NewHack turns 2: community, entrepreneurship and innovation
On September 16, 2026, NewHack turned two during São Paulo Tech Week, in the same week as the seventh edition of NewHack Journey. We celebrated this milestone in the way that makes sense to us: close to people who build businesses, share knowledge and help others build.
When I launched NewHack in 2024, I brought a conviction that had grown throughout my journey: building a business becomes more feasible when we have people to discuss difficult decisions with. Alongside Paulo Braga, we continue building a community where founders, mentors, investors and companies can meet with a concrete reason to collaborate.
From Journey 7 to the São Paulo Tech Week celebration
Journey 7 took place on September 15 and 16 in São Paulo. At the close of the immersion, Quarta no Serena #54 brought together three reasons to celebrate: the second anniversary, São Paulo Tech Week and Journey's happy hour. The program connected the two-day experience to a gathering open to the community.
That combination represents what we want to develop. An immersion creates time to explore a question in depth; a community gathering opens space to meet other people and continue the conversation. The formats complement each other when there is continuity between them.
What NewHack is and who leads it
NewHack is a Brazilian entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem, with a community connecting founders and companies. It works through entrepreneurial education, mentoring, gatherings, international immersions and corporate innovation projects. São Paulo is a physical meeting point for this network, which also seeks connections with other markets.
I, Rodrigo Terron, and Paulo Braga lead NewHack. My experience includes Shawee, which I cofounded, and Rocketseat, where I was COO and CEO. Paulo brings experience in venture capital and corporate venture. We share more about that background on the page about NewHack's founders and history.
This journey also connects with Entrypoint, an initiative dedicated to investment in early-stage startups. NewHack focuses on education and ecosystem development. I explained this evolution in an interview with Startups in August 2025. Taking part in the community is an opportunity to learn and build relationships; each program and investment process has its own criteria.
A community of entrepreneurs in São Paulo, with applied learning
For someone building a company, entrepreneurial education needs to connect with the business's current stage. That may mean better understanding the customer, organizing operations, improving a presentation or assessing a fundraising decision. NewHack Journey brings together content, exchanges between entrepreneurs and mentoring to open these questions up for discussion.
Arriving with a specific question helps you make the most of this experience. A founder who needs to review their offering can bring what they have heard from customers. Someone facing a management challenge can present the routine that is holding the team back. That way, the gathering provides material for deciding what to test when they return to work.
At community gatherings, we want to make room both for people sharing experience and for those forming their first questions. Relationships deepen when people return, talk about what they tried and help others move forward.
Corporate innovation starts with a problem worth paying attention to
Companies take part in this ecosystem with challenges, knowledge and opportunities for collaboration. In NewHack's corporate innovation work, we work with hackathons, open innovation and relationships with developer communities. Each initiative is designed around the organization's goal and the people who need to participate to make it viable.
An idea can improve a service, an internal process, a customer service experience or a product. Technology comes in according to the need. Supporting the groups involves clarifying the problem, organizing execution, testing hypotheses and preparing a presentation of what was learned.
It is also necessary to think about the day after. Defining an owner, the resources needed and evaluation criteria helps projects continue. That care is part of our guide to taking a corporate hackathon prototype to a pilot.
AI, a startup residency and international connections
Artificial intelligence is part of our agenda for learning and building. AI House Brasil, created by NewHack with Entrypoint at Serena in São Paulo, is a residency for AI-focused startups. It brings this agenda into the everyday work of entrepreneurs who need to develop their product, operations and business.
On NewHack's international missions, the aim is to broaden perspectives and connections with other ecosystems, such as Silicon Valley and China. Preparation starts with the questions each entrepreneur wants to investigate and continues with the work of translating the lessons into their company.
What we want to carry into the coming years
These two years reinforce three commitments that guide how I want to continue building NewHack:
- Keep the community close. Create recurring opportunities to talk, share questions and follow what people are building.
- Connect learning with decisions. Help each participant leave with a clearer question, a useful connection or a next step they can carry out.
- Keep projects moving. Connect those proposing an idea with those who can help test it, adopt it and sustain its execution.
Thank you to everyone who attended a gathering, opened up about their experience in a mentoring session, presented a challenge or brought someone closer. These contributions bring NewHack to life and keep its story moving forward.
For those just joining us, Journey 8 is planned for December 15 and 16, 2026, in São Paulo. If you want to discuss an initiative for your company or find a way into the community, talk to NewHack. The next chapter starts with the people and projects we will build together.