CONFIRMADA: four Brazilian women entrepreneurs compete on Monday, October 26, 2026, in Doha, Qatar, in the 9th edition of the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Women in Business Awards (Empretec Women in Business Awards) — Brazil is the country with the most finalists among the 12 selected worldwide, with two nominees in Technology and two in Innovation.
Who the Brazilian finalists are
In the Technology category, Paula Dalla Vecchia from Rio Grande do Sul, founder of Zeit Artificial Intelligence Solutions, was selected for portable AI-based devices that analyze, in the field and within minutes, the quality of grains, milk and crops, without chemicals and without an internet connection — a solution aimed at expanding rural producers' access to fast, accurate diagnostics.
Also in Technology, Andreyna Silva from Pernambuco, founder of the digital platform Coostura, was recognized for a model connecting freelance seamstresses to the fashion industry. Inspired by her mother's career, who worked for years without formal labor protection, she created a tool for income generation and opportunities for sewing professionals: within six months, more than 200 seamstresses from seven Brazilian states had joined the platform.
In the Innovation category, Adriana Fernandes, founder of Mátrika Special Foods, was selected for a line of foods free of gluten and the main food allergens. The initiative arose after her son was diagnosed with multiple food allergies and today supplies meals to hospitals, schools and international airlines.
Also in Innovation, Silvana Louro, founder of Equal, is recognized for promoting inclusion through fashion: the business began by developing uniforms for Paralympic athletes and evolved into garments designed simultaneously for people with and without disabilities. Today, the brand's products are sold at more than 130 points of sale in Brazil.
What the award is and when the ceremony takes place
UNCTAD's Women in Business Awards recognize women entrepreneurs from developing countries whose businesses drive sustainable and inclusive growth. The 9th edition honors four categories — Leadership, Sustainability, Innovation and Technology — and, besides the Brazilians, has finalists from Qatar, The Gambia, Ethiopia, Argentina, Uganda and Nigeria, according to UNCTAD's official list.
The awards ceremony takes place on Monday, October 26, from 10:00 to 11:00 Brasília time, during the World Investment Forum 2026, held October 25–27 in Doha. The winners will be announced during the ceremony — at the time of publication, UNCTAD had not yet disclosed the result, and this article treats the four Brazilians as finalists, not winners.
The Forum, held every two years, brings together heads of state, ministers, business leaders, investors and civil society representatives to debate sustainable development through investment, organized by UNCTAD and the State of Qatar.
Why it matters — editorial interpretation
Editorial interpretation, not an UNCTAD statement: Brazil's showing in this edition highlights two complementary fronts of applied technology beyond major software hubs — artificial intelligence taken to the field, in Zeit AI's case, and the digital platform as income infrastructure, in Coostura's case. Mátrika and Equal, meanwhile, show innovation applied to concrete, underserved needs: safe food and inclusive fashion.
The fact behind the spotlight is simple: no other country has four finalists in this edition. What today's ceremony decides is who wins the award in each category — not whether Brazil is already, on its own, the most represented country among the finalists.
Image credit: illustrative image — view from the Corniche to the Doha skyline, Qatar, on January 15, 2023, by Zairon, via Wikimedia Commons, with attribution to the author. The photo shows the forum's host city, not the awards ceremony.
Fontes: UNCTAD: Empretec Women in Business Awards 2026 (lista oficial de finalistas); World Investment Forum 2026: 9th Women in Business Awards Ceremony; Qnews: Quatro empreendedoras brasileiras são finalistas do Prêmio Mulheres nos Negócios 2026 (23/10/2026); News Veritas Brasil: Quatro brasileiras disputam prêmio internacional da ONU em 2026 (26/10/2026)
Transparency: this article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on cross-checking public social media posts and the internet sources listed below. We recommend consulting the original sources to confirm the details.
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