Flávio Augusto, now 54, is one of Brazil’s best-known entrepreneurs, owner of the English school Wise Up and the Wiser education group. His path to the top involved challenges, risks and multiple fresh starts, beginning from humble origins in Rio de Janeiro.
Early Years and First Experiences
As a teenager, Flávio attended public school and, at 13, entered the Colégio Naval (Naval Academy prep school), but was expelled after two years. In an interview, he described that period as marked by indiscipline and restlessness, and he later embraced the idea that stability is not a real concept.
After leaving the Colégio Naval, he began studying Computer Science at Universidade Federal Fluminense, but dropped out to focus on sales, which became his professional focus. By 23, he was already sales director at a language company, a position he left to open his own business.
Founding Wise Up and First Steps
In 1995, with his wife’s help, Flávio used R$ 20,000 from an overdraft line, which carried interest of up to 12% a month, to open the first Wise Up school. The money covered only the renovation, rent and first employees. Curiously, he did not speak English, so he took charge of sales, while the academic content was handled by specialized professionals.
The bet was based on Brazil’s economic opening and the arrival of multinationals, offering an intensive 18-month English course at a time when the market standard was five to seven years.
In its very first year, the school reached 1,000 students and, in less than a year, opened a branch on Avenida Paulista. Within three years, there were 24 company-owned schools and more than 1,000 employees. The franchise model was adopted in 2000, growing to 396 units before the chain was sold.
Financial Setbacks and New Ventures
In 2008, Flávio suffered a loss of about R$ 12 million on stock market investments amid the financial crisis, out of a net worth estimated at R$ 15 million. In 2013, he sold Wise Up to Abril Educação for R$ 877 million, cutting back his weekly workload, though not slowing down for long.
Living in the United States, he accompanied his son to soccer practice and saw an opportunity in the sport. Before long, he acquired Orlando City, a Florida club that later joined Major League Soccer (MLS). The team was sold in 2021 to the Wilf family for an estimated US$ 400 million to US$ 450 million.
Return to Wise Up and Adapting to the Pandemic
Two years after selling Wise Up, Flávio bought the company back for about R$ 390 million. At the time, the company was showing declining EBITDA and high delinquency of 42% after a change in how it billed customers.
He invested US$ 16 million in the first two months to restructure the business and worked for three years to restore its financial health. The arrival of the pandemic forced a rapid transition to digital learning, expanded through an online platform launched in 2019.
Flávio advised franchisees to give up their properties and move to digital in the face of the prolonged crisis. Of roughly 400 units, 100 were closed and some of the rest became online franchises. The student base jumped from about 80,000 to 400,000 after this transformation.
Current Results and Wiser Group Figures
Wise Up became part of the Wiser group, which brings together several education brands. According to information presented to Brazil Journal in January 2026, the group had more than 500,000 students, revenue of R$ 610 million and EBITDA of R$ 220 million.
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