Paulo Castello — CEO Fhinck and AI First Reference in Brazil
Led Fhinck's transition into one of the first AI First companies in Brazil and the world. From 50 to 6 people. Revenue doubled. 96% of customer support without a human operator.
Fhinck's AI First model explained live
Paulo Castello spoke with Christiane Pelajo on Times Brasil/CNBC about how Fhinck reduced its team from 50 to 6 people, doubled revenue, and reached 96% of customer support without a human operator.
“AI stopped being a pilot project and became the operating system of the business.”Watch on YouTube →
Bio
Paulo Castello is CEO and founder of Fhinck, one of the first AI First companies in Brazil and the world. Before founding Fhinck, he was an executive at Walmart, Marfrig, Nokia, Odebrecht, and Varig — always leading IT, Marketing, New Business Development, Process Improvement, and Shared Service Centers areas at global multinationals.
He holds a Business Administration degree and a dual master's in business from Georgetown University — McDonough School of Business (Washington, DC) and ESADE Business School (Barcelona). He has been an MBA professor at FIA Business School in São Paulo since 2013 and is a co-founder of ABRIA (Brazilian Association of Artificial Intelligence).
In 2014, he co-founded Fhinck with Claudio Ferreira, Angelino Cruz, and Sarah Hirota. Along the journey, the company was accelerated by Google (three distinct programs), AWS, and Endeavor. In 2023, he led the hard decision to rebuild the company from scratch as AI First. The result: from 50 to 6 people, revenue doubled, 96% of customer support operated without a human operator, more than 800,000 active users across 15 countries.
He was listed among the “10 Most Inspiring CEOs of 2020” by Analytics Insight and awarded four times by ABSC as Best CSC Supplier. In 2026, he attended SXSW Austin and NVIDIA GTC back-to-back, immersed in the global AI epicenter. He trains and challenges Brazilian C-levels and board members on what it truly means, in practice, to become an AI First company.
Recognition
Career Path
- 2002–2004Varig — Corporate Internal Auditor (Processes, Risks, and Systems). Mapping and improvement of internal controls and risk matrix at group companies (VARIG, VEM, VARIGLOG, Tropical Hotel Network). Rio de Janeiro.
- 2006–2007Nokia Networks — Finance and Processes Analyst. Supported the Brazil CFO on the Nokia Siemens Networks merger; convergence of processes and direct financial reporting to Finland and Germany. Project management with TIM, OI, and Claro.
- 2007–2010Odebrecht S/A — Planning and SSC Manager. Implementation of the SSC, LATAM expansion. 156 improvement projects with USD 500k/year return and elimination of 15,464 hours/year of manual work.
- 2010–2011Walmart — Shared Service Manager. SSC restructuring, reduction of 14 FTEs, management of 3 strategic projects (US$9MM).
- 2011–2012Marfrig Group — Global Manager of Operational Efficiency. Construction and expansion of the SSC across LATAM, US, Europe, and Asia.
- 2012–2013Dual MBA: Georgetown University McDonough School of Business (Washington, DC) + ESADE Business School (Barcelona).
- 2013MBA Professor at FIA Business School — São Paulo. Continues to this day.
- 2013–2014Localfrio SA — Head of Planning and Business Development. Reporting directly to the CEO.
- 2014Co-founds Fhinck together with Claudio Ferreira, Angelino Cruz, and Sarah Hirota.
- 20151st place as most innovative startup at Futurecom. Co-Founder of Cubo Itaú (resident startup).
- 2016Google Campus Expert Summit (multiple editions).
- 2017Selected for the Google for Entrepreneurs Exchange Program in Canada — among 10 global startups focused on AI (Kitchener/Waterloo). Scale Up Endeavor.
- 2018Google Campus Residency (year-long resident). Co-founds ABRIA (Brazilian Association of Artificial Intelligence) — constitutive assembly in January 2018. Best CSC Supplier by ABSC (1st time). 1st place in Productivity — 100 Open Startups.
- 2019SXSW Austin (1st participation). Google Launchpad Accelerator — Switzerland. 100 Startups to Watch. Best CSC Supplier ABSC (2nd time).
- 2020Top 10 Most Inspiring CEOs — Analytics Insight.
- 2021Google Cloud success case.
- 2022AWS Revenue Acceleration Program. Finalist Best Solution for CSC.
- 2023Decision to rebuild Fhinck as AI First. Best Technology for CSC — ABSC (3rd time). Return to Google Campus as resident.
- 2024Best CSC Supplier — ABSC (4th time).
- 2024–2025Transition executed: 50 → 6 people, revenue doubled, 96% of customer support without a human operator, 800,000 active users across 15 countries.
- 2025Fhinck recognized as one of the first AI First companies in Brazil and the world.
- 2026SXSW Austin + NVIDIA GTC. Inauguration of Fhinck AI Academy.
Press Coverage
| Outlet | Title | Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Times Brasil / CNBC | Interview with Christiane Pelajo — Fhinck's AI First model | 2026-05 | View |
| Performa Q. Pod. / CBN Campinas | AI practical application in companies | 2025-07 | View |
| Fast Company Brasil | 5 questions for Paulo Castello | 2022-06 | View |
| Olhar Digital | AI algorithm to detect burnout | 2021-07 | View |
| Mundo Corporativo / CBN Mílton Jung | Pandemic shows we work more than we need to | 2021-05 | View |
More videos
Paulo Castello — CBN
Anyone debating hallucination is not operating AI — Fhinck Ahead
Paulo Castello — Mundo Corporativo / CBN
Talk to Paulo Castello
For conversations about the AI First transition, keynotes, advisory roles, or strategic partnerships.