Pix Force, a leading Artificial Intelligence startup in Brazil, has been recognized as the primary innovative and applicable solution for the oil and gas sector at the ATCE 2023 Start Up Village by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in the USA. The company was chosen from over 100 startups from various countries operating in the energy sector and was awarded in two categories: "Best in Show" and "People's Choice."
The award ceremony took place on Tuesday night, 17th, in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to the distinction, Pix Force received a cash prize of $25,000. Renato Gomes, the co-founder and president of Pix Force, received the award from the SPE representatives - a globally relevant entity in the oil and gas market, involved in research and innovation. Commenting on the competition's result, the president of Pix Force highlighted the significance of this recognition for the startup's journey.
"This is a significant milestone for us, as it is one of the industry's highest validations, driving us to continue transforming the oil and gas sector with our innovation," observed Renato Gomes. He emphasized that SPE's recognition would also assist Pix Force in its internationalization process, which is particularly challenging for any company, especially a startup.
"This SPE award gives us a lot of credibility to connect with oil and gas companies not only in the United States but also from other parts of the world. The recognition is a way to accelerate our internationalization process, giving us greater credibility," commented the president. He further highlighted the historical importance of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in innovation in the oil and gas sector.
From left to right, Terry Palish, Renato Gomes and Bryant Muller
"Many themes that have become industry standards globally today, such as deepwater extraction, were advocated decades ago by SPE," concluded the president. The Society of Petroleum Engineers has 119,000 members in 138 countries, promoting continuous education and collaborating in creating technical standards for safer, more efficient, and sustainable operations in the industry.
Pix Force Plans Growth and Targets Internationalization
In recent years, Pix Force has gained prominence both in Brazil and abroad. Last month, the startup was chosen to represent the country in the global stage of the 2023 Global Tech Innovator Award by KPMG. The competition will take place in November during the Web Summit in Lisbon and will feature startups from 23 countries presenting their business models to an international panel of
judges. In the Brazilian stage, Pix Force competed with nine other startups, standing out in criteria such as market potential and customer adoption.
Additionally, in 2022, the company was one of the three startups awarded in the first edition of South Summit Brazil, and this year, it was featured in the "100 Startups to Watch 2023" ranking, listing the most promising companies in the Brazilian innovation ecosystem. Pix Force also appears in the "Top 100 Open Scaleups 2023" ranking, recognizing open scaleups innovating with corporations in the country. The list, part of the 100 Open Startups Ranking, was announced on Wednesday night, 18th, in a ceremony in Rio.
For 2024, the startup plans to further expand its operations, including opening a new investment round, which is expected to solidify its internationalization process. "We are planning to grow even faster, and for that, we will raise between R$15 and 20 million, both in Brazil and abroad," revealed Pix Force CEO, Daniel Moura. The intention is for the majority of the funds (75%) to be allocated to marketing and sales, with the rest for optimizing an internal Pix Force platform for AI development.
Currently, Pix Force has offices in Porto Alegre (RS) at the Caldeira Institute, in São Paulo (SP) at Cubo and Inovabra, and also in the USA and Finland. Its major clients include major international players in the oil and gas and energy markets, including Petrobras, Shell, CEMIG, and Eneva Energia.
For more information, please visit Pix Force's website.