Successful
entrepreneurship rarely follows straight-line trajectories from initial concept
to market success. More commonly, it involves persistence through setbacks,
strategic adaptation based on market feedback, and continued commitment to
fundamental vision despite implementation challenges. The career of Brazilian
technology entrepreneur Haroldo Jacobovicz offers a compelling case study
in this entrepreneurial persistence across multiple ventures and decades.
Early Setback
and Continued Vision
Haroldo Jacobovicz’s
entrepreneurial journey began with an experience that might have discouraged
less determined individuals. Before completing his civil engineering studies at
the Federal University of Paraná, he founded Microsystem with three
technically proficient friends in the 1980s. The company aimed to provide
automated inventory control and cash register systems to small retail
businesses, pharmacies, and supermarkets.
Despite its technical
merit, this venture closed after two years because “that market was not
yet ready for computerization.” This early setback demonstrated the gap
between technological possibility and market readiness that often challenges
entrepreneurial initiatives. Rather than abandoning his technological focus
after this experience, however, Jacobovicz maintained commitment to his
fundamental vision regarding information technology’s potential.
Strategic
Repositioning While Maintaining Focus
Following his initial
entrepreneurial attempt, Haroldo Jacobovicz joined Esso (now Exxon Mobil) where
he gained exposure to corporate technology applications. Later, at the Itaipu
Hydroelectric Plant, he observed institutional factors affecting technology
implementation in public sector contexts. These professional experiences
represented not retreat from entrepreneurial vision but rather strategic
repositioning to enhance understanding of different organizational
environments.
Throughout these
corporate and public sector positions, Jacobovicz maintained focus on
understanding how information technology could improve organizational
operations. His professional advancement—reaching positions handling commercial
tactics and new business development at Esso’s Brazilian headquarters—reflected
continuing commitment to technology applications despite his initial
entrepreneurial timing challenge.
Return to
Entrepreneurship with Enhanced Perspective
After gaining valuable
experience across different sectors, Haroldo Jacobovicz returned to
entrepreneurship in the 1990s with what the document describes as “a new
vision for business” informed by his diverse professional background. He
established Minauro, offering innovative computer rental and maintenance
services primarily to public agencies—demonstrating persistent commitment to facilitating technology
adoption while adapting implementation approach based on market learning.
The document
explicitly notes this continuity amid adaptation: “After four years at the
state-owned company, it was time to return to the original plan — to have his
own business in the technology sector.” This phrasing reveals Jacobovicz’s
persistent entrepreneurial intention despite professional detours that might
have permanently diverted others from independent business development.
Adaptation
Without Abandonment
The business model
Haroldo Jacobovicz developed for Minauro—offering “four-year contracts
with machine replacement every 18 months, including
maintenance”—represented adaptation based on market learning rather than
abandonment of technological vision. By structuring technology provision as a
service rather than capital acquisition, he created implementation pathway accommodating
institutional constraints while maintaining his fundamental objective of
facilitating computerization.
This approach proved
highly successful, with Minauro winning “several bids in the South and
Southeast of the country.” Jacobovicz’s persistence through initial
entrepreneurial setback and corporate employment phase ultimately enabled
development of a business model that effectively addressed market needs while
maintaining his core technological focus.
Continued
Evolution Through Acquisition
As his business
activities matured, Haroldo Jacobovicz demonstrated persistent commitment to
comprehensive technology solutions through strategic acquisitions. By incorporating
specialized software capabilities from companies including Consult, Perform,
and Sisteplan alongside hardware provision, he created the e-Governe Group
addressing multiple aspects of public sector technology requirements.
This expansion
reflected continued entrepreneurial
development rather than satisfaction with initial success. Rather than
limiting his business activities to the hardware provision model that had
proven effective with Minauro, Jacobovicz persistently pursued more
comprehensive technology solutions addressing broader organizational needs.
New Venture
Development After Two Decades
After two decades of
entrepreneurial activity focused primarily on public sector technology
solutions, Haroldo Jacobovicz demonstrated remarkable persistence by
establishing entirely new venture in adjacent technology domain. In 2010, he
founded Horizons Telecom to serve the corporate market with telecommunications
infrastructure services.
This initiative
reflected both continuity and evolution in entrepreneurial focus. While
shifting to telecommunications infrastructure represented new technical domain,
the emphasis on corporate market applications maintained consistency with his
fundamental focus on practical technology solutions for organizational needs.
This capacity to develop new ventures after decades of entrepreneurial activity
demonstrates unusual persistence beyond individual business outcomes.
Current Venture
Following Successful Exit
After successfully
developing and selling Horizons Telecom over approximately a decade, Haroldo
Jacobovicz again demonstrated entrepreneurial persistence by quickly
establishing new technology venture. Following the telecommunications company
sale in early 2021, he founded Arlequim Technologies focusing on computer
virtualization across various market segments.
This rapid transition
to another business initiative after successful exit reveals entrepreneurial
identity that transcends individual venture outcomes. Rather than viewing the
Horizons Telecom acquisition as culminating achievement or opportunity for
retirement, Jacobovicz immediately pursued another technological
opportunity—maintaining entrepreneurial momentum across changing business
circumstances.
Persistence
Through Technology Generations
Perhaps most
remarkably, Haroldo Jacobovicz’s entrepreneurial persistence has spanned
multiple technology generations from early computerization through specialized
software development to telecommunications infrastructure and virtualization
services. This longevity demonstrates capacity to maintain fundamental
commitment to technology value creation while adapting specific implementation
approaches as technological capabilities evolve.
The document notes
that his current venture aims “to provide the best of digital life to the
largest number of people, with the best cost-benefit”—a mission statement
that could equally have described his earliest entrepreneurial efforts despite
tremendous technological advancement between these initiatives. This
consistency amid changing
technical environments reveals persistent entrepreneurial purpose
transcending specific implementation approaches.
Lessons in
Entrepreneurial Persistence
For current and
aspiring entrepreneurs, Haroldo Jacobovicz’s career offers valuable perspective
regarding effective persistence through business challenges. His experience
demonstrates that entrepreneurial success often requires maintaining
fundamental vision while adapting specific implementation approaches based on
market feedback and changing conditions.
The key insight
involves distinguishing between core purpose and particular execution
methods—maintaining commitment to fundamental objectives while demonstrating
flexibility regarding specific implementation pathways. By persistently
pursuing technology value creation across different organizational contexts and
technical generations, Jacobovicz has built substantial business impact beyond
any individual venture outcome.
Jacobovicz
at https://www.youtube.com/@InstitutoHaroldoJacobovicz