About the 100 Open Startups Ranking

Published since 2016 in Brazil, the 100 Open Startups Ranking annually highlights the most attractive startups for the corporate market and the leading companies in Open Innovation and startup engagement.

The goal is to provide high visibility to the startups selected by the market and the companies that have the most engagement with startups, expanding recognition and business opportunities for the winners.

Considered one of the great ways to stand out nationally in the field of innovation, the 100 Open Startups Ranking is used as a reference by companies, leading investors, and media outlets.

Methodology

The methodology of the 100 Open Startups Ranking awards points to startups that attract the most interest from medium and large institutions each year and, on the other hand, to medium and large companies that establish the most business relationships with startups.

Startups validated as such by ecosystem specialists, corporate executives, and investors are considered eligible for the Ranking, according to the 100 Open Startups methodology. In addition, startups must have a revenue of less than 2.5 million dollars in the previous fiscal year before the publication of the Ranking, have received no more than 2.5 million dollars in direct investment, and not be controlled by an economic group but rather by entrepreneurs leading the business.

For the TOP Open Corps category, companies with more than 100 employees are considered eligible.

To calculate the score, the quantity and intensity of open innovation relationships are considered, categorized into 15 types, divided into four main groups, with an equivalent score of 1, 5, 10, or 20 points, as detailed in the table below:

Group Points Category
GROUP A
Positioning
1 point
1. Training and mentoring
2. Recognitions and awards
3. Co-working spaces
4. Technology service vouchers
GROUP B
Platform and Partnerships
5 points
5. Licensing of the company's intellectual property
6. Access to non-financial resources
7. Access to a collaborator base
8. Access to customer base and sales channels
9. Acceleration program
GROUP C
Supplier Development
10 points
10. Resources for R&D and prototyping
11. Licensing of Startup's intellectual property
12. Hiring a pilot project
13. Supply of an innovative product or service
GROUP D
Investment
20 points
14. Investment with minority share participation over US$200,000
15. Acquisition and incorporation for an amount over US$200,000

Contracts with a monetary value for the startup above US$200,000 are worth 20 points, regardless of the category.

Matchmaking and connections" contracts and informal contracts do not add points.

A startup can accumulate up to 20 points for each corporation it has a relationship with, and vice versa.

Contracts with the same company and in the same scoring group can accumulate a maximum equivalent of points from the immediately higher group (for example, a maximum of 5 contracts worth 1 point, as contracts in the immediately higher category are worth 5 points each).

The ranking classification method is based on information provided by startups, large companies, investors, or other participants in the innovation ecosystem, at no cost. This platform has a digital interface that aims to facilitate connections in the ecosystem through a partner search process and a portfolio management of connections.

However, the complete 100 Open Startups platform consists of this digital interface and real-life meetings at various events throughout the year. All relationships established by registered users will be reported on the digital platform, whether they are developed during an event promoted by 100 Open Startups or not.

Users (startups or large companies) are responsible for reporting when a relationship is established and the type of relationship. The 100 Open Startups team will verify the information with the other partner.

Startups: Registering the startup on the digital interface is the first stage of becoming part of the platform. Startups must provide various information about their profile, such as the challenges they expect to solve, the technological trends they are part of, the industry (or industries) where their solution can be applied, the development stage of their solution (Idea, Prototype, Minimum Viable Product, or already in the market with clients), existence of venture capital investment, awards received in Startup competitions, and signed contracts with large companies. For the ranking, relationship information will be used to determine the initial score.

Companies: Other actors involved in the innovation ecosystem with an interest in startups, such as executives from large and medium-sized companies, investors, and other professionals involved in this ecosystem, are invited to provide information about their profile on this digital interface.

The reason these users register is related to the benefits they receive. For example, they will have access to matchmaking within the startups ecosystem, which aids in the research, connection, and co-development of innovative solutions they wish to explore.

All data used in the Ranking relies on information provided by executives of large companies or startups. To handle the large amount of third-party information, a system was created to validate this data from distributed sources. When eligible information for ranking scoring is added to the digital platform, the referred person on the other side of the relationship will receive a link to their registered email to validate the information.

Certain rules were considered for the validation process:

  • The information provided by startups must be validated by an employee of a large or medium-sized company and audited by the 100 Open Startups team. The audit process consists of verifying that the provided information aligns with the definitions used in the Ranking methodology.
  • Employees of large and medium-sized companies are validated through their verified corporate email address, according to the database of large corporations in the 100 Open Startups program. New corporations added to the database are reviewed and approved by the 100 Open Startups team.
  • A startup can be eligible for the TOP 100 ranking if it has established a relationship with at least three companies.

Who can participate in the Ranking?

Startups

  • Be a registered startup in 100 Open Startups according to the program's regulations.
  • Have closed contracts with large companies that were active during the ranking period.
  • Complete the startup data form using the 100 Open Startups application.
  • For the TOP 100 or TOP Categories ranking, the startup must not have an annual revenue exceeding 2.5 million dollars or have received investment exceeding 2.5 million dollars.

Medium and Large Companies:

  • Have more than 100 employees or generate more than 20 million dollars in the previous year.
  • Register and/or validate relationship data with startups.

Only contracts validated within the stipulated deadlines in the regulation will be considered for the 100 Open Startups Ranking. Declare your contracts as soon as possible to avoid delays in validation by your contact point in the large/medium-sized company or startup.

What are the benefits of the Ranking?

  • The Ranking's data enables the production of comprehensive studies and the dissemination of unique insights on the evolution of open innovation practices in your country.
  • Being part of a large network of corporate executives and investors, with high visibility among Brazilian and Latin American corporations seeking startups for business partnerships and participating in matchmaking processes with these executives.
  • Access to the largest event dedicated to generating business in innovation, a unique opportunity to interact with key players in the ecosystem, Brazilian and international corporations, and startups.
  • International recognition of the Open Startups methodology for identifying leaders in open innovation, using objective criteria and data registered by the market itself to score participating companies.
  • Award-winning startups are recognized in the ecosystem for having market-validated solutions, opening doors to new opportunities. Corporations are highlighted as the most open to innovation, facilitating connections with the best startups.
  • Highlighted in the media, specialized publications, social networks, and the Gala Award Night, generating high visibility for the award-winning startups and recognition for corporations for their performance in open innovation.
  • The Ranking generates recognition for the practice of open innovation, contributing to its evolution and attracting more practitioners.