Alexandre Penedo Barbosa de Melo

I am an Architect and Urban Planner with a Doctoral's degree from FAU/USP (2008), a Master's degree from ESSC/USP (2001), and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Vale do Paraíba (1995). My undergraduate work was transformed into the book "Modern Architecture: São José dos Campos" (1998) through Fiscal Incentives Law (Honorable Mention by IAB SP), and my research during my master's and doctoral studies received the Design Award from the Museum of Brazilian House. I have taught, developed, and published numerous research papers and exhibitions on photography, Brazilian modern architecture, and national and international furniture design. I conceived and produced cultural programs with colleagues that promoted transformations in the city of São José dos Campos, such as the listing of the Parahyba Weaving Complex by IPHAN in 2021. I have successfully developed and executed various cultural projects sponsored by major companies through fiscal incentive laws (Johnson & Johnson, Embraer, and Caixa Econômica Federal). I have studied and developed projects in the field of Creative Economy, including the conception and implementation of public policies. I have a solid background in entrepreneurship and startup ecosystems since 2005, and I have founded two technology-based companies (construction and drones). I was a pioneering architect in the group that laid the groundwork for the first national initiatives in the Construtech sector in Brazil in 2017/2018, and I have immersed myself in the national furniture industry and the modular industrialized construction sector. Currently, I am leading my third startup, Persona Decora, which is still in the commercial prototyping phase and is receiving non-reimbursable funding through the PIPE Fapesp program. The project was installed at the Nexus Lab Hub of the Technological Park of São José dos Campos (2018-2020) and has been listed on the Construtech Map since 2019 as visual reference. Persona Decora develops a digital platform for retail (vSaaS RetailTech - B2B2C and B2B) for the Home & Decoration, Interior Architecture and Furniture, Construction, and Real Estate sectors (I actively participate in communities related to these sectors and know the key stakeholders of the ecosystem). The technology involved in the startup incorporates state-of-the-art machine learning processes (AI). As a regional manager at the Council of Architecture and Urbanism (CAU/SP), I played a strong role in introducing an entrepreneurial culture within the council through database adjustments, sector intelligence, intrapreneurship, and proposal presentations that benefited thousands of professionals. I have skills in team management and leadership, proposal and product development (digital and physical), market analysis, branding and sales, negotiation and business networking with investors (investment funds and angel investors), and preparing proposals for calls for projects (BNDES, Finep, and PIPE Fapesp). I also actively engage in cultural movements related to tangible heritage, specifically in the field of modern architecture and furniture, working with local and national entities in the preservation of modern cultural heritage. I had a construction company, where I designed and built several houses and buildings totaling over 10,000m2 between 2005 and 2012. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/penedo.alexandre/ (Source: Lattes Curriculum)