Discover the invisible science behind everyday products

A survey presented at the Deep Tech Summit 2025 shows that Latin America already has more than 1,400 deep tech startups, that is, businesses born directly from scientific discoveries, 72.3% of which are concentrated in Brazil. Most of these companies operate exactly where the consumer least expects them: inside a cream, a tissue or a package, without anyone noticing the research behind the product. It is this phenomenon that Betina Zanetti, Vice President of Relationships at Acate, explains based on her own trajectory. A pharmacist graduated from UFSC, with a doctorate from the same university and from the Université Bordeaux, in France, and a post-doctorate in nanosafety, she left her academic career in 2008 to found, alongside her husband Ricardo Ramos, Nanovetores. Today, the company is one of the best-known companies in Santa Catarina in asset encapsulation technology. "Science is present in every moment of our day. When a person uses a sunscreen, a moisturizer, a shampoo, a food with greater stability, a medicine, a smartphone or even a fabric with special properties, there is a lot of research and development behind these products. In Santa Catarina this is even more evident: the state has one of the most developed innovation ecosystems in Brazil, bringing together universities, research centers and highly technological companies", says Betina Zanetti. According to her, at Nanovetores, encapsulation systems were developed capable of protecting sensitive active ingredients, controlling their release into the skin and increasing effectiveness. As a result, creams can be more effective and it is possible to reduce gray hair naturally and technologically. A company from Santa Catarina with a global partner The trajectory of Nanovetores itself illustrates Betina’s argument. Incubated at Sapiens Parque, in Florianópolis, the company grew from technology developed during the founder's doctorate and today exports to 46 countries, on five continents. In 2022, the company became a partner in Givaudan, a Swiss multinational global leader in fragrances and cosmetic ingredients, which acquired 48% of the business to expand the active beauty area. For Betina, this competence is not exclusive to Santa Catarina: Brazil has already developed internationally recognized technologies in areas such as asset encapsulation, currently present in products sold on different continents. "Brazil has much more relevant scientific production than normally imagined. We have important advances in agriculture, vaccines, biotechnology, new materials, bio-inputs and nanotechnology. In the area in which we operate, Brazil has developed internationally recognized skills in encapsulating natural and synthetic active ingredients. Today the technologies we developed are present in cosmetics sold on different continents, increasing the stability of vitamins, antioxidants, fragrances and other active ingredients", says Betina. Nanotechnology is one of the pillars of this work, according to Betina, because it allows controlling materials on extremely small scales, which increases the performance of products that are already part of people's routine. Why science still seems distant from the population Despite these advances, Betina recognizes that there is a distance between what is produced in laboratories and companies in Santa Catarina and what the population understands about science. According to her, science is often communicated in technical language, aimed at researchers, while people have difficulty understanding how discoveries change lives. "We need to bring these two worlds together: research only reaches its true potential when it reaches society through products, services and concrete solutions. Scientific-based companies, called deeptechs, play a fundamental role in this process, as they transform scientific knowledge into applied innovation," says Betina. The deeptech movement mentioned by Betina already appears in national data. One of the initiatives is Sebrae's Catalisa ICT program, which accelerated 150 of these companies in the first cycle and today supports another 316 innovation plans to transform into formal businesses. How to attract more young people to science Betina also sees the training of new talents as one of the sector's main challenges, and advocates that young people understand science beyond academic laboratories. This path was even noticed by the professional herself, when she chose to exchange her career as a researcher for that of an entrepreneur. "The first step is to show that science does not just happen within university laboratories: it is present in companies, startups, industries and in the real challenges of society. Young people need to see that it is possible to build an international career by developing research and technology in Brazil", he concludes. To follow all the articles in the Riches of Innovation series, access the project channel on g1.