The vision of Ricardo Semler
The Brazilian entrepreneur who democratized the workplace, then asked why school still looked like a factory. NovaLumi carries forward the Lumiar methodology he founded.
Ricardo Semler on why school must change · 3 min
From Semco to the classroom
Semco: radical trust
At 21 he took over his family's business in Sao Paulo and dismantled hierarchy piece by piece: transparent numbers, self-set schedules, teams choosing their own leaders. Revenue grew from $4 million to over $200 million, and his book Maverick became a global bestseller.
A school without bells
If adults thrive on autonomy and purpose, why do students sit in rows? Semler founded the first Lumiar school in Sao Paulo to prove another school was possible: multi-age groups, real projects, Tutors and Masters, and a curriculum built as a mosaic of competencies.
A global approach, now NovaLumi
Two decades on, the Lumiar methodology is recognized by UNESCO, Microsoft, Stanford and the OECD, and reaches learners across a growing international community. NovaLumi is its next chapter: the same principles with sharper tools, supported by the ArcMosaico platform.
The talk seen 4 million times
At TED, Semler asks what school, work and life would look like if we designed them around wisdom instead of control. The answer to his question about education is the school your child can attend today.
Subtitles available in your language.
Books by Ricardo Semler
Ricardo Semler's most recent books, each with its own website.
Official page: ricardosemler.com
His questions built a school.
Come see what learner-led education looks like in practice.
Curious? Come
see it for yourself
Find a NovaLumi school and experience a different way of learning: purposeful, participatory and connected to the real world.