Ecomilhas at the Smart City Expo - Barcelona

From a meeting room in Barcelona to the world: how Ecomilhas took its first steps toward internationalization

The second day at the Smart City Expo World Congress was a watershed moment for Ecomilhas. Walking the aisles of Fira Barcelona, one discovery completely changed the way we see the European market: we found direct competitors.

As CIO, I took on the role of “mystery shopper” and dived into the European sustainable mobility solutions. Every conversation revealed valuable insights into pricing, market strategy and positioning. The reality check was necessary — and productive. We realized that our technology not only competes, it has unique differentiators that can set us apart in this landscape.

Partnerships that multiply opportunities

The biggest revelation of the day came from the synergy with other BitS2025 participants, especially with Raphael, from Greenplat. We discovered that our solutions do not merely coexist — they complement each other perfectly.

Where I struggled to win over certain contacts and prospects, he got through. And vice versa. That connection created real opportunities for upselling and revenue share that, on our own, would have taken us months to build. The interoperability between our platforms opened the door to conversations about integrated decarbonization projects that neither of us could have made viable alone.

Lessons that go beyond business

What struck me most was the collaborative spirit of the delegation. Every conversation in the aisles of the fair turned into shared learning. Bruna (ESGpec) soaking up the experience of more seasoned founders, Flávia (RefilMe) unlocking solutions for operational challenges in Brazil, Vinícius (iNeeds) connecting with Brazilian city governments in Barcelona — all of it created an environment of collective growth.

Fun fact: I found out that Raphael and Vinícius are practically neighbors back in Brazil — both companies are on the same street. We had to come all the way to Barcelona to realize it.

Strategy for entering the European market

The conversation with Larissa (SibImpact) reinforced something we had already sensed: for a Brazilian startup, entering the European market directly by selling to the end customer is far too challenging. The key lies in building strategic alliances — research centers, innovation hubs, local partners who already know the way.

For Ecomilhas, that means rethinking our go-to-market strategy in Europe. A disruptive solution is not enough; we need allies who validate our technology and open doors within the local ecosystem. It is a game of patience and relationships, not of speed.

The innovation thermometer

As Vinícius aptly put it, this event works like a thermometer. We were able to place ourselves more precisely within the global sustainable mobility landscape. We understood where we are strong, where we need to evolve and, above all, with whom it makes sense to build strategic partnerships.

Next steps

We left this day with three certainties:

1. Our technology has room in the global market — but we need to adjust positioning and pricing to compete in Europe.
2. Strategic partnerships are essential — especially with players that complement our solution and help us reach larger corporate clients.
3. The path to internationalization runs through local alliances — we need to identify and cultivate relationships with European hubs, accelerators and research centers that can open doors for us.

The journey is only just beginning. But for the first time, the internationalization of Ecomilhas has stopped being an abstract idea and has become a concrete plan, with clear steps and potential partners already mapped out.

This article documents Ecomilhas' participation in BitS2025 - Brazilian Impact Techs in Spain, an initiative by Findeslab and Bcome.global, in partnership with the Espírito Santo Research and Innovation Support Foundation (FAPES), Sebrae and the Innovation Diplomacy Program (PDI) of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.