The world’s most famous event focused on failure, with a presence in over 300 cities across 90 countries, is returning to the Portuguese capital.
The global event FuckUp Nights is reopening its Lisbon chapter, led by the promoters of StoryKnack, with support from local partners 351 Portuguese Startup Association, Lisboa Unicorn Capital, and Startup Lisboa, through the Community Fund. This recently launched initiative aims to support the tech and innovation community by fostering and attracting various events and activities to the city.
With a presence in more than 300 cities across 90 countries, FuckUp Nights is a rapidly growing movement that seeks to change the way we view the different phases of our lives, celebrating failures as moments of growth and learning.
The goal of this event is to create a safe space for sharing experiences and stories of professional failure, with the intention of demystifying what it means to fail in one’s career and embracing failures as opportunities for personal development.
The return of this initiative is scheduled for October 18 at 6 PM at Catch-me Lisboa, located in Jardim 9 de Abril. The event will feature several speakers who will share a story of failure in short talks lasting 7 to 10 minutes, whether it’s about a project that didn’t materialize, a deal that wasn’t closed, or a product that didn’t succeed. They will reveal how these moments allowed them to overcome challenges and grow in their personal and professional journeys.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Simone Franke, a German entrepreneur living in Lisbon, co-founder of the SheSapiens community, an international network of female entrepreneurs, with extensive experience in community building;
- Altino Álvares, CEO and co-founder of PIBHub, as well as co-founder and vice president of Skyness Value;
- Sónia dos Santos, a Portuguese television presenter, TV reporter, and radio host, WWA consultant, and founder of her media company at the age of 22;
- Bernardo Duque Carreira, a serial entrepreneur since the age of 20 and co-founder of 8000kicks with his grandmother, a startup now in its fourth year;
- Eric Bourgault, a pioneer of the digital detox movement and creator of DigiPause, which aims to help people free themselves from digital overload.
The event will also feature an Open Mic session, allowing the audience to share their own perspectives and personal stories under the hashtag #ShareTheFailure. The evening will conclude with informal networking among the participants.
“These sessions are intended to inspire participants to bring innovation and change to their organizations, promoting a culture of transparency and openness regarding business failures. The ability to transform a mistake into a growth opportunity is what distinguishes people who can evolve and implement good practices in their teams from those who remain stagnant. The experience that FuckUp Nights creates through an in-person event with local chapters represents a space of psychological safety, where people’s vulnerability leads to deeper, more real conversations that positively impact the participants’ lives,” says Anshul Punhani, head of the Lisbon chapter.
Tickets are already on sale here.
About 351 Portuguese Startup Association
The 351 Portuguese Startup Association is the largest and most active startup community in Portugal, with over 1,500 members. It is responsible for 10 projects, including Portugal Tech Week, an initiative that aims to establish Portugal as one of the world’s leading hubs for technology and innovation.
About StoryKnack
StoryKnack™ is a consultancy that uses the power of storytelling to create workshop-based programs aimed at professionals of all levels, from students and teachers to startup leaders and business and academic managers, through interactions, training, learning, development, and coaching.
