Proud to Partner with Portugal | David Rojas
David Rojas’ enthusiasm is authentic and palpable when asked about his experience in the HQA® Visa Program. “I…
David Rojas’ enthusiasm is authentic and palpable when asked about his experience in the HQA® Visa Program.
“I am excited about this program. I’m excited about this program for myself, of course, but I’m excited about it whenever I talk to people about it,” he beams. “That’s a good place to be in.”
Already fluent in Portuguese, Rojas is as comfortable in the country he has chosen to immerse himself in as he is in describing his path to get here. The founder of VinoSentia smiles broadly as he illustrates the relationship he has developed with several members of Empowered Startups’ team during the evolution of his startup and innovative project in Portugal.
“It’s been a fantastic group to be partnered with,” Rojas proudly reveals during the conversation. “The team here in Portugal has been beyond instrumental in helping me navigate the government, legal, and financial paperwork. So, it’s like having colleagues really in that they have a business, I jumped into it, and they’re now part of my team in a sense. So, we have this great rapport.”
Pathway to Portugal
The accomplished American academic and entrepreneur has always had an affinity for exploring new cultures and meeting new people. His graduate work in Linguistics, Cognitive Science, and Speech Engineering included studying abroad at the University in Edinburgh, so looking beyond the US border for an opportunity to expand his professional and personal horizons was a very natural next step for Rojas.
Having identified Portugal as an attractive country on both fronts, he began his research process to determine the program that aligned with his goals. Not surprisingly, Rojas encountered a catalog of companies offering Golden Visa opportunities and services in Portugal, but he also took stock of the larger conversation occurring in the numerous nations that operated such programs.
“The Golden Visa was something that I had explored. It’s probably the one that I explored the most other than this one,” Rojas admits when describing his journey with the HQA® Program. “And it’s not to put singular blame on the Golden Visa program, but I could see what was happening. I saw the public perception in the places where there are Golden Visa programs, and it didn’t really sit well with me.”
That widespread perception included assertions that Golden Visa programs drive up housing prices, lack economic benefits beyond initial investment, and bring additional security risks to the countries they operate in. As Rojas searched for an alternative, he discovered a program that compelled him on multiple levels.
More Appealing than a Golden Visa
“One of the things that appealed to me most about the HQA® Program was that it is not a passive activity; that it’s an active investment not only of money, but of time and resources and experience in collaboration with the academic community and the startup community within Portugal,” explains a measured Rojas.
“It appealed to me because it leveraged the applicant’s background and expertise in connection with existing resources, existing people in Portugal that are looking to get partnered with and to create something together.”
While the program created a strong first impression, Rojas did his due diligence on both the HQA® Program itself and the company behind it, Empowered Startups. Not only was he satisfied with the legitimacy of Empowered’s operations, but he was equally impressed by the fact the Canadian multinational required potential participants in the program to be approved based on their merits not just their means.
“I had a few initial calls. Things felt good. I applied and got accepted to the program, which was key,” he recalls. “That also was one of the appeals. It wasn’t just a straightforward, ‘Here, let’s just write a check and get started.’ The fact that we had a dialogue was really special.”
Opportunities for People in Portugal
That starting point set the tone for the type of bond Rojas was looking to form with the people he would eventually collaborate with in Portugal.
“The HQA® program is not just for the person who’s starting the company,” Rojas points out, and he is committed to having that belief help guide his partnerships and actions as his project evolves over the coming months and years.
While he is intent on having his startup succeed, what qualifies as success is a much broader and holistic definition than the typical financial metrics that are often used to evaluate startups. Rojas envisions VinoSentia creating opportunities for Portuguese people across various disciplines and sectors for the benefit of the country he’s become so fond of.
“There’s a wine event that I was at in Albufeira,” he confides in sharing an example of how it could work. “There’s a young man who is working at his family’s winery, right? And he’s there pouring wine at this wine event. I started talking to him for a while. He’s studying computer science, and he said that he suspected or hoped, I guess, that he would have to get a job with a foreign company, ideally a remote job, because he’d like to stay in Portugal and would like to continue working at his family’s winery.”
“So, I had this light bulb moment that maybe there’s a way where we not only help the winemakers, but we help reduce some of the brain drain that has been commented on among young people that are finishing their education and leaving Portugal.”
His noble optimism is accompanied by a genuine conviction that inspires confidence in those who Rojas takes the time to share his plans with.
“Someone offhandedly commented that I have this altruistic aspect to what it is I’m talking about. Maybe I do; that’s one of my values. At the same time, that is what is driving me in this journey. It’s my excitement about being part of the future, not only as it impacts Portugal, but how that can impact a much broader space,” he smiles.
Academic Roots
Being as well-studied as he is well-traveled, Rojas was extremely attracted to one of the fundamental tenets of the HQA® Program: partnering with a Portuguese university on an innovative research and development project.
“It’s kind of a dream state for me because I’m even closer to education than I was in the US. Knowing that there is a way for this startup to maintain a connection with the academic world in Portugal, to continue to foster growth and knowledge sharing, because it always goes both ways, is incredibly important,” he emphasizes before enthusiastically diving into some of the particulars about his project.
“I am working with the University of Algarve. Professor José Valente de Oliveira is the researcher that I’m collaborating with, and he is an expert in machine learning. We’re looking at how we can combine machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches to improve the Portuguese wine production ecosystem,” details Rojas. “There’s a pathway that we are working with wine producers, farmers, and viticulturalists to overcome some of the problems that they either face now or in the future. And then there’s another branch, which is to just help consumers discover wines and wineries that they would love.”
While impressed with the technical expertise his newfound partner possessed, Rojas was taken even more by the shared enthusiasm he discovered in the initial days of the project’s development.
“There’s been not only a warm reception, but a reception that instantly was one of mutual intellectual stimulation. Even before my residence permit was approved, I had a couple of brainstorming sessions because I happened to be in the Algarve. I went down and I said, ‘Hey, can we get together?’. They set up time and we sat around the table and talked about the directions that we could go. And this was knowing that we couldn’t really do anything until after the approval came through from the government.”
From Students to Startups
“Knowing that we have one graduate student who’s working, the fact that we could help them in their program, they could help us, is awesome,” he confirms. “I think the university only last year or the year before started [offering] their master’s in artificial intelligence, so there is a whole field of people who are ready to jump in, to get hands-on, and to work with.”
That eagerness has been a consistent trait among those Rojas has encountered during the early stages of growing his startup. Having seen a smattering of the academic and startup ecosystems during the infancy of his project’s development, his optimism and enthusiasm for what he is doing and where he is doing it have expanded significantly.
“What I have seen so far, even not being engrossed in the startup environment, is that there is overall a spirit of curiosity and a willingness to think differently… to think about doing things in new ways, to think about treating things in new ways, to ask questions. That’s from talking to people only in the wine industry,” Rojas conveys.
“I’ve talked to growers, producers in the country, and there’s a willingness and an openness that I think is inspiring. If we’re talking about the startup ecosystem, if those conversations that I’ve had are any indication, there is a willingness to create, and that’s essential for a startup. You need to have a curiosity, and you need to be willing to create, to think differently. There’s a flexibility that I’ve picked up on, and I’m excited to see where it goes.”
Learn more about the HQA® Visa Program
