By Beto Marcelino

It’s a pleasure to introduce myself. I’m Beto Marcelino, and it’s with great enthusiasm that I share with you the beginning of this new journey with my periodic column at Abayomi Academy. Here I will be privileged to explore themes that inspire me daily: smart cities, sustainability, technology, smart data management, and urban transformation.

I am honored to be one of the founders and to have led for over 12 years the company called iCities, a pioneering Smart City Hub in Brazil. At iCities, we work tirelessly to provide a better quality of life for citizens, based on the principle that smart people create smart cities.

Our work is like a large web, where we connect people and ideas to create disruptive projects and solutions that transform life in cities. We work side by side with the public and private sectors, and in this journey, we have already impacted more than 500 cities in all states of Brazil, benefiting more than 15 million people. We act from the diagnosis of needs to finding and implementing innovative solutions together, always in favor of smart cities that provide more quality of life to the population.

We believe that knowledge is the key to the future. Therefore, iCities is also dedicated to training leaders and thought leaders through training programs. We are very proud of the “iCities Academy Program”, which works on the strategic development of people, meeting the market demand for professionals specialized in smart cities. Through this program, more than 100 companies of various sizes and segments, both from the private and public sectors, have been trained, boosting innovative projects and businesses throughout Brazil.

As holders of the Fira Barcelona seal, an international institution with more than 90 years of history and numerous global events, we celebrate our great passion and case of success: Smart City Expo Curitiba, which, in March 2025, will have its 6th edition. The event is recognized as the second-largest meeting in the world and the largest in the Americas dedicated to smart cities, and we hope to receive more than 20,000 people who, like us, believe in the transforming power of smart management. We want each participant to leave the event with the feeling that they are a fundamental part of this transformation.

We want to inspire partnerships and build bridges for a better future. By integrating this event with the set of iCities initiatives, such as the IoT Solutions Congress Brasil (an initiative that I will address here in the future), we reaffirm our commitment to lead with heart and to inspire more and more people to build smarter, more human-centered, and resilient cities together.

I believe that all these themes are much more than technical concepts; they are the key to building a more inspiring and welcoming future for everyone. Therefore, my goal is to address them in a light and easy-to-understand way, inviting everyone to reflection and action. Here in this space, I will explore how technology can be an ally of citizenship, acting in the construction of more inclusive and sustainable cities, and also how intelligent data management can help us make more assertive decisions, and how urban transformation can create spaces that collaborate for coexistence and more happiness. Would you like to join me?

Beto Marcelino is the Managing Partner at iCities, a pioneering Brazilian company in smart cities. He was a contributing rapporteur for the Brazilian Charter for Smart Cities, developed by the Ministry of Regional Development (MDR). Holding a degree in Agronomic Engineering from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) and a specialization in Marketing from FAE Business School, he also participated in the Cities 4.0 program of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations, and Communications, helping to shape the National Smart Cities Policy. Additionally, he serves as Manager of Smart City Expo Curitiba and is an ambassador for Fira Barcelona in Brazil.

Social Media:
Instagram: @beto_1972 @icities_smarthub
LinkedIn: Beto Marcelino