Empowered Hosts Warmup for Web Summit Vancouver
With the inaugural Web Summit Vancouver quickly approaching, Empowered Startups hosted a networking event in Porto that allowed…
With the inaugural Web Summit Vancouver quickly approaching, Empowered Startups hosted a networking event in Porto that allowed key stakeholders from Portugal and Canada to connect in advance of the highly anticipated conference in late May. Representatives from Startup Portugal, the Canada-Portugal Chamber of Commerce, and Web Summit joined several Canadians and members of the Portuguese delegation that will travel to Vancouver to explore business opportunities and strengthen ties between North America and western Europe.
A Growing Relationship Between Portugal and Canada
Chris Lennon, President of Empowered Startups, welcomed the engaged audience with a brief overview before introducing Djordje Vidović, the Senior Trade Commissioner at the Canadian Embassy in Portugal, who touched on why Canada and, more specifically, Vancouver provides such a great location for the expansion of Web Summit.
“What we do is try to build bridges between Canada and Portugal. Web Summit has been an important one, and so we’re definitely looking forward to seeing how to grow that connection,” Vidović explained.
“Startup Portugal has been instrumental in creating that that bridge with things like Canadian VCs looking at Portugal for investment. Canadian startups acquiring Portuguese startups and vice versa is something we didn’t used to see five or six years ago. Now it’s happening. And a lot of that has to do with those bridges that were created. So, thanks to the team and for continuing to build our bridges with Web Summit now in Vancouver. Thank you for Empowered Startups who have been doing a great job in building bridges with the Canadian ecosystem and Portuguese ecosystem by bringing investments into the Portuguese university system.”
“Canada is one of the top five largest tech ecosystems, home to over 48,000 startups,” Vidović continued. “It’s a very diverse country with a lot of thriving economic sectors. Vancouver, BC is renowned, and when you’re there, you’ll see it, you’ll understand why. It is strong in a number of sectors highlighting life sciences, deep tech, and digital media and entertainment, as well. A number of Canadian unicorns have come from BC, a lot to do with ties to Silicon Valley, but also with the Canadian ecosystem.”
Startup Portugal Sees Excellent Opportunity in Canada
Vidović’s remarks set the stage perfectly for Antonio Dias Martins, the Executive Director of Startup Portugal. The non-profit’s directive, developing activities for the promotion of entrepreneurship in Portugal, is in alignment with the purpose of Web Summit Vancouver, which will take place while countries and businesses are in the midst of reassessing their partnerships.
“For Startup Portugal, this mission of taking Portuguese startups abroad is strategic, so we organize every year several international missions. And our goal is showcasing the best that we have in terms of innovation, technology, and startups. So, we are very excited to know Vancouver and to take Portuguese startups there,” Martins smiled.
“I think these couple of years that we have next will be strategic for Canada because of the global thing caused by the United States that is happening all over the world. It causes a lot of challenges and a lot of problems to many people, but also big opportunities to startups and to innovators that can propose and implement alternatives. And Canada surely has a great value proposition to offer. And we have been selling Canada to Portuguese startups as an excellent way to be selling and doing business in North America.”
Connecting Canada and Portugal Through the HQA® Program
While Martins was clearly enthusiastic about the opportunity Web Summit Vancouver presents for the Portuguese trade delegation, he made sure to point out the growth that has occurred in Portugal thanks to the collaborative efforts of Startup Portugal and supporting initiatives like the HQA® Program, which brings transnational entrepreneurs to Portugal to launch innovative startups in collaboration with the country’s research universities.
“Our partnership with Empowered Startups, it’s also strategic. So, I would like to thank Christopher for all the work that you have been doing with Portugal. It’s amazing to see how you know all the regions in Portugal. You started by a smaller region, smaller cities, and now you are heading to Lisbon and to the major cities. I think that’s a great way to approach this country. We really have amazing talent all over the country,” Martins proudly stated.
“At Startup Portugal, we coordinate a network of 130 incubators, spread, in the whole national territory. We are really committed to bring the national strategy for entrepreneurship that we designed together with the government, with the Minister of Economy, to bring all your knowledge, all your suggestions, and all your experience to suggest new and relevant initiatives that can come from active public policies to help foreign startups to come and to scale through Portugal. And also for Portuguese startups to scale abroad, namely in Canada.”
Web Summit Vancouver “Already a Massive Success”
Opening on May 27, Web Summit Vancouver will span four days and create countless connections, opportunities, and experiences for entrepreneurs, investors, and startups. Founded in 2009, Web Summit was originally held in Dublin, Ireland until moving to its current home of Lisbon in 2016.
The annual technology conference has grown into one of the most significant events on the tech calendar and has expanded to other countries in recent years. Margarida David, the Startups Manager at Web Summit, also attended the gathering in Porto and spoke to the evolution of the conference and how the appetite for Web Summit Vancouver has already exceeded expectations.
“We are expecting about 15,000 attendees at the event this year,” David revealed. “The event hasn’t even started and it’s already a massive success. One of the statistics I would like to share with you today is that we are expecting over 1000 startups exhibiting at Web Summit Vancouver. Originally, we had set a target of 700 to 750 startups to be present at the event. We have not just reached this target but also reached the full capacity on exhibition spaces a month ahead of what we had projected. This shows the great interest and eagerness for people to explore the markets in Vancouver and also to make strategic connections there.”
“I’ve been with the company for four years, it’s amazing to see, the shift in the Portuguese ecosystem that has been led by some of the efforts put in place by Web Summit. I think now Portugal is an internationally recognized startup ecosystem, and Web Summit has played a big role in showcasing the value of participating in the ecosystem in other countries,” David articulated.
“Now we have startups that have participated in Web Summit Lisbon and through the structure of the event that they already know are able to explore opportunities in Rio, in Qatar, and now, for the first time, in Vancouver.”
Empowered Opening Doors to Canadian Network
For Empowered Startups, Web Summit Vancouver represents an exciting opportunity to welcome members of its Portuguese network to the city in which the Canadian multinational founded its own startup nearly 20 years ago. Lennon bookended the relatively short formalities of the event with an offer to make the Portugal trade delegation’s mission to Vancouver as productive as possible.
“We will do our best to try to open some doors and connect you. We are partners with both the Canadian government, the Alberta government, and we work hand in hand with the with the British Columbia government. We don’t know everybody, but we do know people on the ground, and we’d like to give you a running start as you land in Vancouver.”
