Grownt Academy · International portfolio

Four formats. One requirement.

From the two-day national circle to a closed board engagement, every Grownt Academy program ends the same way: with an action plan that has an owner, a deadline and a budget.

The four programs

Working room with round tables set up for executives
01

AI Executive Circle

National immersion · 2 days
2 days40 leadersOne mentor per tableC-level, innovation directors and owners
Dates to be announced
Investment on request

The core of Grownt Academy. Forty leaders, a closed room, one mentor per table. Two days to move artificial intelligence off the committee agenda and into a decision with an owner, a deadline and a budget.

What you take with you

  • An AI maturity diagnosis of your operation
  • A use-case map prioritised by return and effort
  • An individual action plan reviewed by a mentor before you leave the room
  • A reading of the funding path that applies to your case
San Francisco Bay and Silicon Valley at dusk
02

Frontier Immersion · Silicon Valley

International immersion · 5 days
5 daysSan Francisco and Silicon ValleySmall groupDaily translation session
Dates to be announced
Investment on request

A week inside the system that produces the frontier: AI companies, funds, labs and operators. This is not a sightseeing route. It is a working agenda, and every day ends with a session translating what you saw into your own business.

What you take with you

  • A curated agenda of companies, funds and operators, not auditoriums
  • A daily session translating the content into your P&L
  • An innovation thesis ready to take to your board
  • A map of qualified partners, vendors and targets

Who you will meet

Some confirmed names. More will be announced per cohort.

Michelle Lane Messina

Michelle Lane Messina

CEO, Explora International

Silicon Valley based advisor to CEOs, founders, governments and universities in more than 65 countries. Co-author of the bestseller Decoding Silicon Valley: The Insider's Guide and entrepreneurship lecturer at ISM University in Lithuania.

Michelle on LinkedIn

Darlene Damm

Darlene Damm

Lecturer, Santa Clara University · Singularity

Co-founded two of the first impact technology companies, in aerospace and drone transport. Former Faculty Chair and Vice President of Community and Impact at Singularity University. Stanford graduate with a master's from Johns Hopkins SAIS.

Darlene on LinkedIn

Sally Dominguez

Sally Dominguez

Founder, XPollinate AI

Award winning Australian inventor, futurist and Singularity University faculty member. Creator of Adventurous Thinking, taught at Stanford and used by NASA and Sony. Helps companies strengthen human creativity in the age of artificial intelligence.

Sally on LinkedIn

Joana Carrasqueira

Joana Carrasqueira

Head of Developer Relations, Google DeepMind

Leads developer relations at Google DeepMind, covering Gemini, Gemma and Google AI Studio. A pharmacist by training with an MBA from IE Business School, she worked with governments in 47 countries before joining Google.

Joana on LinkedIn

Lucas Estevão de Souza

Lucas Estevão de Souza

Engineering Manager, Apple (via Avenue Code)

More than 17 years in technology, seven of them at Apple, leading engineering teams in Cupertino. Born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, he has given more than 60 talks and mentored over 100 professionals into international careers.

Lucas on LinkedIn

Shanghai skyline at night with robotic manufacturing arms
03

Frontier Immersion · China

International immersion · 5 days
5 daysShanghai, Hangzhou and ShenzhenSmall groupDaily translation session
Dates to be announced
Investment on request
Agenda subject to confirmation

Five days inside the country that turned industrial scale into a technology advantage. Smart manufacturing in Shanghai, artificial intelligence and robotics in Hangzhou, hardware and electric mobility in Shenzhen. It is a working agenda with the universities, labs and companies that set the pace of the sector, and every day ends with a session translating what you saw into your own business.

What you take with you

  • Three online sessions before departure to map your case and understand the organisations you will meet
  • A curated agenda of universities, labs and companies, not auditoriums
  • A daily session translating the content into your P&L
  • An individual action plan and a benchmarking report with cooperation opportunities

Optional extension to the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, under an hour from Shenzhen.

Boardroom with a long table and a night view of the city
04

Board & In-Company

Closed program · Tailored
Tailored formatIn person or hybridBrazil, Portugal, Colombia and the USContractual confidentiality
Dates to be announced
Investment on request

The same method, designed for a board, an executive committee or a leadership team. The content is built on your industry, your numbers and the decisions that have been stuck for too long.

What you take with you

  • A prior diagnosis based on leadership interviews
  • A program designed around your pending decisions
  • An action plan per area, with an owner and a deadline
  • Execution follow-up, available under a separate engagement

Calendar and investment

Cohorts open by invitation and by application, in limited numbers. Dates, cities and investment for each program are confirmed each cycle.

Straight answers

What people ask before applying

What language are the programs run in?

Portuguese or English, depending on the cohort. In international immersions, sessions with companies and funds are in English, with translation support when needed, and Grownt's working sessions run in the cohort's language.

Who can take part?

C-level executives, directors, board members, partners and owners. There is curation: the cohort is selected, among other reasons, to avoid direct competitors in the same room and to keep the level of conversation high.

Does the investment include flights and accommodation?

No. The investment covers the program, materials, agenda, mentors and working sessions. Flights and accommodation are the participant's responsibility, with a recommended hotel at a negotiated rate.

Can my company use tax incentives to pay for the program?

It depends on the specific case. When the program forms part of an eligible research, development or innovation project, there are mechanisms that apply. Grownt provides that preliminary reading before enrolment, at no cost.

Is the invoice issued in Brazil or in the United States?

International programs can be invoiced from Brazil or from the United States, whichever suits you better. Grownt Global LLC invoices in US dollars out of Florida and the Brazilian operation invoices in reais. We settle this in the conversation before enrolment, according to your structure.

How does enrolment work?

You submit an application through the site, we have a twenty-minute conversation to understand your context and confirm fit, and only then is your place confirmed. Small cohorts require that filter.

The next cohort is small by design

If you are accountable for an innovation decision that has stalled, start with the application. The twenty-minute conversation is free and exists so both sides can decide whether it makes sense.