Haroldo Jacobovicz: Identifying Market Gaps and Creating Targeted Solutions
Successful
entrepreneurship often involves recognizing specific market needs that existing
providers fail to address adequately. Throughout his career spanning multiple
decades and technology generations, Brazilian
entrepreneur Haroldo Jacobovicz has demonstrated remarkable capacity for
identifying such market gaps and developing precisely targeted solutions that
create distinct value propositions.
Early Market
Assessment
Even before completing
his civil engineering studies at the Federal University of Paraná, Haroldo
Jacobovicz displayed natural market assessment capabilities. His first venture,
Microsystem, identified efficiency opportunities that computerization could
bring to small retail operations through “automating inventory control
and cash registers” for stores, pharmacies, and supermarkets in the 1980s.
Though this early
initiative closed after two years because “that market was not yet ready
for computerization,” it demonstrated Jacobovicz’s fundamental approach to
opportunity identification: recognizing specific operational challenges that technological
solutions could address rather than simply promoting technology for its own
sake.
Learning from
Market Response
When his initial
venture proved premature for its target market, Haroldo Jacobovicz did not
abandon his technological focus but instead recalibrated his approach based on
market learning. He recognized that larger organizations might demonstrate
greater readiness for computerization than small retailers, leading him to join
Esso (now Exxon Mobil) where he gained exposure to corporate technology
applications.
Later, at the Itaipu
Hydroelectric Plant, Jacobovicz observed specific institutional barriers
affecting technology implementation in public sector contexts. He noted
“the difficulty in adopting computers given the bureaucracy involved in
immobilizing permanent assets”—identifying a precise operational
constraint that limited technological
advancement within governmental organizations.
Developing a
Targeted Solution
When Haroldo
Jacobovicz returned to entrepreneurship in the 1990s, he established Minauro
with a business model specifically designed to address the market gap he had
identified during his public sector experience. The company offered
“four-year contracts with machine replacement every 18 months, including
maintenance” to governmental agencies.
This solution
precisely targeted the institutional barrier Jacobovicz had observed: by
structuring technology provision as a service rather than capital acquisition,
Minauro circumvented the bureaucratic procedures that complicated equipment
purchases within public organizations. The company created a distinct value
proposition by aligning its offering with specific operational constraints
rather than merely providing generic technology products.
Market
Validation Through Public Sector Response
The effectiveness of
this targeted approach was validated through market response, with Minauro
winning “several bids in the South and Southeast of the country.”
Public agencies recognized the solution’s value specifically because it
addressed their particular implementation challenges rather than requiring institutional adaptation
to standardized technology offerings.
This success
demonstrated Jacobovicz’s capacity to translate market observations into viable
business models addressing specific operational needs. Rather than attempting
to change established institutional processes, he developed solutions that
accommodated existing constraints while enabling technological advancement.
Expanding
Beyond Hardware to Software
As computerization
became more established in Brazilian institutions, Haroldo Jacobovicz
identified another market gap: the need for specialized software solutions
addressing specific administrative requirements of public organizations.
Through strategic
acquisitions of companies including Consult, Perform, and Sisteplan, he
expanded his business offerings to incorporate “tax, financial,
administrative, health and education management software.”
This expansion
reflected recognition that comprehensive public sector technology solutions
required specialized applications beyond generic business software. By
acquiring capabilities in public administration software, Jacobovicz addressed
another specific market gap: the need for applications designed for governmental
processes rather than commercial operations.
Telecommunications
Market Positioning
When Haroldo
Jacobovicz founded Horizons Telecom in 2010, he again demonstrated targeted
market positioning by focusing specifically on “the corporate market”
rather than pursuing broader
telecommunications services. This decision reflected recognition of a
particular market gap: the need for dedicated telecommunications infrastructure
addressing specific business requirements beyond mass-market connectivity
offerings.
By developing specialized
capabilities aligned with corporate telecommunications needs, Horizons Telecom
established itself as “a reference in the corporate niche” within a
decade. This successful market establishment validated Jacobovicz’s
identification of a specific segment where existing providers failed to fully
address particular client requirements.
Current Market
Gap Identification
Haroldo Jacobovicz’s
most recent venture, Arlequim Technologies founded in 2021, addresses another
identified market gap: the need for performance enhancement solutions that
don’t require hardware replacement. The company focuses on computer
virtualization to improve “the computing performance of previously limited
equipment” across various market segments.
This approach targets specific
constraints affecting technology users: budget limitations, procurement
delays, and sustainability concerns that complicate equipment replacement
cycles. By enabling performance improvements through virtualization rather than
hardware replacement, Arlequim offers a targeted solution for organizations
seeking to maintain technological capability despite these constraints.
Pattern of
Market Gap Focus
Throughout these
various ventures spanning multiple decades and technology generations, Haroldo
Jacobovicz has consistently demonstrated a fundamental approach to
entrepreneurship: identifying specific operational challenges that existing
solutions fail to address adequately and developing precisely targeted
offerings that create distinct value propositions.
This pattern contrasts
with technology
entrepreneurship approaches that focus primarily on technical capabilities
without detailed attention to specific market implementation challenges.
Jacobovicz’s success across different ventures suggests the effectiveness of
his market-gap identification methodology for creating sustainable business
value.
Lessons for
Technology Entrepreneurs
For current technology
entrepreneurs, Haroldo Jacobovicz’s approach offers valuable insights regarding
opportunity identification. Rather than focusing exclusively on technological
possibilities, his experience demonstrates the importance of understanding specific
operational constraints that limit technology implementation within particular
organizational contexts.
By identifying
precisely where existing solutions fail to address these implementation
challenges and developing targeted offerings that accommodate operational
realities, entrepreneurs can create distinct value propositions that resonate
with specific market segments. This focused approach may prove more effective
than attempting to promote generic technology solutions without detailed
attention to particular implementation requirements.
