From integrator to entrepreneur: how to scale your company in the solar sector?

During the panel “From Integrator to Entrepreneur: how to scale your company”, held at the 5th edition of Canal Connect, professionals from different regions of the country shared their stories of overcoming challenges, learning, and transformation in the solar energy market.

The meeting highlighted the sector's growth and brought reflections on the role of the integrator who becomes an entrepreneur, demonstrating that sustainable growth depends on strategic vision, discipline, and constant reinvention.

Among the participants, entrepreneurs reported challenges and achievements that marked their trajectories — from the first small-scale projects to the consolidation of structured companies with national operations.

The stories revealed a common thread: the importance of uniting purpose and management. More than mastering the technical side, the leaders emphasized that success lies in building engaged teams, solid processes, and a culture focused on consistent results.

From civil construction to solar energy

Cássia Pinhoh, Director of Operations at Infrapartner, began her career in the shopping center construction sector, working as an operations manager.

In 2013, a resolution encouraging the replacement of conventional lighting with LEDs sparked her entrepreneurial spirit. "I thought, 'I'm going to open a company to provide this kind of service to the group I've worked for since I was 16,'" she recalled.

Cássia began her journey by replacing lighting systems, but in 2017, she realized that the LED market was beginning to saturate and decided to migrate to solar energy — a move that marked a new phase in her career.

Since then, she has expanded her operations, reaching 250 employees and executing large-scale projects, such as the one developed for Gera, a benchmark in quality. "It wasn't easy. I always wanted to be involved in everything—from management to innovation—looking for ways to grow and engage people," she said.

Management and positioning: the rise of Azzon Energia

Lucas Fernandes, LATAM sales manager at Azzon Energia, says the key to scaling in the sector was aligning technique and management. With degrees in Production Engineering and Electrical Engineering, he founded Azzon in 2019 with the goal of offering a differentiated after-sales service.

Despite facing the onset of the pandemic in his first year of operation, Lucas built a company that now has four thousand projects, four of its own units, two franchises, and a distribution center.

In 2024, it announced a merger with a company in Pará, expanding its reach and adding projects of up to 1 MW. In addition to hybrid systems, Azzon also began operating in energy storage (BESS), reinforcing its position in innovation and diversification.

Fernandes also emphasized that sustainable growth requires method and analysis. "Failing quickly, correcting quickly, and making decisions based on data is what allows us to grow solidly," he stated.

From João Pessoa to the Free Energy Market

Representing the Northeast, Rafael Targino, CEO of Reinova Energia Solar, recalled the company's challenging beginnings in João Pessoa, Paraíba, ten years ago. "The beginning was difficult, but it was precisely during these difficult times that we grew," he stated.

Today, the company is one of the most consolidated brands in the region, operating in more than a thousand monitored cities and with a presence in DG (distributed generation) and the Free Energy Market, through the trading company Aqui Energia, founded in 2022.

With a motivated internal team, the company maintains a prominent market share in Paraíba, the result of a strategy based on training and talent development.

From car wash to solar protagonism

Augusto Rocha, founder of Sublime Solar, from Bahia, moved the audience by sharing his story of overcoming adversity. Before joining the industry, he worked washing cars at a car wash, with shifts that began at six in the morning and ended at night.

“I washed many cars a day with the dream of growing up,” he said, mentioning that the turning point in his life came in 2021, when his fiancée, an electrical engineer, introduced him to solar energy.

Soon, Augusto excelled in sales, reaching a thousand projects sold in two years. With this success, he founded Sublime Solar, which today has completed 2,5 projects and has become a business group with the Sublime Comercial and Sublime Serviços divisions.

Management, purpose and innovation: the new face of the Brazilian integrator

The panel demonstrated that the future of the solar sector is being built by entrepreneurs who have successfully transformed challenges into opportunities and are helping to professionalize and scale the energy market in Brazil.

The participants' statements clearly demonstrated a shift in mindset within the solar sector. While success once hinged on sales and installation, today it depends on efficient management, innovation, and a long-term strategic vision.

From Cássia to Augusto, everyone reinforced that being an entrepreneur goes beyond technique: it requires understanding people, processes, finances, and positioning. As Fernandes summarized, "entrepreneurship is a daily learning process—and those who rely on data and purpose grow more consistently."