“We want to educate civic entrepreneurs,” says the founder of the RenovaBR School of Politics.

One of the main problems in Brazilian politics is the lack of renewal of the political class. Common criticism: They are always the same. And, even worse, some of them are not very interested in real actions for the development of Brazil.

Eduardo Mufarei was 42 when he took what he called “civil sabbatical” to help update national policies. Partnering with one of the most prominent fund managers in the country, Tarpon, and the president of Abril Educação (now part of Cogna), Mufarey created Renova BR in 2017, an idea that seems obvious today, but one of the biggest innovations in recent Brazilian politics.

Renova is a school for training and supporting young political leaders or, as Mufarey prefers to say, “civic entrepreneurs”.

The initiative is non-partisan and is not aimed at educating politicians on the left or right ideology. In a short time, the school helped elect 17 politicians in the 2018 elections, including federal MPs Tabatu Amaral (PDT-SP) and Vinicius Poit (Novo-SP). In the 2020 municipal elections, 153 people were elected, including 12 mayors in 123 cities.

“Renova is working to improve the dynamics of the political game. He works to offer good people who are committed to good politics the opportunity to join the game. We act to break the vicious circle of clientelism and hidden exchanges and support the development of qualified candidates, ”writes Mufarei in the recently released book The Incredible Jornada – The Story of RenovaBR (História Real), in which he talks about his personal and personal qualities. this led to the creation of the “school of politics” and the first years of activity.

In an interview with InfoMoneyMufarey spoke briefly about the history of Renova and its newest venture, the Good Karma Ventures manager who will invest in education, healthcare and waste management.

You have built a successful career leading companies such as Tarpon and Somos Educação. Why did you decide to leave to found RenovaBR?

As I tell in the book, I wanted to climb my “second mountain”. The First Mountain was the first journey to create a family and make a mark on a successful business. I was 42 years old when I decided to close the professional cycle and look for a new cycle. And I felt that I should be more involved in the goal, that is, to cooperate with the team. It was a deliberate choice.

Why a school for young politicians?

The choice was made on the basis of checking the leadership deficit that exists in the country, mainly in the public sphere. I saw that there are many potential leaders who want to participate in politics, but do not know how to do it, or cannot. They need an inductor. ABOUT

Renova was created to act as a partner for these people. We are looking for civilian entrepreneurs. Just as we have entrepreneurs in the private sector innovating and new methods, we want to create entrepreneurs in the public sector. Renova encourages and trains these civic entrepreneurs. Vinicius Pua and Felipe Rigoni (federal deputies who passed through Renova) can create start-ups, but are taking active steps in public life.

What were the main problems in those early years?

The first challenge was to show that our program is effective – that it can identify, select and prepare people to be citizen entrepreneurs, and that they can enter social life. The second was to prepare the selected entrepreneurs to do their best. And I would say that at the moment Renova’s biggest challenge is the challenge for Brazil: to help people understand in this scenario of pandemic and polarization, which policy should be more qualified and that there should be no place for adventurers. This is what we are trying to support.

Renova trains leaders from all sides: left, center and right. How can we do this in a highly polarized scenario where debate often turns into superficial radicalism?

The main task is to be able to structure the dialogue. It encourages people to listen and be heard. This is a very important question. People are inside their bubbles and there is no dialogue. We need to restore the ability to dialogue. Renova suggests increasing the number of good people in politics. These people, if elected, will live together, even if they have different ideas. And they will need to find solutions and engage in dialogue with various political groups. For this reason, Renova ultimately becomes a test ball for electoral politics.

How are the youth prepared?

There are two points. The first is when a student accepts Renova before the elections. At this stage, training is divided into three blocks.

In the first, we convey individual tools such as leadership, empathy and the ability to cope with difficulties. In the second, we discuss major development issues at the national or municipal level. We show, for example, the competence of the Chamber of Deputies or the City Council. It is important to note that many people run without knowing what a federal deputy is capable of. It is not without reason that we see so many unconstitutional projects. And the third is preparing them to prepare themselves as competitive candidates when they study, for example, political marketing.

The second moment comes after the elections. After the election, the questions change. We run strategic planning sessions to fulfill their mandate so that they arrive better prepared and can perform better. In general, the level of unpreparedness is quite high. And politics eventually becomes a land of adventurers, many people who don’t know why they are there.

What qualities should a politician have, left or right?

It depends on whether it is for the executive or the legislature. The ideal profile for a seat in the Legislature is a politician who is able to negotiate and win people over to his side. The federal deputy has 512 interlocutors. Executive, on the other hand, requires skills in leadership, decision-making, mobilization, and team building.

What will be Renova’s contribution to the next elections?

We have an open selection process and look forward to the next biennium. We had 12 thousand subscribers to Renov Day. We are in an interesting place to expand the program, looking at the 2022 elections. And work continues with elected officials.

Next year’s presidential elections are moving closer to polarization between Lula and Bolsonaro. What do you think about this trend?

I think it’s too early to talk about it. We are in the midst of a pandemic, in a difficult economic scenario. In elections, the population has no head. The priority is different.

Do you believe in the possibility of a third way?

I am convinced that there will be a third way.

Will she come to Renova?

I don’t know, but I think the society is very uneasy and is not happy with the current range of possibilities. I see that we will most likely see an alternative path.

You left the presidency of Renova and now lead Good Karma Ventures. What’s the goal now?

Brazil is an interesting place for those who like to solve problems because we have a lot of them. I think we can contribute to innovation. In a context in which the Brazilian government has economic constraints and the scale of philanthropy is limited, I think that the solution to our problems has to do with the proposals of the private sector. And Good Karma wants to facilitate these decisions.

When will you feel that Renova’s work has achieved its goal?

At first, when we see that most of the community leaders have passed our qualification programs. And finally, when we see that Renova is no longer needed and should not exist. This is a great measure of success.

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