Haroldo Jacobovicz: Connecting Engineering Principles with Business Innovation

The relationship
between technical training and business innovation represents a fascinating
area of study for entrepreneurship researchers. The career of Brazilian technology
entrepreneur Haroldo Jacobovicz
provides a compelling case study of how engineering principles can translate
into successful business development across multiple sectors and technological
generations.

Engineering
Education as Foundation

Haroldo Jacobovicz’s
formal education included seven years at Military College followed by civil
engineering studies at the Federal University of Paraná. This technical
training, while focused on traditional civil construction rather than information technology,
nonetheless provided analytical frameworks and problem-solving approaches that
would prove valuable throughout his subsequent career.

The engineering mindset—systematically
identifying problems, developing structured solutions, and implementing
methodical improvements—became a foundation for Jacobovicz’s business
innovation rather than limiting him to a specific technical domain.
This translation of engineering principles across different application areas
demonstrates the transferability of fundamental technical thinking.

Family
Engineering Heritage

Born as the eldest of
four siblings, Haroldo Jacobovicz came from a family with strong engineering
traditions. His father Alfredo worked as both a civil engineer and university
professor, while his mother Sarita distinguished herself as the seventh female
civil engineer in Paraná state. This background provided not only academic
knowledge but also lived examples of engineering application.

The professional
models provided by his parents likely contributed to Jacobovicz’s capacity to
connect technical understanding with practical implementation. His mother’s
pioneering role as a female engineer in a traditionally male-dominated field
may have particularly demonstrated how technical expertise could be applied in
unconventional contexts—a pattern that would characterize Jacobovicz’s own
career.

Systematic Problem
Identification

A core engineering
principle involves carefully identifying problems before developing solutions.
Throughout his career, Haroldo Jacobovicz has demonstrated this systematic
approach to market opportunities. During his time at the Itaipu Hydroelectric
Plant, he observed “the difficulty in adopting computers given the
bureaucracy involved in immobilizing permanent assets”—a precise diagnosis
of institutional constraints affecting technology
implementation.

This specific problem
identification led directly to his later business innovation with Minauro,
offering “four-year contracts with machine replacement
every 18 months, including maintenance” to public agencies. By
systematically analyzing the bureaucratic barriers to technology adoption
rather than merely noting general computerization needs, Jacobovicz developed a
targeted solution with clear market fit.

Structured
Solution Development

Engineering training
emphasizes structured approaches to solution development—principles evident in
Haroldo Jacobovicz’s business innovations. When establishing Horizons Telecom
in 2010, he built the company “from scratch using the best technical,
human and strategic resources available”—a methodical construction process
resembling engineering project development.

The original project
benefited from collaboration with electrical engineer Renato Guerreiro, the
first president of Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel),
bringing complementary technical expertise to the founding team. This
structured approach to assembling necessary capabilities reflects engineering
project management principles applied to business development.

Integration of
Components into Systems

Engineers learn to
understand how components interact within larger systems—a perspective evident
in Haroldo Jacobovicz’s business development approach. Through strategic
acquisitions of software companies including Consult, Perform, and Sisteplan,
he expanded his technology offerings beyond hardware to create integrated
solutions addressing multiple aspects of organizational needs.

The resulting
e-Governe Group provided comprehensive systems incorporating “tax,
financial, administrative, health and education management software”
alongside technology infrastructure. This integration of diverse components
into coherent operational systems demonstrates classic engineering systems
thinking applied to business structure development.

Efficiency
Optimization

Engineering
disciplines emphasize optimizing resource utilization and operational
efficiency—principles reflected in Haroldo Jacobovicz’s recent ventures. His
current company, Arlequim Technologies founded in 2021, focuses on computer
virtualization to improve “the computing performance of previously limited
equipment” without requiring new hardware purchases.

This approach to
maximizing existing resource capabilities while reducing unnecessary
replacement represents efficiency optimization consistent with engineering
resource management principles. The emphasis on providing “the best
cost-benefit” further demonstrates the application of engineering
efficiency metrics to business value propositions.

Adaptability to
Changing Conditions

While engineering
requires precision, it also teaches adaptability to changing conditions based
on observed outcomes. Haroldo Jacobovicz has demonstrated this flexible
response throughout his career. When his first venture Microsystem closed after
two years because “that market was not yet ready for
computerization,” he recalibrated his approach rather than persisting with
technically sound solutions that lacked market acceptance.

This willingness to
adjust based on observed results while maintaining fundamental objectives
exemplifies engineering problem-solving applied to entrepreneurial development.
By treating business challenges as technical problems requiring systematic
analysis and adaptive response, Jacobovicz has navigated changing market
conditions across multiple decades.

Engineering
Thinking in Business Contexts

Throughout his various
ventures spanning from the 1980s to the present day, Haroldo Jacobovicz has
demonstrated how engineering thinking can translate effectively into business
innovation. His capacity to systematically
identify problems, develop structured solutions, integrate diverse
components, optimize efficiency, and adapt to changing conditions illustrates
the valuable intersection between technical training and entrepreneurial
application.

For current technology
entrepreneurs, particularly those with engineering backgrounds, Jacobovicz’s
career offers valuable insights into leveraging technical mindsets beyond
specific domain applications. His experience suggests that fundamental
engineering principles can provide robust frameworks for business innovation
across various sectors and technological generations when applied with
attention to specific market conditions.