What does it take to build a business that survives economic collapse, a global pandemic, and a literal flood?

In this episode of Owner’s Roundtable, Jeff McLarty sits down with Rafael Krug, founder of Zero-Defect, one of Brazil’s leading software quality assurance firms. They unpack a two-decade entrepreneurial journey that spans continents, and more than a few hard resets.

From fixing Y2K bugs in Brazilian banks to scaling into a 70-person QA firm, navigating the 2008 financial crisis, surviving COVID shutdowns, and then rebuilding after catastrophic flooding in Porto Alegre, Rafael’s story is a wonder of resilience, adaptability, and long-term vision.

Now based in Canada and loving the Canadian business landscape, Rafael shares why he chose to rebuild yet again, but this time with a global, product-driven future in mind.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How a Y2K internship led to a lifelong career in software quality assurance
• How HP became Zero-Defect’s first major client
• The real challenges behind scaling from 3 people to 70
• What it’s like to lose half your company during an economic collapse
• How COVID forced a full operational reset
• What happens when your entire office is submerged under two meters of floodwater
• Why Rafael believes people — not infrastructure — are the real asset
• Key differences between doing business in Brazil vs. Canada
• Why Zero-Defect is shifting from a services model to product-led growth
• Advice for entrepreneurs facing setbacks that feel impossible to recover from

About Rafael Krug

Rafael Krug is the founder of Zero-Defect, a software quality assurance company specializing in functional, performance, security, and automated testing. Founded in Brazil in 2004, Zero-Defect grew into one of the country’s leading QA firms, supporting mission-critical systems for enterprise clients.

Now based in Edmonton, Canada, Rafael is leading Zero-Defect’s expansion into North America while launching AI-driven testing tools designed to modernize how software quality is delivered globally.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Start-up Visa Program (Canada)
• Caldeira / Instituto Caldeira (Porto Alegre innovation hub)

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Book a free consultation today: https://calendly.com/jmclarty-focalpointcoaching/30min

Contact Jeff McLarty:

• Website: FocalPointEdmonton.com
• Linkedin: Jeff McLarty
  
  

Contact Rafael Krug:

• Website: Zero-Defect
• LinkedIn: Rafael Krug
• LinkedIn: Zero-Defect