A colleague of mine is on the board of a well-known global company. A few years ago, knowing that he had spent time all over the world, I asked him to name his favourite city of all.

Despite his immaculate appearance and British good manners, he is a fun chap, with a twinkle in his eye. He looked over his glasses at me, paused, and gave his verdict in one word: Rio.

When you tell friends that you are spending a week in Brazil, it would be inaccurate to say that they look at you with pity.

Funnily enough, I don’t think I can remember quite as many offers to carry my luggage… It’s the B in the BRIC, known for its size and economic growth, and for the fact that two inbound events just happen to be the World Cup and the Olympics.

We’re here with 17 companies, all of which have cleantech (or alternative energy) solutions. They have been selected to take part in the week-long mission, and for several of them, this is their first visit to the country.

This is from an article written for StartUps.co.uk – to continue reading please click here.