With contingent of 1,300, Brazil bets big on SXSW

Brazil is betting big on South by Southwest.

The South American country has about 1,300 of its residents in Austin this week — one of the largest foreign contingents at the festival and up nearly 200 people from last year.

Those visitors aren’t just here to take in the sights and sounds of SXSW. Many are eager to do business, representing more than 70 companies selling everything from cosmetics to high-tech gadgets.

The country has had an official SXSW presence since 2004, according to Diogo Barros Akitaya, trade promotion supervisor for Apex-Brasil, the country’s trade and investment promotion agency.

Initially, Brazil’s focus was on the sectors you’d most expect to see at SXSW: music, movies and technology. But over time, he said, that focus has widened significantly.

“We started seeing that South by Southwest was a great platform for business, a great place to make connections,” Barros Akitaya said. “It’s very big for us.”

Apex-Brasil offers its services to companies big and small. Some are pros at schmoozing, he said, while others need help.

“The companies that are here every year, they know how to make connections,” Barros Akitaya said. “Then there are the ones here for the first time and they need us to help them.”

Among the companies with Brazilian ties in town this week are OneSkin, which focuses on skin rejuvenation products — not necessarily what you’d expect to see at SXSW, but being here was important for CEO Carolina Reis de Oliveira.

The company is relying heavily on data and technology to help develop the next generation of beauty products.

“By understanding the skin’s