Software em revolução: como a IA está redesenhando o SaaS e o papel da FINEP

During the ABES Summit 2025, panelists gathered to discuss the impacts of artificial intelligence on the software industry, with a highlight on the panel “The Post-AI Software Industry: Goodbye to SaaS as We Know It?The discussion revealed a scenario of profound transition, where AI not only transforms products, but redefines business models, value metrics, and growth strategies.

Paradigm shift

Lauro De Lauro, deputy director of ABES and moderator of the panel, opened the proceedings by emphasizing that "the arrival of AI disrupts the software world, bringing new skills and challenges." Transformation is inevitable, and understanding this new logic is essential for those who want to ride the next wave of innovation.

Laura Constantini, founder of Nido, emphasized that we are facing a new phase, marked by more verticalized and in-depth solutions. "The speed of change can make even companies with a solid customer and data base obsolete. This is a time of great opportunities, but also of reconfiguration," she warned.

FINEP as a catalyst for transformation

FINEP's participation was one of the panel's highlights. Luiz Sergio Leonel Utino, the institution's ICT manager, provided a strategic perspective on the role of AI in delivering software value. "Previously, software depended on humans to interpret and act. Now, autonomous agents are taking on this role. Orchestrating these intelligences will be the new challenge—and that's where FINEP's support could be a promising path," he stated.

Utino believes that the SaaS model won't be replaced, but rather enhanced by AI. The coexistence of models will be inevitable, as was the case with previous technologies. He highlighted that FINEP is experiencing a positive moment regarding the availability of resources via the FDCT, especially within the Nova Indústria Brasil initiative—an industrial policy whose mission is the digital transformation of companies and support for emerging technologies such as AI.

In his speech, Utino made a direct call to entrepreneurs: "If you're seeing this transformation unfold, if you want to develop a project with technological risk, reach out to FINEP. We want to support this type of project. Don't just shoulder the risk; share it with FINEP."

Investors paying attention to scalability

Pedro Carneiro, COO of ACE Ventures, offered an investor perspective, highlighting that AI accelerates business scalability. "We're seeing companies reach $100 million in revenue in less than a year. Those who don't scale quickly will be pushed down," he warned, noting that the "middle of the industry"—where assets that haven't become unicorns are located—will be the most pressured.

The panel made it clear that the software industry is undergoing a complete transformation. AI redefines fundamentals and demands new ways of thinking about value, product, and growth. With institutional support like FINEP and an industrial policy focused on innovation, Brazil has the opportunity to play a significant role in this new digital era.

About ABES SUMMIT

The 15th edition of ABES SUMMIT, held in October 8th at the JW Marriott, in São Paulo, had as its central theme “Digital Frontiers – Geopolitics, Technology and Sustainability”. The event promoted a day of immersion for CEOs, leaders and government representatives, aiming to highlight the power of technology to accelerate business and economic transformation. In a scenario of global recalibration where technology and geopolitics intertwine, the ABES SUMMIT discussed practical strategies to address challenges such as the dominance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Agentic AI, a cybersecurity global, regulation and public policies, and the qualification of workforce. The focus was on the strategic role of Brazil, which can establish itself as a global protagonist in energy transition, in the preservation of biodiversity and digital advancement, due to its clean matrix and innovation ecosystem. The ABES SUMMIT 2025 featured free online broadcast it's the BMV seal, offsetting 100% of environmental impacts.