For more than three decades, Brazilian entrepreneur Haroldo Jacobovicz has worked within the technology industry, launching multiple ventures that share a common thread: making computing resources available to organisations and individuals who might otherwise struggle to afford them. His 2021 startup Arlequim Technologies continues this pattern through virtualization services.
Family Influences and an Unexpected Direction
Born in Curitiba, Paraná, Jacobovicz came from a household where engineering was the family profession. His father Alfredo worked as both a practising civil engineer and university lecturer, while his mother Sarita had distinguished herself as one of the first women in the state to complete a civil engineering qualification. The expectation that their eldest son would follow a similar trajectory seemed reasonable.
After completing seven years of Military College education and earning his own civil engineering degree from the Federal University of Paraná, Haroldo Jacobovicz had the credentials for a traditional career. Instead, he gravitated toward the emerging possibilities of information technology, seeing greater potential in computers than in construction sites.
Early Lessons From a Failed Startup
The first business venture came during his university years. Partnering with classmates who had technical programming abilities, Jacobovicz launched a company offering automation solutions for retail establishments. The service promised to modernise inventory tracking and cash register operations for pharmacies, supermarkets, and similar businesses.
Two years later, the company shut down. The concept was sound, but Brazilian retailers in the early 1980s had not yet embraced computerisation. This outcome delivered a lasting lesson about the importance of market timing—having the right product means little if potential customers are not prepared to adopt it.
Applying Virtualization to Multiple Markets
Arlequim Technologies represents Jacobovicz’s current focus within the technology sector. The company offers virtualization services that aim to improve the performance of existing computer hardware, potentially allowing older machines to handle tasks that would typically require newer, more expensive equipment.
Three customer categories form the company’s target audience. Businesses looking to maximise their current IT assets represent one segment. Government agencies and public institutions, which frequently operate under strict budget limitations, constitute another. The third group consists of individual consumers, particularly those interested in gaming applications where hardware requirements have grown substantially as gamification trends have expanded across entertainment platforms.