Whoever has been to Santa Rita do Sapucaí, in the south of Brazil’s Minas Gerais, knows that the city breathes technology and innovation. That’s where HackTown happens — one of the most creative and inspiring festivals in Brazil, turning the entire city into a living ecosystem of ideas, technology, and collaboration.
🌐 A tech ecosystem that inspires
Santa Rita is home to Inatel, a national reference in research and development for telecommunications — where Brazil’s first 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G network tests took place. The city also has a state technical school that nurtures new talents and drives the local innovation scene.
During HackTown, every space — from schools to cafés — becomes a stage for creativity, filled with talks, workshops, and hands-on sessions. It was in this environ…
Whoever has been to Santa Rita do Sapucaí, in the south of Brazil’s Minas Gerais, knows that the city breathes technology and innovation. That’s where HackTown happens — one of the most creative and inspiring festivals in Brazil, turning the entire city into a living ecosystem of ideas, technology, and collaboration.
🌐 A tech ecosystem that inspires
Santa Rita is home to Inatel, a national reference in research and development for telecommunications — where Brazil’s first 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G network tests took place. The city also has a state technical school that nurtures new talents and drives the local innovation scene.
During HackTown, every space — from schools to cafés — becomes a stage for creativity, filled with talks, workshops, and hands-on sessions. It was in this environment that I experienced one of the highlights of my year.
🎮 A new lab for future developers
At the Technical School, we celebrated the opening of a new game lab, fully renovated with support from AWS and the AWS User Communities. Equipped with modern computers, gamer chairs, and top-tier infrastructure, the lab now serves not only event participants but also students year-round.
It’s the kind of project that goes beyond technology — it’s about impacting lives and building the next generation of creators.
🧑💻 Vibe Coding Dojo: collaboration through creativity and code
On Sunday morning, I had the honor of leading a Vibe Coding Dojo session inside this new lab. Nearly 50 participants filled the room with energy and curiosity.
Before coding, I explained what Vibe Coding and a Dojo are, then ran a short live demo using the Amazon Q Developer CLI — an incredible tool that helps developers generate, build, and deploy applications faster with AI assistance.
To start, I created a fun cat emoji memory game 🐱, demonstrating how easy it is to generate a full app directly from the terminal. Simple, practical, and magical — that’s the power of AI-assisted coding.
🧩 From idea to code: when learning becomes inspiration
After the demo, the group voted to build a matching platform connecting professionals and companies — a “Tinder for jobs,” as we joked. The collaboration was amazing: everyone contributed, from the shyest to the most experienced developers.
But the best moment came at the end: Ana, one of the participants, approached me with a big smile to show what she had built on her own — a vaccination reminder platform prototype, created right there during the session using the Amazon Q Developer CLI. Even though she was transitioning into tech, she managed to bring her idea to life, and later wrote an article about the experience. ✨
💬 Final thoughts
Seeing people get inspired, learn, and create together is what drives me the most. HackTown is all about that: technology with purpose, collaboration with meaning, and innovation that starts with people.
I left Santa Rita with my heart full — and a renewed belief that the future of Brazilian tech is in great hands. 💪