Daniel Victorino
Galaxies was selected in July 2026 as one of the 8 Brazilian startup finalists of KPMG Private Enterprise Global Tech Innovator 2026, among more than 1,300 global candidates, to represent Brazil on the Web Summit Lisbon stage in November.
On July 20, 2026, Galaxies confirmed its place in the first cohort of AI Board Academy, Google’s program that brings together 12 martechs, deep techs and agentic solutions around an executive mentor board. Less than 24 hours later came the second piece of news: Galaxies is among the 8 Brazilian startup finalists of KPMG Private Enterprise Global Tech Innovator 2026, a competition that gathered more than 1,300 candidates across 21 countries and whose national winner will represent Brazil in the global final during Web Summit Lisbon in November.
Two seals, two different purposes, in the same period: Google provided a board of enterprise C-levels for mentoring; KPMG provides financial validation and a global stage. This is the second chapter this article details, and it says much more about Brazil’s innovation moment than about Galaxies in isolation.
The press that covered the finalist list described Galaxies as a company that uses synthetic personas to accelerate market research. That simplification is worth correcting here: synthetic personas are one layer of the system Galaxies builds, not the product itself. The company develops AI to turn creative decisions into actionable recommendations for enterprise CMOs; the focus is decision-making, not research.
What is KPMG Global Tech Innovator?
KPMG Private Enterprise Global Tech Innovator (GTI) is KPMG’s global startup competition, in its 5th edition in 2026. It brings together more than 1,300 candidates across 21 countries and regions. The global final takes place during Web Summit, in Lisbon, from November 9 to 12, 2026. In Brazil, 8 startups were selected for the national stage.
A three-stage structure
The program follows a national structure, followed by regional eliminations when applicable, leading to the global final. In Brazil, this means finalist selection, semifinal and national final, with the winner advancing to represent the country in Lisbon.
The final prize at Web Summit Lisbon
Each country’s winner takes the Global Tech Innovator 2026 title and has accommodation and participation in Web Summit covered by KPMG, the same stage where Japan’s Rhinoflux, Ireland’s Akara and India’s StepOut placed in 2025.
Five years of the program, more than 1,300 candidates in 2026
The competition had Defined.ai as global winner in 2021. In 2025, Brazil was represented by O2eco, which won the national stage among finalists such as Cognvox, BioLinker, Qnity, FabNS, Peptidus Biotech and Beegol.
How the Brazilian stage works
Semifinal on July 28, final on August 4
Brazil semifinal: July 28, 2026, virtual, with KPMG judging panel.
Brazil final: August 4, 2026, in person, at KPMG’s São Paulo office.
Global final: November 9 to 12, 2026, during Web Summit Lisbon.
Judging criteria
KPMG’s judging panel evaluates seven criteria: scalability, innovation and disruption, market potential, customer adoption, traction and growth, long-term prospects and pitch quality. Eligibility requires a company registered in Brazil, operating for up to 7 years in its current form, with revenue between US$ 1 million and US$ 15 million or US$ 500,000 or more raised in equity, and either pure technology or technology-enabled business.
Who are the 8 Brazilian finalists of 2026?
The 2026 cohort brings together eight startups across five verticals: four biotechs, three applied AI companies and one agritech.
Dalton Lab: agentic AI integrated into companies, focused on agentic organizations.
Mobile Brain: deeptech and neuroscience, transforming human speech into mathematical data to monitor cognition and emotion.
Celluris, TissueLabs, Peptidus and Biofy: four biotech and healthtech representatives, from CAR-T cell therapy to 3D bioprinting, veterinary drug discovery with AI and DNA sequencing.
Galaxies: applied AI for martech, focused on enterprise marketing decision-making before spend.
FoxAgritech: agritech using IoT and AI to predict infestations in agribusiness.
In 2024, the Brazilian stage had 10 finalists: Abstra, Biozer, Chemical Inovação, Huna, Lemon Energia, Luckie Tech, Orby, PBSF, SO+MA and Stattus4.
Why was Galaxies selected?
Of the 8 Brazilian finalists in 2026, only three operate in AI: Dalton Lab, Mobile Brain and Galaxies. Among the three, Galaxies is the only one focused on AI applied to enterprise marketing; the rest of the AI block covers computational neuroscience and corporate agent infrastructure.
The only finalist in AI applied to enterprise marketing
While the rest of the technology block deals with foundational science, biotech, neuroscience or corporate infrastructure, Galaxies competes at the point where a CMO decides whether to spend on a creative bet. This category connects directly to marketing decision-making before spend.
Verifiable enterprise traction
KPMG’s criteria weigh scalability, customer adoption, traction and growth. Galaxies enters the competition with cases alongside enterprise CMOs in Brazil, revenue within the eligible range and operating time below the seven-year ceiling required by the program. It was not selected on promise, but on delivery already measured in projects such as the one with Meta, which reduced the client’s CAC by 52%. Explore other client cases.
KPMG’s reading of the moment
Diogo Garcia, KPMG partner-director and leader of startup programs in Brazil, summarized the 2026 selection criteria to Época Negócios by saying that this year’s selection shows artificial intelligence already plays a strategic role in transforming different sectors of the economy.
What the cohort composition says about Brazil
Half of Brazil’s 2026 cohort is biotech, one third is applied AI and there is one agritech. It is a picture of what the country is exporting in innovation in this cycle: a strong presence of applied health science and an AI frontier that is beginning to diversify beyond infrastructure and neuroscience, entering categories such as marketing decision-making.
Biotech dominates with 4 finalists
Celluris, TissueLabs, Peptidus and Biofy make up half the list, a sign that biotech remains the most mature vertical among Brazilian startups in this type of program.
Applied AI as an emerging frontier
Of the three AI finalists, each occupies a different frontier: corporate agents, computational neuroscience and marketing decision-making. Galaxies’ presence on this list indicates that marketing decision-making has started to be read by an audit and finance judging panel as a technology category with real traction, not just generic martech.
Carolina de Oliveira’s view at KPMG
Carolina de Oliveira, Private Enterprise leader at KPMG in Brazil and South America, described the national cohort moment as a stage where startups reach the final with innovation, resilience and creativity, seeking access to a global environment focused on scaling operations and achieving business success.
The path to Web Summit Lisbon
What is Web Summit and why does it matter?
Web Summit is one of the world’s largest technology conferences, and hosting the Global Tech Innovator global final expands the national winner’s visibility among investors, press and potential international clients.
The history of global winners
The 2025 global podium included Rhinoflux from Japan, Akara from Ireland and StepOut from India. In 2021, the global winner was Defined.ai. That history shows the stage tends to recognize technologies with clear application in high-impact sectors.
The weight of the global stage for the next fundraise
For a startup in the program’s eligible revenue range, between US$ 1 million and US$ 15 million, the national finalist seal already works as validation for investors and enterprise clients, even before the result of the Brazilian final, scheduled for August 4.
Frequently asked questions
What is KPMG Global Tech Innovator?
It is KPMG Private Enterprise’s global startup competition, in its 5th edition in 2026, with more than 1,300 candidates across 21 countries. The global final takes place at Web Summit, in Lisbon, from November 9 to 12.
How many startups were selected in Brazil?
Eight, including Galaxies, covering biotech, applied AI and agritech.
Who are the 8 Brazilian finalists?
Dalton Lab, Mobile Brain, Celluris, TissueLabs, Peptidus, Galaxies, Biofy and FoxAgritech.
When is the Brazil final?
On August 4, 2026, at KPMG’s São Paulo office, after the virtual semifinal on July 28.
When and where is the global final?
From November 9 to 12, 2026, during Web Summit, in Lisbon.
What are the judging criteria?
Scalability, innovation and disruption, market potential, customer adoption, traction and growth, long-term prospects and pitch quality.
Why was Galaxies selected?
Because it is the only 2026 Brazilian finalist focused on AI applied to enterprise marketing decision-making, with verifiable traction among CMOs, including a Meta project that reduced CAC by 52%.
The Brazil final takes place on August 4. Follow Galaxies on LinkedIn for real-time updates.
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