On Thursday (April 10th), Invest RS signed an engagement agreement with the North American company Magnopus through which the Rio Grande do Sul investment agency will support the project to install a structure for the company’s projects in the state. Representatives of the company are in Porto Alegre to also participate in the program of South Summit Brazil 2025, an event in which Invest RS is a partner, and the state government is a co-organizer.
The engagement agreement is the document signed between the agency and companies interested in investing in the state. The agreement establishes the terms of technical and specialized support that Invest RS offers so that the partner can realize the intended business. The signing took place at the Piratini Palace, with the presence of the state governor, Eduardo Leite.
The document was signed by the president of Invest RS, Rafael Prikladnicki, and the president of Magnopus, Alex Henning. The company, headquartered in Los Angeles (USA), is a global reference in the production of immersive technologies and intends to expand its operation by assembling top-level teams to develop products.
The signing was attended by secretaries Artur Lemos (Chief of Staff), Ernani Polo (Economic Development), and Simone Stülp (Innovation, Science and Technology), as well as the chairman of the company’s board, Marcelo Lacerda. “Our state is a leader in innovation in Brazil. We have the best federal university in the country, and the best private university as well. There are many government investments that give us the opportunity to have a very important boost for technology development. We will certainly offer a good environment so that Magnopus finds here the reasons to make this mission a reality,” said the governor.
The president of Invest RS, Rafael Prikladnicki, recalled the governor’s guidance for the agency’s work to be ambitious, thinking big and focused on innovation. “This project meets all three requirements. Magnopus’s project is a milestone because it can connect the talent of Rio Grande do Sul and our innovation ecosystem to a company that is a global reference and develops products with extremely advanced technology,” he stated.
According to Prikladnicki, Magnopus’s interest could materialize the return of Marcelo Lacerda, a pioneer of the internet in Brazil, who is the company’s chairman and would return to invest in the state after the movement he started in the 1990s, beginning with Nutecnet and reaching Terra’s services. “Lacerda returning to invest here has great symbolism because it would prove the maturity of our ecosystem,” explained the president of Invest RS.
The Secretary of Economic Development stated that the signed agreement is another step in the consolidation of Rio Grande do Sul as a technology hub. “The state has a very strong technological vocation, proven by the interest of companies in the sector to establish themselves here, such as Scala Data Centers, and also by the numerous innovation hubs, startups, and university technology courses we have here,” he said. Polo also emphasized that innovation is one of the enablers of the Economic, Inclusive, and Sustainable Development Plan.
Magnopus’s clients include Disney Studios and Google. Alex Henning is a visual effects specialist who won an Oscar in 2012 for his work on the film “Hugo.” During his visit to Porto Alegre, he also joined the speaker program of South Summit. The company’s president was impressed with the environment he found in Rio Grande do Sul. “I wish I had studied at a university like the one I saw at PUC-RS and developed the company in an environment like the one at Instituto Caldeira. The structure is fantastic,” he highlighted.
Invest RS is a development agency that operates as a tool of the Economic, Inclusive, and Sustainable Development Plan, announced by the state government in October 2024. It operates in cooperation with the Secretariat of Economic Development, other government bodies, and society. The institution is structured to offer market intelligence services and support to investors and exporters, with the aim of accelerating the economic growth of Rio Grande do Sul.
