Infamous for its favelas, the city of Rio de Janeiro is witnessing a transformation made possible by the reduction of global poverty, developments in technology and innovation and loyal community. Rise, a new series by Freethink Media—a digital publication based in Washington D.C.—shows “firsthand how entrepreneurship is lifting people up in the developing world” and bring audiences the “incredible true story of the rising billion,” looking beyond drug and violence in Brazil’s favelas.

Find the first video of the series here.

Image by Chensiyuan via Wikimedia