Following seven years of Military College education and civil engineering studies at the Federal University of Paraná, Haroldo Jacobovicz entered the professional sector during the 1980s with interests that diverged from his academic preparation. While both his parents worked in civil engineering—Sarita as one of Paraná’s first seven female engineers and Alfredo as both a practitioner and university instructor—he oriented his career toward information technology and computing applications.
As the eldest among four siblings, Haroldo Jacobovicz demonstrated early interest in business ownership by establishing Microsystem in 1983 with three partners who possessed computer skills. The venture aimed to serve retail operations with automation technology covering inventory control and cash register systems for stores, pharmacies, and supermarkets. However, the company ceased operations after two years when the target market proved unprepared for computerization, teaching lessons about timing and customer readiness that would inform future ventures.
His employment at Esso began after successfully competing against more than 200 engineering candidates through a selection process involving tests and group assessments. Within the multinational oil company, his responsibilities evolved from reserve sales functions to market analysis for Brazil’s southern region, ultimately advancing to commercial tactics and new business management at the Rio de Janeiro headquarters. His work emphasized analysis of computer-processed data for strategic purposes. The Cruzado Plan’s implementation of fuel price freezes, along with considerations about being separated from family, prompted his departure from the multinational corporation.
He then accepted an advisory position with the Technical Director at the Itaipu Hydroelectric Plant in Paraná. This assignment revealed how bureaucratic procedures related to permanent asset acquisition complicated the adoption of computer technology within public sector organizations. After spending four years at the state-owned hydroelectric operation, he decided to pursue private entrepreneurship again, now equipped with knowledge from both multinational corporate and public sector environments.
Minauro emerged as his renewed business venture, providing computer hardware through rental agreements instead of direct sales. The business structured four-year contracts that included equipment replacement every 18 months along with maintenance support. Public agencies in southern and southeastern Brazil responded positively, awarding multiple contracts to the company. Expansion followed through the purchase of three companies—Consult, Perform, and Sisteplan—which contributed software products addressing tax, financial, administrative, health, and education management needs. These acquisitions formed the e-Governe Group, maintaining ongoing relationships with Brazilian municipal governments.
Haroldo Jacobovicz founded Horizons Telecom in 2010 to serve corporate telecommunications requirements. Built in partnership with Renato Guerreiro, an electrical engineer who previously served as the first president of Anatel, the company gained recognition within its market segment over ten years before being sold to an investment consortium in early 2021.
Following the telecommunications transaction, he established Arlequim Technologies to focus on computer virtualization services. The company enhances computing performance for older machines through remote resources, allowing corporate customers, government entities, and individual consumers—especially gaming users—to achieve modern capabilities without purchasing new equipment, addressing both cost and accessibility considerations.