Example: the owner of a small workwear manufacturer in Juiz de Fora, in the state of Minas Gerais, sees an ad on the social media of her state's Sebrae (Brazil's small business support agency) for a business round for women entrepreneurs. She already sells uniforms to clinics and restaurants in her neighborhood, but she has never been to a business round and has three questions: who will be on the other side of the table, whether it is worth more than an open round, and what to say when the conversation starts. If you are at that point, this guide shows where these rounds exist, how they work and how to make the most of them. To arrive with your introduction ready, build yours with the pitch generator, which gives you a 60 second version, a 30 second version and a question to open the conversation.
Know where rounds for women exist
A business round for women is almost always a themed round: the format is the same as any other business round, and what changes is who is allowed to sign up. It usually shows up inside larger programs and events rather than as a standalone meeting. In Brazil, three paths are a good place to start.
Sebrae programs
Sebrae Delas is Sebrae's program for women who run a business or want to start one, with courses, consulting and mentoring. According to Sebrae's news agency (January 2024, accessed in 2026, in Portuguese), the program has reached every Brazilian state. Each state office sets its own calendar, and business rounds are part of some of those events. At the Caravana Sebrae Delas in Campo Grande (February 2026, in Portuguese), for example, the rounds were split into multisector sessions, one international session and one session focused on startups.
Forums run by business associations
The Women Entrepreneur Forum (WE Forum) brings together organizations such as CACB, the national confederation of commercial and business associations, CNI, the national confederation of industry, and Sebrae. The 2026 edition took place in Brasília in March, according to CNA, the national confederation of agriculture (accessed in 2026, in Portuguese). At the 2024 edition, CNI and ApexBrasil, Brazil's trade and investment promotion agency, held business rounds with international women buyers (March 2024, in Portuguese) alongside the forum. It is worth following the next editions if you are thinking about selling abroad.
Export programs
ApexBrasil runs the Women and International Business program (page accessed in 2026, in Portuguese), created in 2023 for women-led companies that want to start exporting or export more. The page mentions courses, mentoring and business rounds, and explains the criteria the program uses to treat a company as women-led.
These paths are not the whole list. The guide on where to find business rounds shows how to follow the calendars of the organizations in your region, and the same method works for finding themed rounds.
Understand how they work
On the inside, a themed round follows the same logic as any other. You sign up, describe what you sell and what you are looking for, the organizers bring companies with a shared interest together in short conversations, and on the day each conversation has a set time to start and to end. The full step by step, from sign-up to the message you send the next day, is in the guide on how to take part in a business round.
Three differences come up often in rounds for women.
- Entry criteria: some ask that the company be led by a woman, with their own rules about partners and roles. Read the rules before you sign up.
- A fuller program: the round often shares the day with talks, workshops, guidance on credit or mentoring. Block the round's time slot on your calendar so you do not lose it between one activity and the next.
- Your side of the table: in some, participants sell to invited buyers; in others, everyone buys from and sells to each other. Find out beforehand which side you will be on.
Choose between a themed round and an open round
Being a woman entrepreneur does not mean you have to attend only women-only rounds. The choice depends on what you sell and who you need to meet. Think of a human resources consultant who serves manufacturers: she may find more buyers at a sector round run by the state industry federation than at a themed event. On the other hand, the owner of a cosmetics brand who wants to export may find, in a program like ApexBrasil's, buyers and training in the same place.
| Point | Themed round for women | Open round |
|---|---|---|
| Who is on the other side | Women-led companies and, sometimes, invited buyers | Companies of any profile looking for what you offer |
| What comes with it | Usually training, mentoring or guidance on credit at the same event | Usually just the conversations |
| When it makes more sense | When your customer, partner or supplier is in that audience, or when you also want the support network | When your customers are spread across sectors and cities |
| Where it shows up | Sebrae programs, business association forums and export programs | Organizations in your region, trade fairs and online calendars |
The open rounds on RodadaDeNegocios.org are open to companies from any city in Brazil, with no filter based on who leads the business. There, what decides who you talk to is what you offer and what you are looking for: the platform suggests conversations with people looking for what you sell, without repeating a conversation. Nothing stops you from alternating between both formats over the year.
Prepare for the round
Preparation is the same as for any business round, and it is what separates an afternoon of loose chats from an afternoon with next steps on the calendar.
Write a specific profile
Say who you serve and what problem you solve, in the words your customer would use. "Made to measure workwear for clinics and restaurants" helps the organizers and the other participants far more than "fashion and apparel". In the field for what you are looking for, describe the customer, partner or supplier who would make a difference right now.
Practice your short introduction
Each conversation is short, and the first moments count. Bring an introduction that says who you are, who you sell to and why someone would choose your company. The guide to the 60 second sales pitch gives you a template and examples to adapt. If talking to strangers makes you freeze, the article on fear of public speaking in business meetings shows how to rehearse until the words come out naturally.
Bring your questions ready
At many in-person rounds, the organizers send the list of participants or the schedule in advance; if it arrives, look at each company's website and social media. At the online rounds on RodadaDeNegocios.org there is no list beforehand: pairs are formed on the spot, among those present, and each conversation opens with the person's name, the company, what they are looking for and the reason for the match. Read that card in the first few seconds and start the conversation from it. In any format, bring two or three questions about the customer's problem. A good question gets the other person talking about their problem, and that is where a possible deal shows up. Research calmly, afterwards, the people who marked interest.
Make the most of the round and what comes after
On the day, arrive before the first slot and stay until the end: the last conversations are worth as much as the first ones. In each one, listen more than you talk and, before wrapping up, agree on the next step, whether it is a visit, a quote or a sample. Write it down right away, while the conversation is still fresh.
At themed rounds, the network that forms is worth more than the round's conversations alone. Other participants can become suppliers, sales partners or a source of customer referrals. Exchange contact details during the breaks too, with the same clarity you bring to each conversation.
Afterwards, send your follow-up message the same day or the next, reminding the other person of what you agreed. To find out whether your contact routine is paying off, take the networking diagnostic: in two minutes and with no sign-up, it shows where your customers come from today, the point that most needs attention and a plan of actions for the following weeks.
Lean on support networks
A business round is one day. A support network is what keeps the momentum going between one round and the next, with shared experience, referrals and training.
- Programs run by organizations: Sebrae Delas, at the Sebrae office in your state, brings together courses, consulting and mentoring for women who run a business.
- Networks of women entrepreneurs: Rede Mulher Empreendedora, a Brazilian network of women entrepreneurs (site accessed in 2026, in Portuguese), offers courses, mentoring, a community and events.
- Associations in your city: ask your local commercial association or CDL (the shopkeepers' association) whether there is a women business owners' group or council, and when it meets.
- Networking groups: business clubs with regular meetings help you generate referrals. The guide to business networking groups shows how to choose one.
To see how these pieces fit into a strategy for business relationships, read the guide to business networking. If you belong to a group of women entrepreneurs that wants to run its own online round, the page for organizers shows how an organization can hold rounds under its own name and brand.
Where to start
Pick a round in the coming weeks, themed or open, depending on where your customer is. Review your profile, rehearse your pitch and set aside two or three questions to open your conversations. In the meantime, join a support network that fits the stage your business is at.
Your company's first online business round is on us: all you need is an active Brazilian CNPJ (the Brazilian company registration number), once per CNPJ, and contact details are only shared when both sides mark interest. See the upcoming business rounds and choose one where your customer is looking for what you sell.