Founder, Garimpo de Solçōes - Brazil 

Economist, Urbanist, Author, Global Expert in Creative Economy

Founder & Partner-Director, Garimpo de Soluções – Brazil

Ana Carla Fonseca is one of the world’s leading voices in the creative economy movement — a field she helped define before it became policy buzz. A dynamic blend of academic rigor, public policy strategy, and grassroots ingenuity, Ana Carla is internationally recognized for transforming how governments, cities, and communities use culture and creativity to shape sustainable futures.

With over 25 years of global impact in 34 countries, she stands at the intersection of economics, urbanism, and cultural development.

Academic & Professional Foundations

Ana Carla holds degrees in Public Administration (Fundação Getulio Vargas), Economics, a Master’s with honors in Business Administration, and a PhD in Urbanism from the University of São Paulo. Her doctoral research was groundbreaking — the first thesis in Brazil focused on creative cities — and was awarded as the best applied thesis at the FAU-USP (Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism).

She also holds an MBA from Fundação Dom Cabral and has served as a visiting professor for international postgraduate programs, including the International Labour Organization’s MBA in Social Innovation (University of Turin, Italy) and Brazil’s doctoral program in Innovation and Creative Economy at Universidade Católica de Brasília.

Pioneer of Creative Economies in Practice

In 2003, Ana Carla founded Garimpo de Soluções, Brazil’s first consultancy dedicated to the creative economy, cultural policy, and place-based development. With a network spanning 270+ cities across five continents, Garimpo has become a catalyst for cities, institutions, and businesses seeking smart, sustainable, and identity-driven development models.

Her portfolio includes:

• Strategic plans for cultural and creative territories
• Policy design for ministries and municipal governments
• Curated programs for international development banks
• Innovation labs that bridge art, economy, and social cohesion

Flagship initiatives include:

• PRAXIS: A regional innovation and sustainability program in Brazil’s Araguaia-Xingu corridor
• Lucas Lab: A creative, urban innovation lab in Rio Quente
• Território Criativo Vale das Histórias: A cross-municipality cultural activation in São Paulo state
• Pegadas Criativas: Supporting creative entrepreneurs in Uberaba
• Dá Gosto Ser do Ribeira: Brazil’s first regional creative economy plan, now featured as a global best practice

Author & Award-Winning Thinker

Ana Carla is the author and co-author of 15+ publications on creative economy, culture, and urbanism — several of which have become reference texts in Latin America and beyond.

Her accolades include:

• Jabuti Prize (2007) – Brazil’s most prestigious literary award, for Economia da Cultura e Desenvolvimento Sustentável
• Cidades Criativas – Finalist for Jabuti in Urbanism
• Dá Gosto Ser do Ribeira – Finalist for Jabuti in Creative Economy (2021), presented at Expo Dubai as a national best practice
• Marketing Cultural e Financiamento da Cultura (2002) – One of the earliest Brazilian texts linking marketing and cultural financing

Global Thought Leader

A respected international speaker, Ana Carla has delivered 900+ talks in five languages (Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, and Italian) in forums spanning governments, think tanks, creative summits, universities, and grassroots gatherings.

She served for four years as a member of UNESCO’s global expert pool, contributing to the first three UN Creative Economy Reports, and has advised the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), SEBRAE, UNESCO, national cultural ministries, and dozens of local governments and institutions.

She currently serves as:

• Voluntary advisor to Preta Hub – Latin America’s largest Black entrepreneurship fair
• Member of The Festival Academy’s Global Committee (Belgium)
• Board member of Instituto pelo Diálogo Intercultural and Instituto Árvores Vivas

Philosophy & Vision

For Ana Carla, culture is not a luxury or an afterthought — it is the very foundation of inclusive development. She sees the creative economy not as a niche, but as a strategic, sustainable pillar for economic resilience, citizenship, and well-being. Her work insists that creativity belongs to all — and that public policy, data, and imagination must align to make this real.

Her methodology combines:

• Deep territorial listening
• Participatory co-creation with local actors
• Strong grounding in economic frameworks
• Creative storytelling, policy literacy, and bold vision

Recognitions

• El País (Américas) named her one of the 8 Brazilians “impressing the world” (2013)
• Claudia Award in Business (2013)
• Government of São Paulo Prize in Creative Economy (2021)

Personal Note

Ana Carla is a proud mother, daughter, and wife, deeply passionate about animals, nature, and cooking. When she’s not building new models of creative futures, she’s happiest with her hands in the soil, a recipe book open, and a cat nearby.