Alicerce

About Alicerce

Alicerce Educação operates as a social impact enterprise in Brazil, tackling the nation's significant learning deficit. Founded in 2018 by Paulo Batista, the company was born from his firsthand experience with educational inequality while volunteering as a teacher. Batista, who holds a law degree from USP and previously founded the successful e-commerce startup Dental Cremer, leveraged his business acumen to create a scalable solution for a systemic social problem. His journey from the financial market, with stints at Goldman Sachs and GP Investimentos, to disrupting the dental supply industry, provided a unique foundation for establishing an impact-driven business.

The company provides after-school tutoring and professional reskilling programs, aiming to accelerate the educational development of individuals from all age groups and social backgrounds. Its primary clients are children and young people from low-income families (classes C, D, and E), as well as adults seeking to improve their foundational skills. Alicerce's business model has evolved to include multiple revenue streams. Initially focused on a direct-to-consumer (B2C) model with affordable monthly fees for after-school programs, the company adapted during the pandemic to strengthen its business-to-business (B2B) offerings. This B2B channel provides educational services for the children of employees and communities surrounding partner companies, and professional qualification courses as part of corporate diversity and inclusion strategies. The company also partners with governments (B2G) to deliver its programs.

The core service revolves around personalized learning tracks that focus on fundamental subjects like Portuguese and mathematics, supplemented by life skills development. The methodology is designed to be highly efficient, claiming to cover a year's worth of content in just two months. Alicerce operates through a network of over 300 physical learning centers across Brazil, which serve as a safe and educational space for students outside of regular school hours—a critical service for working parents. The company has attracted significant investment to fuel its expansion, including a R$ 40 million pre-Series B round in late 2023, co-led by impact investor Rise Ventures and the founder himself. This funding supports the ambitious goal of reaching 500,000 students by 2027 and establishing Alicerce as a publicly-traded social unicorn.