Empowered Startups’ commitment to growing Portugal’s startup community was visibly on display at the inaugural Startups & Investment Matching (SIM) Conference in Porto. Held at the Alfândega do Porto, the three-day event organized by Startup Portugal brought entrepreneurs, investors, and accomplished businesspeople together for the purpose of knowledge sharing and networking. Among the over 2,000 people in attendance was a significant contingent of Empowered Startups’ team members and entrepreneurs, who have founded innovative startups in Portugal through the HQA Visa Program.
“We extended a special invitation to our esteemed entrepreneurs in Portugal, recognizing their valuable contributions and inviting them to participate and gain deeper insights into the Portuguese start-up and venture capital ecosystem,” explained Francesco Berrettini, Empowered Startups’ Manager of Partnerships and Projects in Portugal. “The SIM event was vital to discovering the best in Portugal for new startups and where our entrepreneurs can contribute positively. They could contribute significantly to the ecosystem in which they are involved and gain a clearer picture of the research and development in Portuguese universities. The experience also allowed them to inject their knowledge into the startups and reciprocate the expertise exchange for our guests.”
Investing More in Portugal
The aforementioned entrepreneurs represent everything the SIM Conference aims to accomplish by bringing startups and investors together for the purpose of matching their interests. Founders who have come to Portugal via the HQA Visa Program fund and are directly involved in research and development projects with Portuguese higher education institutions. They are professionals with extensive experience in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, or the automotive sector. Others have advised governments on poverty reduction and ageing issues, while some have worked for world-leading companies in their respective industries. They have the capabilities to commercialize the products of innovative research and, in many cases, the capital to invest in other entrepreneurial ventures.
“One of the unique aspects of our HQA Visa Program is that the accomplished businesspeople we’re bringing to Portugal have the experience and resources to contribute to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in various ways,” remarked Chris Lennon, President of Empowered Startups. “In addition to the research they pursue in collaboration with one of our Portuguese partner universities or polytechnics, many of them are also Angel Investors who are eager to invest in compelling startups. The SIM Conference provides an excellent opportunity for them to gain context and contacts in Portugal’s dynamic startup community, which may catalyze further investment.”
Exchange of Expertise
With a half-dozen entrepreneurs and multiple team members attending the event, Empowered Startups had one of the largest contingents of any entity at the inaugural SIM Conference. According to Paulo Martins, Empowered’s Startup Leader in Portugal, their impact went beyond the scope of discovery and investment interest. Martins noted that the exchange of knowledge between Empowered’s established entrepreneurs and recognized members of Portugal’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, especially those from the university R&D sector, drew high praise and the promise of further collaboration in coming months.
With the HQA Visa Program continuing to grow, the opportunities for talented professionals from around the world to directly share expertise in Portugal is growing as well. A timely example will take place later this week in Coimbra, where Lennon is a featured speaker at this week’s Startup Capital Summit, Portugal’s largest national event for venture capital, innovation, entrepreneurship and technology transfer. To date, the HQA Visa Program has brought more than 70 entrepreneurs and more than €4 million of direct investment to Portugal as part of Empowered Startups’ commitment to facilitate 250 internationally funded projects to at least 10 universities and polytechnics throughout the country over the course of three years.
