Companies in the sector
Santa Catarina is the sixth state with the largest number of technology companies in the country, representing 5.2% of the national total. The top three positions in this ranking are held by São Paulo, with 248,000 companies (38%), Rio de Janeiro, with 58,500, and Minas Gerais, with 56,900.
Last year, the number of companies in Santa Catarina grew by 16.4%, the highest growth among the 15 largest technology hubs in the country and well above the Brazilian average, which increased by 12.4%. Santa Catarina is only surpassed in growth rate by states with less relevance in the sector.
+ 34.2 thousand
Companies in the technology sector of SC
6°
largest state in Brazil
+16.4%
growth in 2025
20%
of companies opened in Santa Catarina during 2025 operate online
Technology companies in Brazil
By the end of 2025, the Brazilian technology sector comprised 657,900 companies.
The number increased from 585,000 in 2024 to 657,900 in 2025, representing a 12.4% increase.
Distribution of technology companies in Brazil
The state of São Paulo is the largest technology company hub in Brazil, with 248,000 companies (38% of the total).
Santa Catarina is the state with the highest growth rate (+16.4%) among the 15 largest technology hubs, second only to states with less relevance in the sector.
Santa Catarina companies
A national leader in the technology sector, Santa Catarina is the 6th state with the largest number of companies in the sector. Since the founding of ACATE in 1986, when there were around 100 companies, the growth has been exponential.
In 2025, the sector will maintain a rapid pace of growth in the number of companies, with the highest growth rate in Brazil.
Evolution of companies in the technology sector in Santa Catarina
At the founding of ACATE in 1986, it is estimated that there were around 100 companies dedicated to the development of technological solutions. Since then, the number of incorporated companies has been growing.
Of the total number of active companies, more than a thousand were founded before the year 2000, but 42% of them are less than 5 years old.
Distribution of technology companies in Santa Catarina
Among the regions of Santa Catarina, Greater Florianópolis stands out as the largest state hub for the technology sector, with a third of the state's total companies, totaling 33.2%.
In total, there are approximately 11,300 companies in the capital region. Following that are the Itajaí Valley region (9,000 companies, representing 26.3%), Northern Santa Catarina (5,900 companies, representing 17.3%), Southern Santa Catarina (3,700 companies, representing 10.8%), Western Santa Catarina (3,500 companies, representing 10.1%), and Serrana (800 companies, representing 2.2%).
Last year, the region that stood out the most was Southern Santa Catarina, which grew by 22.8% and reached 3,600 companies.
In the general scenario of opening companies in Santa Catarina, the increase in the percentage of companies opting for online operations (activity carried out via the internet) is also noteworthy.
Starting in January 2020, this percentage rose from around 5% to 20% two years later. Over the past year, the share of online businesses has continued to grow, reaching 23% by the end of 2023.
This data reinforces the technology sector's potential to meet the demand for digitalization of companies and businesses in the state.
Evolution of the number of partners in technology companies
São Paulo is the state with the largest number of entrepreneurs in the sector, reaching 287,411 partners in 2025. This trajectory is followed by Minas Gerais (67,576) and Rio de Janeiro (64,635). Paraná (53,472) and Rio Grande do Sul (45,465) also showed notable growth in the same period.
Santa Catarina has solidified its position as the sixth state with the highest number of entrepreneurs in the sector, behind São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Paraná, and Rio Grande do Sul. The state went from 33,900 partners in 2024 to 42,800 in 2025, a growth of +26.5%. In 2025, Greater Florianópolis stood out with approximately three thousand new partners, totaling 14,600 entrepreneurs, followed by Southern Santa Catarina, with 4,200 partners, an increase of 35%.
Nationally, the average age of members remains around 41 years, with a considerable percentage of men, representing a significant majority of the total membership (76%). In Santa Catarina, the average age is 40 years and the percentage of men is also high, especially in Greater Florianópolis, where 79% of members are men.