Startup Braga

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Braga
Startup Braga

Incubator and Accelerator of high potential Startups, from Braga to the World, focused on Digital Economy, HealthTech and NanoTech.

Innovation/Mentoring/Growth/Sales/Investment In partnership with Microsoft, Startup Braga is a leading innovation hub, designed to assist the inception and development of high potential entrepreneurial projects for international markets. We provide business pre-acceleration, acceleration, and incubation programs, as well as facilitated access to investment sources, for startups with global ambitio

ns. From Braga to the World, we focus on Economy, and Verticals helping with Product Innovation, Growth, Sales, and Investment.

09/06/2026

And that's the end of our learning story... 📖 Wait! What about Demo Day? 🚀

David Beckett from Best3Minutes made sure our entrepreneurs are ready.
Months of hard work have led to this moment: the transformation of an idea into a memorable pitch.

🎤 As the startup pitch trainer says, ‘great ideas need a voice’.
Are you good at storytelling? What about telling them to busy people…? Did you know that 92% of startups don't get a second meeting with investors? Why?

From the pitcher's point of view, there is a temptation to tell them everything from start to finish. From the stakeholder's point of view, there's an urge to leave the room — unless you can present them (concisely) with the essentials they need to know to invest in the idea. There couldn't be a better definition: 'Tell a long story short'. ✂️

Topics for a good pitch: (1) the pain of the product, (2) the product itself, (3) what makes it unique, (4) traction/validation, (5) the team, (6) what you are asking for, and (7) why you are the right person for the job.

What problem are you solving (not what you do)? What is the human impact of the problem you are solving? Make it about real people. Ask yourself: is your personal experience one that has a global impact? 🌍 If so, quantify it.

And never forget: ‘finish like a true professional. The last thing you say is the first thing they remember’.

Are you up for a challenge? Come to our Demo Day, on 30 June, at Forum Braga, and tell us the last phrase used by our entrepreneurs. Save the date 👉 https://luma.com/ajq0mvtu

09/06/2026

EN | Startup Braga is looking for an Acceleration Program Manager to join the team and help develop the next generation of tech-based startups with a global impact🚀

Send your CV (including a brief cover letter) to [email protected] with the subject line “Application – Acceleration Program Manager” until 30 June 2026.

PT | A Startup Braga está à procura de um(a) Gestor(a) de Programas de Aceleração para reforçar a equipa e ajudar a construir a próxima geração de startups de base tecnológica com impacto global. 🚀

Envia o teu CV (incluindo um breve texto de motivação) para [email protected], com este assunto ("Candidatura – Gestor(a) de Programas de Aceleração de Startups") até 30 de junho de 2026.

08/06/2026

Our story is coming to an end, but there's still a lot to say about making an impact in governance! 📖

According to João Moutinho, Director of People Pixel Capital, most companies that fail between Seed and Series B don’t do so because of the product; rather, it is because the team could not adapt quickly enough.

There are typically two types of founder archetype: the one stuck on the dance floor, the Executer, who can’t delegate, only reacts to fires and never prevents them, and avoids challenges. The other is the Dreamer, who is stuck on the balcony and disconnected from the reality of ex*****on. The team loses trust and direction.

Where should you position yourself? In the middle. ⚖️ Being the adapter.

João Pedro Cortinhas, Founder & CEO , believes in no shortcuts, only hard work and sometimes smart work. 'No' is the most important word in the ecosystem. The market is the real mentor, and revenue is oxygen.

🎢 For an entrepreneur, running a startup is like being on a rollercoaster. ‘If you don't have the right people with you from the beginning, they will leave you when times get tough’. Having the right team is important, ‘as is the ability to reinvent yourself — every phase requires a different version of you’. Continually improve yourself. Otherwise, you will become the bottleneck in your business. Are you ready to “build a stayup”?.

Staying up in an event, eyes wide open, is as important. 👀 Nelson Sachse, Founder .tech, gave our entrepreneurs ‘The Startup Event PlayBook’. What's the first step? Do your homework. Then what? Focus! Forget the event agenda and spend your time talking to people and connecting with them. When it comes to networking, don't overthink what to talk about or how to engage; just ask genuine questions and listen. The rest will follow…

According to Tiago Carrilho, Head of Knowledge and Training Portugal, we are nothing more than fish in an aquarium. 🐠 'We are always inside a system, even companies', and we normally tend to ignore important things like the oxygen level and algae control. We should be asking ourselves: 'Why do we exist in a world that needs change?'

In a V.U.C.A world - marked by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity , and Ambiguity -, we have to embrace the frequent change, the unpredictable outcomes, the interconnected factors, and the unclear realities. As Henry Ford said, ‘a business that makes nothing but money is a poor business’. The concept of the triple bottom line: profit, planet and people (John Elkington).

📈 The day ended with Filipa Costa, Head of Finance Pixel Capital, talking about what makes a great startup – or, might we say, what makes an investable company. Ultimately, being investment-ready means more than just raising capital; it means proving that the company has the foundations to create long-term value.

02/06/2026

This Tuesday was all about learning how to Boost Capital. 🚀

The day kicked off with Joana Figueiredo, CEO & Co-Founder . As every step matters when it comes to preventing injury and optimising performance, our entrepreneur shared the mistakes they made on their journey.

Mistake #1: D̵o̵n̵'̵t̵ Waste Time on Low-Value Acceleration Programmes.
Mistake #2: D̵o̵n̵'̵t̵ Overthink. Failure is part of the process.
Mistake #3: D̵o̵n̵'̵t̵ Build the business around technology. Focus on the problem, not the technology.

💡 And ‘don’t let the fear of losing take away your will to win’.

For Isabel Carneiro Kahlen, Senior Lawyer Genesis | Morais Leitão, understanding the key fundraising terms is essential. Ultimately, you must ensure you have a term sheet that you understand and are comfortable with. To achieve this, you and your fellow founders must educate yourselves and conduct the necessary due diligence on your investor. Remember, to receive investment, you must first invest your time.

🎙️ The Story Behind a Partner with Ricardo Jacinto. Four tips from a Partner VC: (1) work hard, (2) be open-minded, (3) listen, don’t just hear, (4) keep in mind that ‘luck gives a lot of work’ - find yours. For Ricardo Jacinto, ‘the evolution of technology demands the curiosity to learn and deliver more. Now more than ever, it is crucial to build’.

🤝 ‘Investors and Founder On the Same Page’, with Luís Filipe Gutman (OW Ventures), Pedro Castel-Branco (Armilar), Ricardo Jacinto (Shilling VC) and Rita Branco (3xP Global). They believe that the Portuguese VC ecosystem is very small.

More than ever before, it is important to have clear criteria for choosing a VC approach. ‘If you don’t have a unique and validated project, it is very hard to succeed’. Although there is more money across Europe than ever before, ‘the bar is much higher now. You have to prove yourself from day zero’.

'Raising money is more an art than a science', and if you create the right FOMO, it will happen much faster. Nowadays, founder-VC relationships last longer than most marriages. So, if you're afraid to call your investor when things are going wrong in your company, there's a problem. ⚠️ However, always bear in mind that '70% of VCs actually destroy value for their portfolio companies' (Vinod Khosla).

📌 And remember: even if you don't secure investment, talking to investors is a valuable learning experience (João Fernandes, Director Braga).

01/06/2026

This Monday was all about having the right mindset for Capital Boost and Sustainable Growth 🚀

The day kicked off with Helena Taveira, VC Investor | Pre-Seed, and Nuno Oliveira, Investment Manager | Venture Capital | Pre-Seed Ventures. They shared their expertise on how to navigate early-stage funding in Portugal. With the possibility of a new Call Innov-ID next year, what are investors actually looking for?

💡 For Portugal Ventures, it's all about disruptive technology with the right maturity level and a multidisciplinary team. Why? Because multidisciplinary knowledge turns into ex*****on speed and fewer blind spots. And, of course, a risk-mitigation asset.

However, in order to grow, you need a protection strategy. Sílvia Vieira and Jacinthe Tay, IP Strategists , informed our entrepreneurs of everything they need to know about IP. 💬 'The return on innovation depends on the ability to protect it'. It also increases the likelihood of securing funding. So, what are you waiting for?

Next, the Facilities Management Evangelist, Rui Santos Couto, took the stage. The CMO believes that many startups fail because they lack the confidence to draft and deliver a clear message. What are the ingredients needed to do so?

🔍 Do you know the status quo of your industry? How do they overcome their challenges and solve the problems they set out to solve? In the early years of Infraspeak, everything was done using Excel and paper. The company's solution was simple: a facilities management platform. What is your special capability? There could be hundreds of things, but it doesn't have to be that many. For Infraspeak, it was NFC tags. Have you found the proxies for your special capability yet?

Just a quick recap: confidence means not having any questions about what I am about to say.

🔋In the afternoon, our entrepreneurs gained ‘Fuel and Focus' through the advice and opportunities offered by Adão Oliveira, Equity Manager Português de Fomento, Sandra Alvim, Head of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Financing , Ivanoel Rodrigues, Incubators & Accelerators’ Booster Portugal, and Sofia Bravo, Tech SME’s and Startups Support .

For Ivanoel Rodrigues, Portugal is one of the best places to start a business. ‘The ecosystem is booming, offering plenty of opportunities and close proximity to all the essential partners’. When it comes to financing, Sofia Bravo is certain: 'There is plenty of money. You just need to know where to invest it.' You have to be smart about it, though.

Consider a bottom-up or top-down approach, working in consortia or individually, and applying for grants, awards or repayable mechanisms. Where does your technology readiness level fit? Are you already developing solutions that have a societal impact?

See you tomorrow! 👋

01/06/2026

Last week, we Navigated Bureaucracy to Go Global

The first day started with Anton Hutter and Gary Whiting, Patent Attorneys Shipley. They are firm believers that IP should be seen as an Enabler. But how can an innovation be made investor-ready? What do investors want?

The answer is professionalism, a clear plan, protection for commercial activities, the quality and quantity of IP rights, inventiveness, patent applications versus granted patents, how you will inhibit competitors, and freedom to operate, which requires an understanding of risks and a plan to deal with them.

Legal Chats can be boring, but Madalena Silva Pinto, Senior Associate Law Firm, made everything lighter-hearted. Addressing data protection and regulation is essential for growth, so you need to be aware of user rights and common risks. Let's turn regulatory awareness into a competitive advantage rather than seeing it as a barrier to innovation.

Pavlina Vujović, Managing Director for Future, shared her insights on transitioning from initial traction to international expansion. In her own words, 'Startups don't fail due to bad tech, but because growth is opportunistic, local and reactive'. Instead, it should be 'structured, interconnected and strategic'. 'Scaling is a system, not an event'.

António Meireles (Founder ) and Marcelo Lebre (President & Co-Founder ) then shared their insights on entrepreneurship.

The day ended with a hands-on session led by Sofia Fernandes, Director of Bizdev and Investment Europe | Innovation Forward. One of the first tasks on your check list: build a robust deck.

The following day, AICEP helped our entrepreneurs to explore the Portuguese, Singaporean, German and English markets with the help of: Pedro Silveira, Key Account Manager Portugal Global, Rita Sansana, Director | Singapore, Mariana Gomes, Trade & Investment Manager Portugal Global, and Ferreira Leite aicep, Director Economic and Commercial Counsellor UK.

Then, Marco Duarte Rizzolio and José Alves, Founders @929 Challenge, took our entrepreneurs ‘Beyond Borders’ to explore the Guangdong – Hong Kong – Macao (Greater Bay of China) markets. What's missing? The US? You are right. That is why Pedro Ferreira, Commercial Team .S. Commercial Service Portugal, gave his view on the market.

The day ended with another positive Legal Chat in the company of Luís Roquette Geraldes, Partner & Coordinator Genesis | Morais Leitão, on the topic of ‘Scaling without Breaking’. Let's review three common mistakes: failing to plan for international expansion, losing focus, and disregarding competitors' activities.

23/05/2026

Igniting Potential, Shaping Futures — are you ready to build yours?

One thing is for certain, our mentors will always be just a phone call away:

🤝 Cristina Fonseca, General Partner @ Indico Capital Partners
🤝 David Beckett, Founder & Pitch Trainer @ Best3Minutes
🤝 Filipa Ferreira, Investment Manager I VC I New Business @ Portugal Ventures
🤝 Francisco Silva Domingues, Investment Manager | Venture Capital @ Portugal Ventures
🤝 Helena Taveira, VC Investor | Pre-Seed @ Portugal Ventures
🤝 Nelson Sachse, Founder @ matosinhos.tech
🤝 Nuno Pinto, Co-Founder & CBO @ Coverflex
🤝 Sofia Fernandes, Director of Bizdev and Investment @ Evolution | Innovation Forward

Our journey has only just begun! Stay tuned for exciting updates!

22/05/2026

Igniting Potential, Shaping Futures — are you ready to build yours?

One thing is for certain, our speakers are eager to help:

🎤 Alexandra Ferreira Leite, Director Economic and Commercial Counsellor | AICEP UK @ AICEP
🎤 António (Ruivo) Meireles, Founder @ BIMWorkplace
🎤 Nuno Oliveira, Investment Manager | Venture Capital | Pre-Seed @ Portugal Ventures
🎤 Pedro Ferreira, Senior Commercial Advisor @ US Embassy
🎤 Rita Sansana, Director | AICEP Singapore @ AICEP
🎤 Sofia Fernandes, Director of Bizdev and Investment @ Evolution | Innovation Forward
🎤 Tiago Carrilho, Head of Knowledge and Training @ BCSD Portugal
🎤 Youqing Ma, Commercial Counselor @ US Embassy

Our journey has only just begun! Stay tuned for exciting updates!

21/05/2026

Game Plan for this Friday: Lean Sales and Go-To-Market

Today, the 10AP cohort had the pleasure of meeting Angel Garrorena Crisóstomo. The Founder & CEO Sales promised that by the end of the session, we would be able to design our own sales model. We are certain that this promise was fulfilled. 💡

Early-stage startups usually sell through talent, urgency and intuition. This approach works initially, but it is impossible to scale because it lacks predictability. Having a strategy, targets, and procedures is essential.

The first step: to understand what selling is all about - influencing and convincing in order to solve a perceived need. With this in mind, influencing is not manipulation, convincing is not pressure, and selling is helping people make decisions. Trust is the central asset.

🎣 Selling is like going fishing. Firstly, you have to plan your trip. Where am I going to fish? What bait am I going to use? You need to research in order to generate a sufficient volume of customer prospects to maintain activity levels. How am I going to launch it? Plan how you will engage with potential customers. The goal is to generate trust and curiosity and build a reputation.

🐟 Now that you feel the fishing rod pulling, take a hold of it. But remember to plan how you are going to start the conversation (even if it means provoking them): choose the right channel, generate an effective CTA and DO NOT TRY TO SELL.

Before trying to sell, discover the customer's needs and expectations. Find all the influencers and stoppers in the process, map objections, prepare the proposal and prove value to the client. The path doesn't end there, though. Follow-up: let the client think about your proposal (and think about you).

As you come to a close, remember that objections are not rejections; they are information. Be ready to hit back. 🥊

AI can help with all these processes, but it's not magic. ‘AI doesn’t fix strategy. It multiplies capacity’.

20/05/2026

This Wednesday, the 10AP cohort was greeted at Startup Braga, where the narrative began: the brand as a noun — 'who' — and branding as a verb — 'how'.

🎤 Daniel Teixeira, Co-Founder & CEO , told us all about what a brand is not. The logo? The colours? The product? Not quiet. A brand is all about how people perceive you — good or bad —, what they say about you when you’re not in the room. It's about promise and purpose. Branding encompasses everything you do to achieve that.

📣 Carlos Mendes, Head of Marketing / TAIKAI / BePro Network, also believes that marketing cannot be seen as an afterthought — it must be involved in every aspect of the company.

What you build is different from what gets people to buy. What does your product do? That’s all about what's under the hood. Why do people choose you? It's all about how they perceive you, how they can relate to you, and, of course, the problem you solve for them.

📱Mariana Machado, Content & Marketing Strategist, believes that in today’s world everyone knows the basics of brand social media, even if they think they don’t.

‘Before your product has traction, you are the product’: in fact, 82% of people trust a company more when its leadership is active on social media, and you are 7x more likely to close a deal when the prospect already follows you online. So, what are you waiting for? 😉

💼 ‘No one likes to be sold, but everyone loves to go shopping with friends’. Bernardo Cardoso, Head of Sales , shared the lessons he learned at Enline about building a global sales engine from Portugal. He demystified what he thought sales were all about and what they actually became:

Great technology sells itself x Trust matters more than features; Utilities buy fast if ROI is obvious x Sales cycles can take 12-24 months; One successful pilot unlocks the market x Procurement & regulation shape decisions; Innovation teams can decide alone x Persistence beats intensity.

Our serial entrepreneur, Miguel Regedor, came from a time when a PDF could be seen as a MVP. He now has two companies that were born to meet people's needs: Wellbeing Warrior, which helps companies promote happiness and wellbeing, and Medgical, which automates clinical records. An inspiring Startup Voice. 💪

The day ended with a guided visit to Startup Braga.

Endereço

Praça Conde De Agrolongo, Nº 123
Braga
4700-312

Telefone

+351253142200

Website

http://www.startupbraga.com/

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