The latest articles on DEV Community by Bruno Nunes Pinheiro (@brunonunespinheiro). https://dev.to/brunonunespinheiro https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F663946%2Faddb0319-d5b3-4839-b36a-c7493a783640.jpeg https://dev.to/brunonunespinheiro en Bruno Nunes Pinheiro Tue, 13 Oct 2026 00:36:12 +0000 https://dev.to/brunonunespinheiro/building-a-startup-in-maranhao-brazil-acoplihub-reaches-the-startup-awards-2026-semifinals-31lb https://dev.to/brunonunespinheiro/building-a-startup-in-maranhao-brazil-acoplihub-reaches-the-startup-awards-2026-semifinals-31lb <p>What happens when you build a technology startup outside Brazil's main innovation hubs? For us, it means turning an idea into a product, learning through the process, and proving that innovation can come from anywhere.</p> <p>I'm Bruno Nunes Pinheiro, founder of Acopli, a technology and design company based in São Luís, Maranhão, in northeastern Brazil.</p> <p>Today, I'd like to share a milestone in our journey: Acopli.Hub has reached the national semifinals of the Startup Awards 2026 in the Startup Revelation category.</p> <p>What is Acopli.Hub?</p> <p>Acopli.Hub is a digital product we're building to make project and task management simpler and more organized.</p> <p>The idea comes from a familiar challenge: work often gets scattered across conversations, spreadsheets, separate tools, and disconnected workflows. Keeping track of priorities, responsibilities, and deadlines can become a project of its own.</p> <p>We're working toward a more straightforward experience for organizing work, managing tasks, and helping teams turn ideas into deliverables.</p> <p>Our goal is to make technology more useful and accessible, especially for people and small businesses that need organization without unnecessary complexity.</p> <p>Building technology from northeastern Brazil</p> <p>São Luís is the capital of Maranhão, a state in Brazil's Northeast region.</p> <p>Building a technology business here is part of a journey that involves creating opportunities, developing products, connecting with other entrepreneurs, and expanding our reach beyond our local market.</p> <p>For me, this milestone represents more than a position in an award. It's an opportunity to show that technology products with national ambitions can emerge from places that receive less attention in the global technology conversation.</p> <p>Innovation isn't limited to a particular city or ecosystem. It starts with people identifying problems and working to solve them.</p> <p>What the Startup Awards semifinal means to us</p> <p>Being selected as a semifinalist in the Startup Revelation category of Startup Awards 2026 is an important milestone for Acopli.Hub.</p> <p>We're still building, learning, and improving. We know that recognition is not the finish line: the real challenge is creating a product that delivers value to the people who use it.</p> <p>This moment motivates us to keep developing the product, listening to users, and working toward a clearer and more useful experience for project management.</p> <p>What's next?</p> <p>Our focus remains on building Acopli.Hub and growing our presence in Brazil's technology ecosystem.</p> <p>We're interested in connecting with founders, developers, product designers, and people who are building digital products in emerging technology communities.</p> <p>If you're building a startup outside a major technology hub, I'd love to hear about your experience.</p> <p>Where are you building from, and what challenges are you facing while turning your idea into a product?</p> <p>Let's connect and share what we're learning along the way.</p> <p>Support Acopli.Hub</p> <p>Acopli.Hub is a semifinalist in the Startup Revelation category of Startup Awards 2026.</p> <p>If public voting is available for this category, you can visit startupawards.com.br, sign in or create an account, and look for Acopli.Hub under Startup Revelation.</p> <p>Thank you for supporting technology and innovation coming from Maranhão, Brazil.</p> buildinpublic product saas startup