351 Community Pulse
TECHSTARS COMMUNITY LEADER ACADEMY
September 20th – 21st, 2025
@ IDEA Spaces – São Sebastião, Lisbon
Techstars Community Leader Academy 2025: Fostering Portugal’s Ecosystem Leaders
The Techstars Community Leader Academy returns in 2025 as a key initiative from the 351 Portuguese Startup Association. This Academy is dedicated to empowering and connecting the individuals driving growth within Portugal’s dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem.
This program is for you!
Community leader
Ecosystem
builder
Innovation
seeker
About the Program:
This 2-day, community-led program will bring together 40 selected leaders to receive exclusive training supported by Techstars on building successful startup communities. It’s an interactive experience where community leaders will discuss best practices, exchange experiences, and enhance the maturity of communities across all aspects.
Over these two immersive days, you’ll network with passionate individuals actively shaping vibrant communities. You’ll gain insights into best practices, share examples of successes and failures, and collaborate on defining ecosystem strategies, all while developing actionable plans for the future.
The program will include practical and collaborative moments, offering spaces for leaders to seek help and exchange experiences, along with sessions of co-construction dynamics.
Key objectives:
- Create Network: Build and strengthen the network of community leaders, fostering collaboration and mutual support.
- Map Challenges and Opportunities: Identify specific challenges and explore untapped opportunities present within Portugal’s startup communities.
- Inspire and Empower Local Leadership: Provide community leaders with the vision and practical tools to make a significant difference within their local ecosystems.
- Strengthen the Startup Ecosystem: Directly contribute to the robust growth and resilience of the national startup landscape.
- Develop Actionable Plans: Facilitate the creation of tangible projects and strategic action plans that will continue to drive progress after the event concludes.
Join Us to Shape the Future:
- Help create strategies for the Portuguese Ecosystem.
- Be a pioneer in your community by fostering the right environment for success.
- Through collective efforts, participants will help identify resources, bridge gaps, and cultivate an environment conducive to innovation and sustainable growth.
Insights from the Ecosystem
We are actively conducting a comprehensive research study to diagnose the current state, problems, and opportunities within the Portuguese startup community and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The key findings from this research will be presented and discussed during the event, providing valuable data and context for our collaborative efforts to build a stronger future.
You can learn more about this ongoing work here.
AGENDA
To be announced
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9:00 am -
Check-in & Breakfast
-
9:30 am -
Kickoff
-
10:20 am -
Ecosystem Diagnostic Results & Discussion
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11:20 am -
Coffee Break
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11:35 am -
Ecosystem Diagnostic Results & Discussion
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1:00 pm -
Lunch
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2:15 pm -
Ideation & Collaboration
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4:00 pm -
Coffee Break
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4:15 pm -
Build Sprint
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5:45 pm -
Wrap Up Day 1
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9:00 am -
Breakfast & Kickoff Day 2
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9:30 am -
Recap & Alignment
-
10:10 am -
Design Sprint
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10:30 am -
Coffee Break
-
10:45 am -
Pitches
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12:15 pm -
Design Sprint
-
1:00 pm -
Lunch
-
2:15 pm -
Design Sprint
-
3:00 pm -
Coffee Break
-
3:15 pm -
Pitches & Pledges
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4:30 pm -
Closing Session
Relevant information
The program will take place at IDEA Spaces São Sebastião, in Lisbon.
Schedule:
– Saturday September 20th – from 9:00 to 18:00
– Sunday September 21st – from 9:00 to 17:00
This is a free of charge program, and only key community leaders will be selected.
The event organisation will provide the meals during the event.
The program is not responsible for travel or accommodation expenses.
Financado pela União Europeia - NextGenerationEU
Proudly brought to you by:
351 PORTUGUESE STARTUP ASSOCIATION
Born in 2019 as a grassroots movement to bring together founders and ecosystem players, 351 Portuguese Startup Association has built the first truly open space, where startups and ecosystem actors could easily have access to each other.
Today, the Association has become the biggest and most active startup community in the country, with over 1600 members. It is now developing over 10 projects.
IDEA
IDEA is a community. If at first glance it may seem like a network of cowork spaces, the truth is that, when experienced, everything becomes clearer. A community cannot be explained, and neither can the IDEA experience. You could only live it.
This is the right “place” for those looking for people with whom to share much more than the same workspace. If you’re looking for people to share ideas, knowledge, or just a beer; to find amazing businesses and inspiring people; or people who celebrate your success and support you in the most challenging moments; this is the “place”.
Launched in 2014, the IDEA Spaces network already gathers 4 cowork spaces in Lisbon (Palácio Sotto Mayor, Parque das Nações, Saldanha e São Sebastião), almost 4,000 members and more than 390 companies, being one of the first cowork spaces created in Portugal and one of the largest communities of entrepreneurs in the country.
Supported by:
TECHSTARS
Founded in 2006, Techstars had the goal to help entrepreneurs create a better future for everyone, foster collaboration to drive innovation, and support great ideas coming from anywhere.
Techstars is now a Worldwide Network that helps entrepreneurs succeed, by connecting them to other entrepreneurs, mentors, corporate partners, and investors who will help their company succeed, enabling every person on the planet to contribute to, and benefit from, the success of entrepreneurs.