The first Brazilian who ventured into international activities and defended the project of Brazil becoming an international player was the Baron of Maua, Irineu Evangelista de Souza, who lived from 1813 to 1889. From humble origins, he rose by his own merit and initiative. A trip to England in 1840 was crucial for the formation of his global mindset and entrepreneurial project. Returning to Rio de Janeiro, he bought a small foundry which became a major shipyard. Using material produced by this foundry, he was responsible for the installation of the piped water system in Rio de Janeiro. In April 1854, he inaugurated the railroad connecting the Rio to Petropolis, in the presence of Emperor Dom Pedro II, who heralded him as Baron. In 1855, along with other investors, he formed Maua, MacGregor & Cia, a financial institution with branches in London, Paris, New York, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo. His wealth in 1867 reached a sum that was 20 percent higher than Brazil's governmental budget. It is estimated that his fortune would be equivalent to $60 billion today.

Maua allied entrepreneurship and international vision to competences related to technology, finance, and marketing. The institutional context, however, was not favorable to him. Brazil was an agro-export economy, just liberated from Portuguese colonial rule, and slavery still persisted. Resistance to his ideas was fierce.