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Adamastor Weekly

Week 37

Find the customer

CR

Carlos Resende

Expert Evaluator at the European Commission and Co-founder of Founder Institute Portugal.

5 min read

Hello everyone,

Last week was noise, the good kind. Lisbon AI Week spilled across the city, turning streets, cafés, coworks and auditoriums into a living lab of ideas, code and curiosity. Startup Portugal celebrated ten years of building community and giving a stage to those who choose to create. And in Porto, another Startup Weekend came to life with 351 Startup Association and that unmistakable energy of people building simply because they can.

It was a week full of movement, events, stages, gatherings, conversations. A week where the ecosystem felt alive, but when the dust settles, one question stays: what happens on Monday morning when the founder sits down and needs a customer?

Because the truth is simple: Portugal is extraordinary at bringing people together but less extraordinary at helping them sell.

Portugal is world‑class at creating community and now it needs to become world‑class at creating market; because the next decade won’t be shaped by how many events we host, how many programs we launch, or how many stages we build. It will be shaped by how many startups manage to sell here, first, and then everywhere else.

So this week, one question worth your attention: What would happen if every event, every program, every initiative ended not with a pitch, but with a customer?

Imagine the shift, the impact. Imagine Monday morning looking different.

The founder doesn’t need another event. The founder needs a market that moves. And if we get this right, the next ten years won’t be about creating startups; they’ll be about creating companies.

See you at the next event.

Quote of the week

“The purpose of business is to create a customer.”

Peter Drucker

Highlights of the week

  • Applications open for the Founder Institute Portugal next cohort

  • Participate in the Portugal XR Report 2026 Open Call

  • Innovation Box w/ Ordem dos Medicos Dentistas. Apply until this Wednesday.

  • Founder2Founder A six-month mentoring & acceleration program for companies ready to grow. For Algarve-connected companies with customers, revenue, and the ambition to grow faster. Apply until this wednesday.

  • Future Innovators Academia calling all University Students. From campus to the Web Summit stage. University students can submit your pitch deck to Future Innovators Academia by October 16 and your team could pitch live at Web Summit 2026, with tickets and acceleration sessions from Unicorn Factory Lisboa.

  • LUFAPO DAY - Pitch Application in Coimbra. If you run a project or company that combines creativity, technology, design, materials, culture or industry, this is your opportunity to present it to investors, industrial partners and other players in the ecosystem. We are not looking only for tech startups. A ceramics project using digital fabrication, a design studio building its own technology, or a brand reinventing traditional materials, these are exactly the applications we want to receive. Apply runs until Oct 01.

  • Is expanding to Portugal your next move? Discover how with Launch in Lisbon! The Unicorn Factory Lisboa program supports international entrepreneurs and companies looking to launch, establish, or expand their operations in Portugal and across Europe. Early Bird and virtual tickets are already available here.

  • PORTUGAL - EUDIS Hackathon 2026 Autumn, registration for the EUDIS Hackathon 2026 Autumn is now live! We are thrilled that you are ready to innovate and build with us. Please complete the registration form to submit your application.

  • Start From Knowledge be the right program for your project? SFN supports the creation and development of knowledge-based startups, helping turn scientific and technological knowledge into solutions with market potential. The program is aimed at projects connected to higher education and research, supporting the journey from knowledge generated within R&D institutions to the creation of new businesses. More info here.

  • Applications are open for the European Prize for Women Innovators.

  • 4th edition of LISPOLIS Ignite – HealthTech, a program developed by LISPOLIS and aimed at startups and projects in the health sector that are looking to grow their business, acquire new knowledge, and strengthen their connections within the health innovation ecosystem. Throughout the program, participants will have access to 7 days of training, with both in‑person and online sessions covering key topics relevant to building and scaling a HealthTech startup, as well as direct contact with mentors and industry specialists. The program culminates in a Demo Day. Apply until Oct 02.

  • Road to START Summit × Startup World Cup Lisbon Apply and earn the opportunity to pitch at START Summit 2027 in St. Gallen and compete at the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in San Francisco. Startup applications close Oct 4

  • How do we connect knowledge to real‑world application and accelerate regional innovation? Innovation Market – From Knowledge to Application, an event that will transform the Guimarães Market into a true epicenter of innovation on Oct 12 & 13.

  • On Oct 15, the DNA Cascais auditorium will host the TechID Journey — a hands‑on immersion designed to equip women with practical skills in Artificial Intelligence, leadership development, and active employability. Secure your spot here.

  • What if you had just five days to solve a problem your city still doesn’t know how to fix? That’s the question behind Hack4Guimarães 2035. It’s a real challenge, with €20,000 at stake, proposed by local companies in the fields of Aerospace, Protection & Defense, Intelligent Technologies and Sustainability. You join a team (or we help you find one), you build, you test, you present. And in the end, you don’t walk away with just an idea — you walk away with a prototype that can continue to grow after the hackathon. You don’t need a résumé to take part. You just need curiosity. Register until Oct 19!

  • Web Summit 26 first speakers and agenda announced

Congrats

  • LoopOS won the Startup of the Year award at the Circular Tech Awards in Berlin, which recognize European companies and innovators in the fields of refurbished technology and the circular economy. 

  • Startup Portugal celebrated its 10th anniversary.

  • Humanos, Dori.Finance, Zharta, and Trust your Agent among the Fintech Meetup Europe Startup Competition finalists (next Oct 6..8)

  • Usaware Care raised 2.6M

  • Airbus and Critical Software will open a new hub in Lisbon

Something to read, listen and watch

Looking for your next spark of inspiration or connection? Discover what’s happening in the ecosystem—check out the Adamastor Events Calendar and find the perfect event that fits your goals, your vibe, and your stage. From founder meetups to investor talks, there’s something for everyone.

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A weekly read on Portugal’s startup scene. The raises, the launches, and the stories behind them. Every Tuesday by Carlos Resende, who’s curated it since 2017.

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