Squadfy was present at Web Summit Rio 2025, one of the largest technology events in the world, which brought together over 34,000 people at Riocentro from April 27 to 30. Our executives share their insights on the main trends, highlighting Artificial Intelligence and its impact on business.
AI: Protagonist, but not the Final Product
As expected, Artificial Intelligence dominated the discussions throughout the event. Right at the opening, Mayor Eduardo Paes announced the ambitious project Rio AI City, which aims to transform the city into the largest data center hub in Latin America and one of the ten largest in the world.
Matheus Vilas Boas, COO of Squadfy, highlights a key insight: "AI cannot be the difference in the core of the company; it needs to be used as a tool to facilitate the process and improve an experience." He adds by quoting Lucas Herscovici: "Make the thing Seamless, frictionless and Simple." Products and startups need to be natural and generate real value.
The New Engine of Business
Mateus Barros, CTO of Squadfy, warns of the urgency disguised as opportunity: "We're just at the beginning of adopting generative AI. It’s been just over two years since it was launched to the public, so yes, there is still time to move. But many companies are already using AI to automate processes, improve products, and gain speed in workflows."
The question that remains is: "If my competitors are using AI and my company is not, what happens to my business in 6 months? A year?"
Impressive Data
Bernardo Brasil, CPO of Squadfy, shares revealing data presented at the event: "68% of knowledge workers already use AI at work, but only 30% have formal training." He also emphasizes how AI can be especially valuable in scenarios of economic recession, "where automation can help scale operations and make companies more profitable."
Success Stories
Among the examples that caught attention, NotCo stood out as a foodtech that launched in 2015 as an AI-First company. "They were discredited. Today, they are an example," says Mateus Barros. The company created a plant-based milk with the taste and texture of cow's milk using chicory, pea, and pineapple juice, thanks to its AI called Giuseppe, which "connects points that humans cannot."
In the health sector, Matheus Vilas Boas was impressed with the healthtechs: "The way they were using new technologies is truly impressive." He mentions Huna, which is "building tools for patients to discover cancer using routine blood tests."
Lessons to Carry Forward
Our team left the event with some certainties that will guide Squadfy's strategies:
Education about AI is essential - a good tool in the wrong hands does not deliver results.
Human in the loop is a rule - without a human reviewing, AI will err, and badly.
AI-first is more than a buzzword - it’s a product-building model that is born intelligent.
Infrastructure is a competitive differentiator - AI needs computational, organizational, and mental power.
Ethics and transparency are non-negotiable - and must grow alongside technology.
The Future is Now
Bernardo Brasil sees AI as a technology that is changing paradigms: "With the proliferation of AI agents, companies from various sectors, such as payments and e-commerce, are making significant moves to integrate AI into their platforms. This could represent a new revolution in consumption interfaces, similar to what we saw with the internet in the 2000s and with mobile in the 2010s."
Conclusion
As Mateus Barros summarized: "The world of AI is being built now. And those who move first will get ahead." At Squadfy, we are committed to leading this transformation, helping our clients navigate this new landscape with efficient and innovative strategies.
Web Summit 2025 reinforced what we already knew: innovation is built on discussions and shared knowledge. And that is exactly what drives us as a company: to test, learn, err, and share.
