by One of Peres’ partners, Jean Rozier: building an international school of creativity
based in brazil pears is charting a new path in the sphere of creative education. The company has woven experiential and multidisciplinary learning into its curriculum, offering an innovative alternative to traditional models. Now, the school is preparing for a significant step in its journey – internationalization.
Since its creation in Porto Alegre, in 2008, the platform has trained more than 200,000 students through face-to-face and online immersions, corporate academies, workshops and lectures. The company’s method fuses a unique methodology that translates complex concepts in areas ranging from leadership to creativity into accessible content. The learning experience is designed to be light, deep and fun at the same time.
“In essence, we intend to be navigators in the educational universe, seeking to transform traditional learning perspectives, integrating depth with a sense of ease and fun”, says one of the company’s partners, Jean Philippe Rosier, adding that its main objective is to make the education process less intimidating and more enjoyable for students.
The roots of Peres, which in Brazil is known as Perestroika, go back to its partners’ advertising history, which influences the way they present and deliver their content. “As advertising professionals, there has always been an innate inclination to package all aspects of our work in creative and compelling ways to sell products. We apply that logic to the field of education with an unorthodox twist,” says Rosier.
Before the pandemic, Perestroika opened physical branches in several Brazilian capitals. With the onset of the health crisis, the methodology was rewritten for an online environment, making courses more accessible and significantly increasing the number of students. The company’s B2B arm, Sputnik, which Rosier co-founded, continued to grow at the same time, driven by individuals who wanted to bring their individual learning experiences into the corporate environment.
As part of its internationalization strategy, Peres is analyzing important players in the educational area, both in Brazil and worldwide. According to Rosier, the survey will help the company identify opportunities and decide where to focus its initial efforts.
Geographically, the process will likely focus on English-speaking markets such as the US, UK, Ireland and Australia, followed by Latin American markets. Additionally, the plan is to connect with global brands that are already part of the B2B portfolio, such as Oracle, Google and Meta, and understand their pain points around evolving workforce skills.
cultural considerations
From the consumer’s point of view, local versions of courses with proven success in Brazil will be presented to international clientele. However, there will be language adjustments to be made. One entry-level offering is Chora PPT, which in Brazilian Portuguese means “Chorar, PPT” and trains students to create engaging presentations. The course was recorded in English under the name Bite Me. “It’s our MVP [for the international market]. The course is ready, the content works and we know it’s good”, says Rosier.
A primary consideration in the expansion plan is the cultural differences between Brazil and other markets. Having moved to Portugal seven years ago, Rosier noted that Europeans are not used to paying for education in the formats offered by Peres, and this perception has influenced the company’s strategy. “We are starting to see a change of attitude in this sense”, argues the businessman.
While planning international expansion, the creative school is also innovating its course formats, embracing the changes brought about by the pandemic. The aim is to recreate personal experiences in a new and meaningful way. Rosier explains: “I don’t want to go back to [in-person] courses the way we used to. Not because I think they were bad, but I think the world has changed and we need a different format to meet new needs, ”she points out.
For an immersive face-to-face experience, Peres is considering integrating rituals into his courses. “Rituals help with long-term memory retention as well as creating mental timelines of what happened, thus aiding learning,” says Rosier. According to the entrepreneur, the platform will also aim to offer immersive experiences in environments beyond the classroom, where learners can disconnect and focus fully on educational content and also have post-course follow-up.
Looking to the future, Peres foresees substantial changes and growth in the next year, with more insights and learnings from its internationalization process. As the company turns the page and enters the global education scene, Rosier expects the company to have changed significantly in one year. “We will be a transformed organization, with our framework and international structure already defined and going beyond our national bubble”, he concludes.
