The Lisboa City Council, through the Lisboa Unicorn Capital team, supports 351 – Associação Portuguesa de Startups in launching the first fund for the community development of the innovation ecosystem. The first version of the fund aims to encourage around 30 small events related to technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity to take place in the city by the end of 2024.
The fund will be expanded with the support of other companies and organizations, it should reach other regions of the country, and it will be up to the 351 Associação Portuguesa de Startups to select the initiatives that will receive support for these events.
The first support was provided by the Lisboa City Council. The fund will be expanded with the support of other entities and should reach other regions of the country, and it will be up to the 351 Associação Portuguesa de Startups to select the initiatives that will receive support for these events.
Preference will be given to communities and meetups related to the Web3, Diversity, Gaming and Sustainability industries, and community leaders will be able to ask for support in finding a place to hold their events, as well as support in communication, looking for speakers and networking.
For João Eduardo Tourinho, one of the leaders of the 351 Associação Portuguesa de Startups “Our mission is to support the success of startup founders, and for this to be a reality, we need to have a strong and dense ecosystem, with hundreds of initiatives happening weekly. It is through these meetups that startup founders learn and network with different stakeholders, and we want to collaborate as much as possible for their success. We are happy to have this partnership with CML, and we look forward to expanding the project to other regions soon.”
Communities interested in receiving support for their events should submit their proposals on the official website of the initiative, describing the event and its impact on the startup ecosystem.
According to Isabel Advirta, director of the Employment, Entrepreneurship and Business Department of the Lisboa City Council: “Lisboa Unicorn Capital is committed to boosting entrepreneurial ambition in Lisboa. Through this fund, we empower the startup community to host events that inspire, educate and foster collaboration, thereby fueling our city’s entrepreneurial spirit and helping to keep the pipeline of new startups strong.”
Those interested in submitting applications for the initiative should access the fund’s official page and submit their application, and may ask for help with happy hour / snacks costs, communication support, support to find a place for the initiative to take place or support for report printing costs, for example.
About 351 – Portuguese Startup Association
Founded in 2019 as an informal support body for the Portuguese startup ecosystem, the 351 Portuguese Startup Association became a Non-Profit Association in 2022. In just four years, it has grown into the largest and most active startup community in the country, with 1.300 members, over 10 supported initiatives, and 60 registered volunteers.
