A digital publication about all things startup in Portugal

Adamastor Logotype

Startups & Fundraising Events in Lisboa

Fundraising and startup-building events in Portugal — pitch nights, demo days, investor sessions, and accelerator programs from Founder Institute Portugal, Startup Grind Lisbon, and beyond. Adamastor's co-founders Carlos Resende and Afonso Gonçalves run those programs locally; the calendar surfaces the wider scene.

Browse by topic

October 2026
Days with events (click to filter)

STEM Women Conference | Lisboa 2026

09:00Lisboa

O STEM WOMEN CONGRESS (SWC) é uma iniciativa com mais de 8 anos de história, dedicada a reduzir a desigualdade de género nos setores STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). O nosso projeto tem como objetivo quantificar a dimensão e o impacto das iniciativas STEM que trabalham para diminuir esta desigualdade. Apenas ao medir conseguimos analisar, agir e corrigir para concretizar uma mudança real. Contribuímos para dar visibilidade às iniciativas STEM, posicionando-nos como facilitadores e criadores de oportunidades, envolvendo instituições, escolas, universidades e organizações dos setores público e privado.

Expats in Tech Lunch | Fall Edition

12:30Lisboa

🌎 For expats and international entrepreneurs living in Lisbon or recently arrived, curious about the city’s startup and innovation scene, this special gathering is for you! Join us for this Fall Expats in Tech Lunch Edition, bringing together Lisbon’s international tech community to share an informal lunch at Beato Innovation District. 📍 Agenda 12:30 – 13:00 | Beato Innovation District Tour (optional) 13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch (venue to be announced) Whether you're new to Lisbon, building something in tech, or simply curious about the local startup ecosystem, this is a great opportunity to connect with fellow expats, exchange experiences, discover innovative startups, and enjoy the energy of Lisbon’s thriving tech community during the summer season. ☀️ Price: €30 per person, including lunch. Lunch venue and menu details will be announced soon.

🚀 Road to START Summit X Startup World Cup | Startup Pitch Competition & Networking

17:00Lisboa

When? October 22, 2026 | 5:00 PM Where? The Jerónimo Martins Grand Auditorium, Nova SBE Campus, Lisbon (Carcavelos) 🔥 START Lisbon’s biggest pitch night is back and this year, there’s more at stake than ever. Get ready for an evening bringing together early-stage startups, investors, founders, students, industry leaders, and the wider startup community for a high-energy startup pitch competition and networking experience. 10 ambitious startups will take the stage to pitch their ventures to a jury of investors, industry experts, and thought leaders competing for two incredible opportunities on the international stage. 🏆 Why You Can’t Miss It This year, the winning startup gets two tickets to the global stage: 🎤 START Summit - St. Gallen, Switzerland The winner earns the opportunity to pitch at START Summit on March 18-19, 2027, one of Europe’s leading student-led entrepreneurship conferences, bringing together thousands of founders, investors, companies, and innovators. 🌎 Startup World Cup Grand Finale - San Francisco The winner will also earn the opportunity to compete at the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in San Francisco on November 6, for the chance to win a $1 million investment prize. ✨ What to Expect AGENDA 🎤 Welcome & Opening Remarks 🚀 Pitch Competition - Part I5 innovative startups take the stage. 💡 Keynote SpeechFeaturing a special guest speaker (To be announced). 🥂 Networking BreakFood & drinks will be served. 🚀 Pitch Competition - Part II5 more startups take the stage. 💡 Keynote SpeechFeaturing a special guest speaker (To be announced). ⚖️ Jury Deliberation & Audience VotingCast your vote for the best pitch! 🏆 Winner Announcement & Closing Ceremony 🥂 Drinks & Community Time 💙 About What is START Lisbon? START Lisbon is a chapter of START Global, a leading student-run initiative connecting entrepreneurial students, startups, investors, and industry leaders across Europe. Our mission is to foster entrepreneurship, create meaningful connections, and empower the next generation of founders. What is Road to START Summit? Road to START Summit (RtSS) is START Lisbon’s official startup pitch competition for START Summit in St. Gallen. It gives early-stage startups the opportunity to pitch their ventures in front of an expert jury and the Lisbon startup community with a chance to take their journey to the international stage. What is Startup World Cup? Startup World Cup is a global startup competition connecting entrepreneurs with investors and startup ecosystems around the world. The Lisbon winner will have the opportunity to compete at the Grand Finale in San Francisco on November 6 for a chance to win a $1 million investment prize. One night. 10 startups. Two global opportunities. One winner. Ready to see who makes it to the next stage? 🚀

An evening with Nir Eyal — Belief as competitive edge

18:00Lisboa

What we believe affects what we notice, the decisions we make, and what we think is possible. Join us in Lisbon for a special evening with Nir Eyal, behavioral design expert and author of the New York Times bestseller Beyond Belief, as well as the international bestsellers Indistractable and Hooked. In Hooked, Nir explored how products create habits. In Indistractable, he showed how we can take control of our attention. His latest book, Beyond Belief, looks at something even deeper: how hidden assumptions influence our behavior, performance, and potential. During his keynote, Nir will share how we can identify the beliefs holding us back, question the stories we tell ourselves, and develop beliefs that help us move forward. What you will learn How beliefs influence our actions and decisions Why limiting beliefs can feel like objective facts How to challenge assumptions that hold us back How attention, habits, and beliefs work together Practical ways to improve performance without relying only on motivation Agenda 6:00 PM | Doors open & informal networking Arrive, grab a drink, and connect with fellow founders, leaders, product people, and professionals from different industries. 6:20 PM | Official welcome A short introduction to the evening and what to expect. 6:30 PM | Keynote with Nir Eyal A 45-minute keynote exploring how our beliefs influence our focus, decisions, performance, and what we believe is possible. 7:15 PM | Fireside chat & audience Q&A Around 40 minutes of conversation with Nir, followed by questions from the audience. 8:00 PM–10:00 PM | Networking, drinks & conversations Continue the evening with informal conversations, new connections, and time to meet Nir and other guests. Who is this for? This event is for: Founders and entrepreneurs Business and team leaders Product, innovation, and technology professionals Creators and independent professionals People interested in behavioral science and personal development Anyone who wants to improve their focus, confidence, and performance

Event #5 | Failing Forward Hub

18:00Lisboa

Dearest Failing Forward Hub community, As we already know, our identity moves like a quirky little flock: scattered, animated, and always shapeshifting. Every new encounter — with a person, a role, or a setting — is an invitation for a new facet of ourselves to emerge and say "hi", very much like Didi bursting into Dexter’s lab unannounced. And speaking of unexpected entrances… let’s welcome the brilliant humans who bring their whole multiverse of experiences with them. Mafalda Johannsen is a director of commercial strategy at N. Rich, ambassador at SDRs of Germany, podcast host, trainer at SID, speaker, moderator, published author of "Vendas para Quem (Acha que) Não Tem Talento". 💫 All in all, a relentless female hustler navigating the Tech industry with a lyrical soul. Her #Superpower? 🦸‍♀️ Bringing sunshine to even the dreariest rainy day. Her entertainer spirit is the kind that makes the weather forget itself. Zez Vaz is an award-winning cartoonist, freelance animator, director, and Fiverr Pro seller.💫 All in all, a satirical soul with an extraordinary capacity to encapsulate thoughts and feelings in imagery endowed with a heartbeat of its own. His #Superpower? 🦸 Satire as a check on power. Corporate and Tech very much included. What do they have in common? You’ll be surprised when the reveal drops. Come and join us at Casa do Impacto for another Failing Forward Hub evening where #Tech meets #Artistry and #Wit. 😹 📅 October 26th ⏰ 18:45–21:00 🏠 Casa do Impacto - Tv. de São Pedro 8, 1200-432 Lisboa 📍 Registration form: https://lnkd.in/e4Mwer8D #SecretUnlock: a not‑yet‑published sketch will be revealed #exclusively live at the event, only for those who join. 🤫 #FailingForwardHub #Tech #Art #Community #Sales #AI #Cartoons #HonestConversations

Launch in Lisbon: October 2026 Edition

10:00Lisboa

🌍Welcome to our new edition of Launch in Lisbon! 👉🏼 Launch in Lisbon is your unique gateway to Lisbon’s vibrant innovation ecosystem Whether you are launching a new venture or planning to establish or expand your business in Portugal or Europe, Launch in Lisbon's flagship program from Unicorn Factory Lisboa, is your passport to make it happen. What to expect? A fully immersive, 3-day program made of workshops and sessions with experts in key areas such as legislation, talent hiring and investment, visits to innovation hubs in Lisbon and various networking opportunities with founders and leaders from our ecosystem. What's in it for you? ✅Lay the foundations to successfully launch and grow your business in Portugal (and Europe). ✅Understand the market through practical insights into legislation, hiring, funding, and business setup. ✅Navigate the ecosystem with exclusive access to Lisbon's leading innovation hubs and startup community. ✅Build meaningful connections with founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders who can support your journey. 📅 Dates: October 28–30, 2026 To make the most of the experience, you have two options: 🔥 Join us in person to unlock the full experience and immerse yourself in the heart of Lisbon's innovation scene, or ✨ Join remotely to catch selected parts of the program from anywhere in the world! AGENDA Day 1 | 28 Oct Morning - Onboarding @remote Afternoon - Welcome to Launch in Lisbon Program @Lisbon Rooftop Day 2 | 29 Oct @ Beato Innovation District [full day // in person & remote] Master the essentials of launching and growing your business in Portugal through expert sessions on company setup, hiring, legislation, and the local startup ecosystem. Day 3 | 30 Oct @ Hub Day [morning // only in-person] Step inside Unicorn Factory Lisboa’s Health Hub Community to exchange ideas with industry experts, and expand your network. +Access to: Entrepreneurship Awards | 27 Oct The Unicorn Factory Lisboa Entrepreneurship Awards 2026 - Lisbon’s biggest celebration of entrepreneurship - will bring together founders, investors, corporates, and ecosystem leaders for an afternoon of visionary keynotes, bold startup pitches, and unforgettable stories of resilience and growth. Expats in Tech Lunch | 30 Oct A chance to connect with the international tech community living in Lisbon, meet fellow founders and professionals, and explore new opportunities. Also Included Book optional 1:1 meetings with partners (remote) Note: Agenda subject to updates. Partners This program is designed with the strategic support of our ecosystem & softlanding partners. Limited slots! Register Now! Don't miss your chance to launch something great - right here in Lisbon. 🚀 📩 For more info: [email protected] About Unicorn Factory Lisboa 🦄 Envisioned by the Lisbon City Council to expand Lisbon’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Unicorn Factory Lisboa is the platform of programs and hubs, inspired by international best practices that supports scaleups in achieving sustained accelerated growth from Lisbon to the world.

Expats in Tech Lunch | Fall Edition

12:30Lisboa

🌎 For expats and international entrepreneurs living in Lisbon or recently arrived, curious about the city’s startup and innovation scene, this special gathering is for you! Join us at the Health Hub, one of the newest hubs in the Unicorn Factory Lisboa ecosystem for this Fall Expats in Tech Lunch Edition, bringing together Lisbon’s international tech community to share an informal lunch. 📍 Agenda 12:30 – 13:00 | Welcoming at Health Hub & Introduction to Unicorn Factory Lisboa 13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch (venue to be announced) Whether you're new to Lisbon, building something in tech, or simply curious about the local startup ecosystem, this is a great opportunity to connect with fellow expats, exchange experiences, discover innovative startups, and enjoy the energy of Lisbon’s thriving tech community during the fall season. Price: €35 per person, including lunch. Lunch venue and menu details will be announced soon.

Beato Innovation District Free Tour | WebSummit Lisboa

09:30Lisboa

🌎 For expats and international entrepreneurs living in Lisbon or recently arrived, curious about the city’s startup and innovation scene, this special gathering is for you! Join us at the Health Hub, one of the newest hubs in the Unicorn Factory Lisboa ecosystem for this Fall Expats in Tech Lunch Edition, bringing together Lisbon’s international tech community to share an informal lunch. 📍 Agenda 12:30 – 13:00 | Welcoming at Health Hub & Introduction to Unicorn Factory Lisboa 13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch (venue to be announced) Whether you're new to Lisbon, building something in tech, or simply curious about the local startup ecosystem, this is a great opportunity to connect with fellow expats, exchange experiences, discover innovative startups, and enjoy the energy of Lisbon’s thriving tech community during the fall season. Price: €35 per person, including lunch. Lunch venue and menu details will be announced soon.

App Growth Night during WebSummit, Lisbon

17:00Lisboa

November 9 · 17:00 -23:00 The go-to place for the mobile app community right from the start of the Web Summit week. Web Summit is huge, but it isn't built for mobile apps. Last year we ran the most popular side event for mobile apps — and we're it bringing back even bigger! For whom: founders, growth experts, UAs, performance marketers, creative and monetization teams from subscription apps and mobile games. Meet everyone in one room and close your mobile app contacts from the day one of the WebSummit roller-coaster. No need to chase other side events to find relevant people. AGENDA: 💡 Part 1: Lightning talks and round tables Short but insightful talks, 8 minutes each, with practical cases you can use right away at your work. Folowed by round tables instead of chaotic mingling: you meet the right people around shared real cases. Topics of discussions: Creatives that scale Performance marketing Payment systems Scaling web funnels Growth trends in mobile apps How to Fund Mobile App Growth 🎉 Part 2: The Party Food, music and the whole mobile app community together the ones who actually build them. Meet the people behind the apps you follow, share insights with others and make connections that last beyond the week. ⏰ We meet at 5 PM and have fun until 11 pm, so you can easily adapt it in your busy networking schedule. 📍Unicorn Factory Lisboa Just 15 min away both from the city center and the Web Summit venue. Meet the hosts: ⭐️ web2wave — the #1 tool to build and scale web2app funnels for mobile apps and games. Convert web traffic into high-value subscribers, bypass app-store fees, keep full attribution. ⭐️ Spiral.ad — a creative AI platform for mobile apps. Spiral helps app growth teams research, create, and launch winning ads from a single place. ⭐️️ Braavo — a technology-powered funding platform built specifically for mobile app businesses. It provides flexible, non-dilutive capital to help app founders accelerate cash flow, fund user acquisition, and scale growth without giving up equity. ⭐️️ Zotlo is a mobile first Merchant of Record platform built for subscription apps and games moving revenue to the web. We bring payment orchestration, tax registration and remittance, subscription billing and web funnel building together in one platform

International Pitch Night

18:00Lisboa

Welcome to the International Pitch Night - Web Summit Edition! Unicorn Factory Lisboa is bringing a secondf edition the International Pitch Competition - bringing together startups from all around the globe celebrating innovation, collaboration, and global entrepreneurship during Web Summit week. 📅 Date: Monday, November 09, 2026 📍 Venue: Unicorn Stage - Beato Innovation District 🕕 Time: 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM 🌍 What to Expect 🚀 24 Startups. 6 Countries. 1 Global Stage. Startups from 🇵🇹 Portugal ........ will take the stage to pitch their projects before an international jury of investors, ecosystem enablers, and entrepreneurs. 🏆 Cross-Border Prizes & Soft-Landing Opportunities Winners will receive exclusive international soft-landing packages, giving access to incubation, investor connections, and ecosystem support across participating countries. 🤝 Global Networking Beyond the pitches, the event offers a unique opportunity to connect with +150 international founders, investors, and innovation leaders - all gathered in Lisbon for Web Summit week. 🍸 Drinks, Music & Celebration After the competition, enjoy networking, food, and drinks with the global startup community at Beato Innovation District - Lisbon’s beating heart of innovation. AGENDA 6:00 PM – Check-in & Welcome Drinks 6:30 PM – Opening Remarks from all Countries 6:50 PM – Pitch Competition (20 startups, 5 countries) 8:20 PM – Jury Deliberation & Audience Vote 8:30 PM – Winner Announcement & Closing Remarks 8:45 PM – Networking, Food & Drinks Powered by Unicorn Factory Lisboa and its international network of partners, including: - with the support of ecosystem players driving cross-border collaboration and startup growth.

TOP AI & Deep Tech Startup Pitch Competition at Web Summit

18:00Lisboa

Invite-only pitch competition for early-stage AI and DeepTech startups A Bay Area–caliber room in Lisbon during Web Summit. Every seat is hand-picked: standout pre-seed and seed AI founders, top-tier VCs, and frontier tech operators. Application Form For Startups: https://forms.gle/oULUuvfJBqHxwJkUA 🏆 Prizes Winner: access to the Atlassian for Startups package (subject to eligibility) All finalists: 90% off one year of HubSpot, plus access to HubSpot’s fundraising kit JURY Anand Chandrasekaran — Managing Partner @ Celesta Capital Deep tech VC with $1.1B AUM and 100+ early-stage investments, specializing in semiconductors and AI infrastructure Ex-Partner at General Catalyst Experienced operator: co-founder of Crescendo AI, ex-Meta, ex-Yahoo, and former CPO of Airtel and Snapdeal Ben Joffe — Senior Partner @ SOSV Global VC firm focused on early-stage deep tech $1.5B+ AUM Philip Braddock — Head of Startups @ Atlassian Leads Atlassian for Startups, the program that has onboarded 5,000+ startups globally since launching in June 2024 Partners with 215+ VCs, accelerators and incubators, including Y Combinator, 20VC and a16z Roman Bunin — AI Adoption Lead @ Nebius Nasdaq-listed AI infrastructure company building full-stack AI cloud for model developers and enterprises Leads AI adoption across Nebius; previously Head of Data at Nebius Group Gonçalo Gaiolas — CPO @ DeepL Leads product at DeepL, driving its expansion into voice and next-generation Language AI Previously CPTO at SoSafe, where he pioneered a new category in human risk management; 10 years at OutSystems helping pioneer low-code Tilman Ehrbeck: Co-founder & Managing Partner @ Flourish Ventures Global fintech VC with ~100 startups backed including Chime, Neon, Unit and Kin $850M AUM; previously 10+ years as Partner at McKinsey and CEO of CGAP (World Bank–hosted) Igor Ryabenkiy — Managing Partner @ AltaIR Capital, Founder @ Altalab 400+ portfolio companies, 10+ unicorns backed, primarily at seed stage Notable investments include Miro, Deel, OpenWeb, Turing $600M AUM Stepan Gershuni — Investor @ cyber•Fund AI-native VC fund from the Lido and P2P.org co-founders Serial web3 founder (ex-Bitfury); author of a AI Telegram channel with 63k+ subscribers More jury members and speakers to be announced. Space is limited and by application only. HOSTED BY Sobremesa Events, the agency curating executive events for B2B leadgen in any city in the world. We are the team behind top events at SF Tech Week and Web Summit — past guests have included senior leaders from Waymo, OpenAI, Zipline, and Khosla Ventures. Partners And Sponsors Media partner psy. agency is LLM visibility-first global PR & comms for founders, tech companies & VCs — from day one to IPO. Ecosystem and venue partner Unicorn Factory Lisboa is a powerhouse startup ecosystem transforming Lisbon into the innovation capital of Europe. It has supported over 1,100 fast-growing companies and supercharged over 350 startups and scaleups annually by plugging them into an elite global network of over 160 venture capital firms. Its explosive impact caught world attention, landing the #24 spot in the Financial Times' Europe's Leading Start-up Hubs 2026 ranking.

Empathic Leadership | 4th Event

16:00Lisboa

If you believe empathic leadership drives results, join us for an afternoon at L’Oréal in Lisbon to learn and practice together. Building on our previous sessions, this 4th edition brings together a CEO and a CFO for a candid roundtable on what empathy looks like in high-stakes decision-making: balancing performance with people, leading through change, and creating cultures where teams thrive. What to expect Roundtable with a CEO and a CFO, moderated discussion with live Q&A Interactive group dynamic to translate ideas into practical actions Networking and peer learning Complimentary digital copy of our Empathic Leadership whitepaper (in English) for all attendees Who should attend C-level diretors, founders, people managers, operational managers and HR/People & culture leaders Team leads and emerging leaders committed to building high-trust, high-performance teams Logistics Date/time: 16:00–18:15 (Lisbon time) Venue: L’Oréal, Lisbon (details shared upon confirmation) Access: Invite-only. Registration required. Seats are limited. Secure your spot by registering. If you’re joining with a colleague, please ensure each person completes a separate registration.

Subscribe to Startups & Fundraising events in Lisboa

Add to Google Calendar
RSS feedOther calendars (.ics)

Run a community or building something?

Add this feed to your Slack or Telegram channel and your members get curated Startups & Fundraising events in Lisboa delivered to the channel — no extra work for you, just the relevant ones. Embedding on your own site or want a custom feed? Send Malik a message.

Message Malik on WhatsApp
How to add this feed to Slack or Telegram

In Slack — type in any channel and new events post automatically.

In Telegram — add an RSS bot (e.g. @RssBot, @feedreaderbot) to your channel, then subscribe to the RSS URL above.