Founded in 2018, Elysios’s mission is to empower farmers and stakeholders in agribusiness and develop solutions to innovate the sector with accessible technologies, and by accessible it means by usability and financially. Operating all over Brazil, the agritech business is present in eighteen states, bridging the gap between old and new farm techniques for farmers and cooperatives. As a service-oriented company, Elysios also helps farm management by providing a platform that already counts three thousand farmers as users and has three hundred registered technicians who can input data, share know-how, plan activities together and monitor the ongoing crops.

The idea behind the project came from the cofounders’ need to improve their own tomato plantation. “Back in the days, we could not find any technology for greenhouse farming able to attend our needs at an accessible cost, so we spotted a good gap in the market,” says Frederico Apollo Brito, cofounder and CEO. Although the company was initiated by four cofounders, many people helped kick off the business. The cofounders welcomed the support of families and friends before moving to stock options and then started negotiating with funds. “Every step is remarkable when you start a new business,” says Frederico. Near the end of 2022, Fundo Comunità, a corporate venture capital fund held by some of Elysios's clients, invested in the company, which in 2023 expects to repeat its 2022 growth of 70 percent.

The cofounders of Elysios come from different backgrounds that span from economics to engineering and IT. What Elysios values the most is the entrepreneurial spirit, which is what characterizes the fifteen members of the team. It also values adaptability to changes in a fast-growing environment, and it looks for people who want to be partners more than staff members. For the team’s well-being, Elysios uses a hybrid working model, allowing people to work remotely or from the office while trying to come together at least once a year in team-building events. Although work-life balance may be challenging, team members are encouraged to take their time to study on their own so they can then exchange knowledge and views by applying the hybrid input-output methodology.