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ANJE initiative in southern Portugal providing a 4-month acceleration program with mentoring and business modeling for biotech, agrotech, and ICT startups. Scope: Regional (Alentejo).
Spun out in 2016. Deep tech and healthcare investor with a history from seed to growth stages.
Founded 2009. Runs Lisbon Challenge, a 3-month, no-equity accelerator that has supported 300+ startups from 70 countries. Offers mentorship, investor meetings, perks, and demo day; alumni include Codacy and Jumia. Scope: International.
Corporate VC studio of Sonae Group investing in cybersecurity, retail tech, telecom, and fintech.
Corporate accelerator by Brisa focused on mobility startups, offering pilot projects on highways and support for smart traffic and tolling technologies. Support: pilots, mentorship, and potential funding. Scope: National.
Founded 2016. Early-stage fund backing digital transformation and consumer internet startups in Iberia.
Impact venture initiative backed by the Gulbenkian Foundation, supporting social and environmental startups.
VC arm of utility EDP investing in energy technology, cleantech, and electric mobility.
Launched 2013. Seed fund focused on AI, data, and climate tech across Iberia.
Launched 2017. Corporate venture program connecting startups with the Jose de Mello Group in healthcare, energy, and infrastructure. Support: pilot agreements, corporate guidance, and potential customer contracts. Scope: National.
Founded 2019 by an ex-Caixa Capital team. Independent VC investing in Iberian tech startups across fintech, AI, and marketplaces.
Part of ANJE, LINC Evora (est. 2011) incubates tech startups in the Alentejo region with office space and a collaborative community. Focus on software, mobile apps, and social media; reports 69 investments and 6 exits. Scope: Regional (Alentejo).
Founded 2018 with backing from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Runs the Maze X 3-month accelerator for social impact startups, providing tailored mentoring, impact investor access, and a EUR 50K stipend. Notable alumni include Speak. Scope: International.
State-backed VC founded 2012, funding early-stage Portuguese startups across multiple industries.
Corporate VC of Semapa investing in industrial, environmental, and mobility tech across Portugal and internationally.
Founded 2011. Micro-VC focused on pre-seed and seed investments in software and fintech.
Innovation hub and accelerator supported by Microsoft, nurturing deep-tech startups in biotech, nanotech, and digital sectors. Provides acceleration, access to University of Minho labs, and corporate partners; backed 120+ companies. Scope: Regional (Northern Portugal).
Startup Lisboa is a key incubator in Portugal’s capital, established in 2012 as a public-private initiative to boost entrepreneurship in the city. Situated in downtown Lisbon’s Baixa district in renovated historic buildings, Startup Lisboa provides mentorship, workspace, and networking for early-stage startups across sectors. It was launched with backing from the Lisbon City Council, bank Montepio, and IAPMEI (the Portuguese SME agency), reflecting strong civic support. Over an incubation period of up to 3 years, startups receive guidance on refining their business model, access to strategic partners, and help connecting with investors. Office space is a big draw: Startup Lisboa offers subsidized offices and co-working spots to dozens of startups, easing a major burden in early stages. The incubator runs several vertical programs, including dedicated tracks for tourism, social innovation, and fintech in partnership with corporates. Lisbon’s booming tourism industry spurred Startup Lisboa to create initiatives for travel-tech and “Smart Tourism” – alumni in this space include Unbabel (AI translation for customer service, now a scaleup with $90M+ raised). Other success stories from Startup Lisboa’s portfolio are EatTasty (food delivery, expanded to Madrid) and Hole19 (a golf app with millions of users). Besides incubation, Startup Lisboa manages events like the Lisbon Challenge (an international acceleration program) and interfaces with Portugal’s Startup Visa program to attract foreign founders. They also collaborate with Web Summit (the major tech conference hosted in Lisbon) to showcase local talent. A distinctive project is the “Made of Lisboa” community brand, which Startup Lisboa spearheads to unite the city’s tech scene. The incubator has supported over 300 startups, which have created an estimated 3,000+ jobs. Startup Lisboa also played a role in rejuvenating Lisbon’s downtown, turning it into a lively startup hub. With Lisbon now on the map as a startup-friendly city (helped by initiatives like €200M VC fund of funds from the government), Startup Lisboa continues to be at the heart of it – fostering new companies in an open, founder-centric environment, and solidifying Lisbon’s reputation as a launchpad for international startups in Southern Europe.
Program specializing in spinning up companies from technical and scientific projects, pairing scientists with business co-founders and providing lab access and early funding. Support: venture building, seed capital via grants or partnered funds, and corporate connections. Scope: Regional (Porto).
Venture Catalysts is an innovative venture studio and venture builder program based in Porto, Portugal, specializing in spinning up companies from scientific research and technical projects. Founded around 2015 (with roots as a university initiative), Venture Catalysts takes a hands-on approach to pair scientists and engineers with business co-founders to create startups in fields like medtech, cleantech, and AI. The program identifies promising technologies (often from local universities like University of Porto or from labs across Portugal) and provides a structured process to form a company, develop an MVP, and obtain early funding. Each year, it selects a batch of projects and offers resources such as lab access, initial capital (seed grants or investment from partnered funds), and a network of corporate partners for pilots. A distinctive feature is how it integrates venture building with funding: Venture Catalysts can provide seed capital through grants or its partnered VC funds (often up to €200k), and also connects teams with larger investors for follow-ons. The studio’s track record includes helping create SWORD Health (digital physiotherapy startup that became a unicorn) and AddVolt (electric truck battery solution acquired by Daimler). These successes highlight the model’s efficacy – both companies started as technical projects in Portugal and through Venture Catalysts’ support, gained product-market fit and international traction. The venture studio is backed by both private and public stakeholders (it has worked with Portugal’s innovation agency and corporates like EDP in energy tech). Located in Porto’s up-and-coming innovation district, Venture Catalysts has contributed to making Porto a deep-tech startup hub beyond the usual Lisbon scene. The program puts heavy emphasis on team formation – often recruiting experienced entrepreneurs or MBAs to join scientific founders as CEOs or business leads, ensuring startups have both technical depth and commercial acumen. With a regional focus, it has kept many high-tech startups in Northern Portugal, strengthening the local ecosystem. In summary, Venture Catalysts serves as a venture co-founder for scientists – turning lab breakthroughs into viable companies by providing the missing pieces (business talent, early capital, industry links). Its portfolio’s achievements, like SWORD Health’s growth, demonstrate the powerful potential of the venture studio model in catalyzing innovation.
Global conference organizer behind Web Summit, one of Europe's largest annual tech gatherings in Lisbon.
Flagship Web Summit conference organized in Lisbon. Next edition: Nov 9-12, 2026.