark Lund, a social entrepreneur, who among other accolades just arranged to take 1,000 blind people surfing, left us all reflecting on the juxtaposition between social and economic profit. In addition, we undertook an awe inspiring trip to a favela (shanty town), where we had the opportunity to accompany and play drums with a dynamic band of musicians, drawn up from talented kids from surrounding towns through an NGO regeneration project.
The trip was capped off by a day and a half spent in Rio where we used our strategic location on Ipanema beach to explore the Corcovado and Sugar Loaf, as well as to venture into the Bosanova clubs of Lapa. Our samba skills have certainly improved! It was an incredible week, full of intense and rich experiences. And as the plane took off, the only question left unanswered was how soon could we return?
