The gap between the corporate world and academia has been one of the main bottlenecks for technological innovation in Brazil. While universities train talent in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, companies face difficulties in incorporating this expertise into their processes.
Initiatives that build bridges between these two worlds not only accelerate the digital transformation of companies, but also prepare a new generation of professionals for the real challenges of the market.
It is in this context that an unprecedented partnership emerges between After Click, a company specializing in post-click ( click-to-delivery ) operations, and Insper.AI, a group of Insper students dedicated to creating practical solutions focused on artificial intelligence.
The collaboration, which officially began on January 22, places six Insper students within After Click to develop AI applications that promise to transform everything from customer service to inventory and logistics management.
“The project is ambitious,” says Fabio Fialho, CEO and founder of After Click. “The company’s artificial intelligence area will be developed collaboratively, with the participation of students, under the leadership and supervision of the company’s technology leaders, guaranteeing structure, technical guidance, and a career plan for the participants.”
The partnership has indeed come at an opportune moment. Fialho recently returned from the NRF (National Retail Federation), the world's largest retail trade show, held in New York. There, artificial intelligence applied to the supply chain was the central theme of the discussions. "That's exactly what we're putting into practice now with Insper.AI," says Fialho.
The collaboration model envisions that Insper.AI students will have access to After Click's data and processes. Based on this, they will develop agents and machine learning models focused on operational advancements and improvements to the customer experience.
In customer service, AI should make customer support more agile, with bots capable of responding to inquiries, canceling orders, exchanging products, and tracking orders.
“The end consumer will notice the difference, but so will our clients,” says the executive. “We’re talking about faster responses, efficient service, and less friction.”
For S&OP, artificial intelligence will allow for more accurate demand forecasting, real-time alignment of sales and logistics, and reduction of bottlenecks that impact operations. "We're going to transform one of the industry's biggest challenges into a competitive advantage," says the executive. "Faster decisions, fewer disruptions, and greater efficiency across the entire supply chain."
In the financial sector, artificial intelligence will be used to reconcile receivables from marketplaces and detect fraud. It will also be applied to freight routing and demand planning.
Today, After Click offers same-day delivery in São Paulo and integrates more than 40 marketplaces with its clients' online stores.
The company's proposal is to take care of everything that happens after the click. It's not just about logistics: it involves systems integration, inventory planning, payment reconciliation, fraud prevention, and customer service. And AI comes in precisely to reduce friction throughout this journey.
From an academic standpoint, Insper.AI is an entity created and managed by the students themselves. "It's 100% focused on the study of artificial intelligence, especially deep learning ," says student Rafael Rayes, one of the project members. "The partnership with After Click allows us to apply this knowledge in a real company, with concrete impact."
Rayes explains that the models developed by Insper.AI analyze large volumes of browsing data, clicks, searches, and purchases, as well as the context of each session, to generate more accurate predictions in e-commerce.
Using neural networks and deep learning , the system begins by identifying basic patterns and, with training, begins to infer intentions, preferences, and purchase propensity.
For After Click, the investment goes beyond technological innovation. "We are betting 100% on this new generation," says Fialho. "It's a way to foster talent and, at the same time, strengthen our business model."
With just over a year in operation, After Click already has around 350 employees and projects accelerated growth in 2026, with an expansion of its customer base and advancements in AI projects.
For Fábio Fialho, the partnership with Insper.AI reflects a broader movement. “When you bring academia and the market closer together, everyone wins: the student, the company, and the consumer,” he says. “That’s how innovation stops being just talk and becomes a result.”