The technology consulting firm Meta organized a trade mission with 15 representatives of major Brazilian companies to Toronto, Canada, to participate in Collision, one of the major events on the technology calendar, in addition to the region’s ecosystem, one of the world centers of artificial intelligence.

The trip was organized in partnership with Instituto Caldeira, an innovation hub based in Porto Alegre, which accounts for a large part of the state’s GDP. Companies such as SLC, Randoncorp, Banrisul and Sebrae sent representatives.

Also participating in the mission are startups such as Slice (the only Brazilian in a recent SAP program for fintechs at the Latin American level), Mooh460 and Stakecare.

“The idea is to bring the gaucho ecosystem closer to global players. Building the bridge to facilitate and encourage access to new technologies and cultural practices that the country has to offer,” says Pedro Valério, CEO of Instituto Caldeira.

Fate did not come out of nowhere. Meta is one of the sponsors of this year’s Collision, a conference for 35,000 people by the same creators of the Web Summit in Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro.

The company, headquartered in São Leopoldo, in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area, opened an office in Toronto three years ago, where 60 professionals work, serving 30 clients, including names such as Kraft Heinz , Air Liquide, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment – ​​owner of the Toronto Raptors, an NBA team.

Meta has been active in cutting-edge projects in the region, such as Paradise Mobile, founded by a group of investors that is creating a telecommunications test ecosystem in the Bermuda Islands, as a pilot for innovative product and service projects using 5G technology.