Haroldo Jacobovicz: The Journey from Civil Engineering to IT Entrepreneurship

Educational Foundations

The professional path of Haroldo Jacobovicz began with structured education. After seven years at Military College, he pursued Civil Engineering at the Federal University of Paraná, completing the program in four and a half years during the early 1980s. This technical training provided the analytical thinking and problem-solving skills that would later prove valuable in his business ventures, even though his career would ultimately take him in a different direction than traditional civil construction.

Family Engineering Background

The technical inclinations of Haroldo Jacobovicz were likely influenced by his family environment. As the eldest of four siblings, he grew up in a household where engineering was prominent. His father, Alfredo, worked as both a civil engineer and a university professor, while his mother, Sarita, had broken barriers as the seventh female civil engineer in Paraná. Despite these strong connections to conventional engineering, Jacobovicz found himself drawn to the emerging possibilities of Information Technology.

Early Vision of Technology’s Potential

While still a university student, Haroldo Jacobovicz recognized the transformative potential of computer technology for business operations. This insight led him to gather three friends with computer skills to establish Microsystem before he even completed his degree. Their company aimed to revolutionize how stores, pharmacies, and supermarkets managed inventory and cash registers through automation. Though this venture closed after two years because the market wasn’t yet ready for such technological integration, it demonstrated Jacobovicz’s forward-thinking approach.

Corporate Experience Building

Following this initial entrepreneurial effort, Haroldo Jacobovicz joined Esso (now Exxon Mobil Corporation). Selected from among more than 200 engineers, he quickly demonstrated his capabilities, advancing from reserve salesman to market analyst for the South region, eventually reaching a position handling commercial tactics and new business at the Brazilian headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. His work there heavily utilized computer-processed data, further deepening his appreciation for information technology’s business applications.

Public Sector Insights

Economic pressures during the Cruzado Plan period, combined with family considerations, eventually prompted Haroldo Jacobovicz to leave Esso and return to Paraná. There, he joined the prestigious Itaipu Hydroelectric Plant project as an advisor to the Technical Director. This role provided unique perspectives on how the public sector approached computerization, including the bureaucratic challenges associated with adopting new technologies—insights that would later shape his business solutions.

Entrepreneurial Return with Enhanced Vision

After four years in the public sector, Haroldo Jacobovicz returned to entrepreneurship with a refined vision based on his accumulated experience. He founded Minauro, a company offering an innovative approach to public agencies: computer rental and maintenance with four-year contracts that included equipment replacement every 18 months. This solution directly addressed the bureaucratic hurdles he had observed in the public sector and proved highly successful, winning bids throughout Brazil’s South and Southeast regions.

Business Expansion Through Integration

The business intelligence of Haroldo Jacobovicz led him to expand beyond hardware. Through strategic acquisitions of companies including Consult, Perform, and Sisteplan, he incorporated specialized software for tax, financial, administrative, health, and education management. This expansion resulted in the formation of the e-Governe Group, which continues to serve Brazilian municipalities with comprehensive IT solutions for public administration.

Telecommunications Venture Creation

In 2010, seeking to address corporate market needs, Haroldo Jacobovicz founded Horizons Telecom. Built from the ground up with premium resources and based on a project originally conceived by Renato Guerreiro (the first president of Anatel), the company quickly established itself in the corporate telecommunications niche. Within a decade, it became a reference in its market segment before being acquired by a major investment group in early 2021.

Latest Technology Innovation

Following his telecommunications success, Haroldo Jacobovicz launched Arlequim Technologies in 2021. This startup focuses on computer virtualization, offering solutions that enhance the performance of existing equipment to match state-of-the-art machines. The service targets corporate, public sector, and retail markets—particularly gamers—providing cost-effective alternatives to hardware replacement.

The Continuous Drive for Improvement

Throughout his career transitions—from engineering student to early entrepreneur, from corporate executive to public sector advisor, and through multiple successful business ventures—Haroldo Jacobovicz has maintained a consistent focus on using technology to improve operations. His work continues to be driven by the desire to contribute to a better world through practical technology implementations that enhance productivity and efficiency for organizations and individuals.

The professional journey of Haroldo Jacobovicz demonstrates how an individual can successfully pivot from traditional engineering into technology entrepreneurship by identifying opportunities, building on accumulated experience, and maintaining a focus on creating solutions that address specific market needs. Connect him at professional network: https://br.linkedin.com/in/haroldo-jacobovicz

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