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A family story led to the creation of a cognitive stimulation methodology that uses the Japanese abacus and today drives an educational network aimed at different generations in Brazil.
Antônio Carlos Perpétuo, 66, an aeronautical engineer graduated from ITA, created Supera after seeking alternatives to help his youngest son, who had concentration difficulties at school.
The project was born in São José dos Campos (SP), adopted the Japanese abacus as one of the bases of the cognitive stimulation methodology, and became a network with more than 250 units in the country.
In 2025, the company reported revenue of R$ 187 million.
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The network operates with in-person classes, its own teaching materials, and activities aimed at developing cognitive and socio-emotional skills.
The methodology combines the soroban, the name given to the Japanese abacus, with exercises in workbooks, board games, group dynamics, and digital resources used as pedagogical support.
How the Supera method works with the Japanese abacus
Supera defines itself as a cognitive stimulation course, not as a regular school or tutoring.
The proposal works on skills such as memory, concentration, logical reasoning, focus, creativity, self-esteem, discipline, and motor coordination, according to institutional information from the network itself.
In an interview with UOL, Perpétuo stated that the course seeks to “create foundations for efficient learning.”
The main pedagogical tool is the abacus, used in activities that require continuous attention, mental calculation, coordination, and reasoning organization.
The methodology also includes cognitive exercises, analog games, classroom dynamics, an online platform, and neurobic practices, such as writing with the non-dominant hand or performing tasks outside the usual pattern.
Classes are organized by age group and occur once a week, lasting two hours.
The network states that the course is aimed at people from 5 years old, with no maximum age limit.
According to UOL, the company reported having 28,000 active students and stated that the elderly represent 79.5% of this total.
The presence of the elderly among the students appears at a time of greater public attention to active aging and cognitive health.
However, the methodology is presented by the company as an educational stimulation activity, not as a medical treatment for neurological diseases or a substitute for professional follow-up.
From the son’s difficulty to the creation of the franchise
The origin of Supera is linked to Perpétuo’s search for tools to help his son Vinícius with his school routine.
According to the businessman, the boy had difficulty staying focused, did not pay attention in class, and showed low performance in grades.
Before reaching the Japanese abacus, the family sought more common alternatives, such as therapy, tutoring, and a more suitable study environment.
According to the founder’s account, these attempts did not produce the expected result, leading him to research other pedagogical tools.
The contact with the soroban occurred through conversations with members of the Japanese community.
Perpétuo claims to have sought out teachers and people familiar with the use of the instrument to understand the possible benefits of the practice.
As his background was not in education, he states that he sought educators from public and private networks in São José dos Campos to structure a methodology applicable in the classroom.
The first unit was opened in 2006, in São José dos Campos.
The following year, the company entered the franchise system.
Since then, Supera has been marketing a business model based on in-person classes, standardized material, and franchisee training.
USP research on cognitive stimulation in the elderly
The methodology was the subject of a study conducted by researchers linked to the University of São Paulo.
An article published in 2025 in the journal Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria described the methods and initial results of a randomized, controlled, and blind clinical trial with elderly people without cognitive impairment.
The publication states that the study received funding from the Instituto Supera de Educação.
The work brought together researchers from the School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities of USP and the Faculty of Medicine of USP.
Among the names involved are Thais Bento Lima da Silva, Sonia Maria Dozzi Brucki, and Monica Sanches Yassuda.
The initial sample recorded 207 participants, divided into training, active control, and passive control groups.
In an article published in the Jornal da USP on March 17, 2026, Thais Bento Lima Silva stated that the research followed healthy elderly people for 24 months.
During the study, one of the groups participated in the Supera method for 18 months, while the others received information about healthy aging or only underwent periodic evaluations.
According to the researcher, participants subjected to the cognitive stimulation program showed benefits in executive functions, such as planning, decision-making, and problem-solving.
The study also indicated an improvement in the perception of quality of life and a reduction in depressive symptoms among members of the group that participated in the intervention.
Thais Bento Lima Silva also states that cognitively stimulating activities can contribute to the so-called cognitive reserve, a concept associated with the brain’s ability to handle changes related to aging.
The description of the study, however, defines the intervention as a structured cognitive stimulation program.
Investment to open a Supera franchise
The franchise model has different values depending on the size of the city and the structure of the operation.
On an official page aimed at investors, the network reports a minimum investment of R$ 159 thousand, potential revenue above R$ 500 thousand per year, an estimated payback of 18 to 24 months, and profitability between 15% and 25%.
Another official page of the brand, also aimed at those interested in opening units, presents a minimum investment of R$ 139 thousand for cities with less than 100 thousand inhabitants and R$ 199 thousand for operations in larger cities.
The same page reports potential annual revenue above R$ 500 thousand in the first model and above R$ 1 million in the second.
The data available on the Franchising Portal and on the network’s official pages present differences depending on the publication date and the operation format consulted.
For this reason, the values should be read as commercial estimates disclosed by the franchisor and sector platforms, and not as a guarantee of individual financial results.
In 2025, Supera earned R$ 187 million, according to data released by the company.
For 2026, the network projects a growth of 35% in revenue and number of units, focusing on capitals and medium-sized cities.
Bárbara Perpétuo, vice-president of the brand, told Diário do Comércio that the company was present in 25 states and intended to reach 27.
According to UOL, the company’s goal is to reach 311 units in operation, with expansion in states such as Amapá, Roraima, Acre, and São Paulo, as well as the North and Midwest regions.
The company does not disclose the net profit for 2025.
Standardization of the method in a franchise network
To UOL, consultant Claudia Mouro from Sebrae-SP evaluated that the founder’s trajectory includes common characteristics of entrepreneurship, such as identifying a demand, seeking knowledge, and persistence until the business is consolidated.
The analysis is attributed to the specialist and does not alter the operational data provided by the company.
The consultant also relates Supera’s growth to the aging population and the interest of adults and the elderly in activities related to cognition and quality of life.
According to her, this scenario favors businesses that can clearly communicate their benefits and maintain consistency in service delivery.
For Claudia Mouro, standardization is a point of attention in a network with many units.
In the consultant’s evaluation, franchises depend on well-defined processes, recurring training of franchisees, and team training to reduce differences in the application of the methodology.
The franchisor informs that it offers support in the implementation and operation of the units, as well as in-person and remote training throughout the year.
This support appears as part of the franchise model promoted by the company itself for those interested in opening a unit.
In-person method in an increasingly digital sector
Supera maintains a proposal centered on in-person classes and analog tools, although it also uses a digital support platform.
Perpétuo himself, in an interview with UOL, stated that the company bet on a “in-person and analog” methodology in an educational environment marked by the advancement of digital resources.
The comparison with schools, apps, and screens helps to contextualize the brand’s positioning, but does not eliminate the need to separate business promotion, research results, and individual student experience.
The cited studies evaluate a specific cognitive stimulation program in healthy elderly individuals and do not authorize generalizations about all audiences or health conditions.
By presenting the Japanese abacus as a tool for mental training, the network supports its methodology in activities that require attention, repetition, and problem solving.
The expansion of the franchise, in turn, depends on business factors such as local demand, management capacity, team training, and student adherence to the course.
