1/18/2021

InovaVM: learn about EFVM's first innovation marathon
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To encourage innovative solutions for railroad challenges, Vitória-Minas Railway (EFVM in Portugese) presented its first ideation event: InovaVM. With participation from 19 teams from various companies and entrepreneurs, the program boosted the culture of innovation and generated a positive impact for the community.

In addition, InovaVM contributed directly to the technological and professional development of the participating teams by offering technical mentoring by Vale's specialists. Altogether, over 40 professionals from different areas provided support to the teams.

'With InovaVM, we can highlight two important points: the change in the way Vale's technical mentors think and the enormous potential that resultswhen we propose a win-win relationship, in which a startup and Vale build a relationship of trust. The startup gets its product developed and Vale gets its problem solved.' said railroad engineer Leandro Soares.

Winning teams

For 15 days, between November 23 and December 6, participants worked together to create solutions for challenges that impact the efficiency and safety of the railroad. The second phase of the event took place on December 7, when five selected projects were considered.

At the end of the marathon, only two companies were chosen to produce a proof of concept and win investment capital from Vale. In the 'Component and Asset Traceability' challenge, the winner was Atech Negócios em Tecnologias S.A. To solve the 'Manual Adjustments Risk While Handling Cargo' challenge, Logpyx Tecnologia AS presented the best idea.

Mentoring

An advantage of InovaVM was the technical mentoring offered during the ideation phase. The objective was to support participants with the knowledge of Vale's professionals in the railroad sector.

Inspiration and integration

The marathon also had specific schedules to promote the development of an innovative mindset and encourage collaboration between mentors and entrepreneurs.

A lecture was held with Olympic beach volleyball champion Alison Cerutti. The athlete spoke about his decision to go pro in the sport at the age of 17 and how his experiences made him stand out on the courts, which conveyed an impactful message about entrepreneurship.

InovaVM was carried out in partnership with Findeslab, an industry innovation hub from the Federation of Industries of Espírito Santo (Findes). The proposal analysis board was attended by other railroad companies, such as VLI, MRS and Rumo, in addition to professionals from Estrada de Ferro Carajás and other areas of Vale.

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Vale SA published this content on 18 January 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 18 January 2021 20:35:02 UTC