Resilience

Resilience. We usually define it as the ability to recover quickly from difficulties. A neat dictionary sentence for something that, in real life, is anything but neat.

This week, I kept thinking about the founders we meet across the ecosystem; different industries, different stages, different personalities, yet all connected by the same thread: a stubborn capacity to absorb shocks, adapt, and keep building.

We often talk about vision, talent, timing, capital, networks. All important. But when you listen carefully to founders who have survived long enough to create something meaningful, you notice that the real story is always the same: they were hit, they fell, they recalibrated, and they continued.

Resilience is not glamour. It’s not a TED talk. It’s not a motivational poster.
It’s the quiet discipline of showing up again the next morning.

And here’s the part we sometimes forget: resilience is learnable.
Some people seem to have it naturally, yes. But most founders build it the same way they build their companies — through repetition, mistakes, and the uncomfortable process of becoming someone capable of handling more than they could last year.

I’ve come to believe that resilience is the single strongest predictor of startup success. Not the size of the market. Not the sophistication of the product. Not even the brilliance of the team. Every startup, from the smallest to the most ambitious, goes through cycles of doubt, scarcity, and unexpected turbulence. What separates those who endure from those who fade is the founder’s ability to stay in the game long enough for the strategy to work.

And the truth is that our ecosystem is full of these quieter examples; founders who don’t make headlines but who keep pushing, adjusting, and learning.

They are the backbone of any entrepreneurial country.

So as we enter another week, here’s a simple reminder for all of us building, mentoring, or supporting founders: Resilience isn’t about being unbreakable. It’s about being rebuildable.

And that, more than anything else, is what keeps ecosystems alive.

Keep following Adamastor to stay up to date with our ecosystem.

See you at the next event.

Quote of the week

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.”

Margaret Thatcher

Highlights of the week

• PRODUCTIZED CONFERENCE | 18-19 June (www.productized.co) returns to Lisbon for two days focused on product strategy, AI, and the future of building great products. Get your ticket with 15% exclusive discount here.

• 'Parecia uma boa ideia' an Open Mic with a stand-up vibe, where people share real stories: decisions, adventures, lessons learned, and moments that didn’t go exactly as planned. This Friday at Rose & Stone Viseu

• Santander X Do you want to take your startup or scaleup to the global stage of innovation? Applications open until June 30.

• Know a teenager with big ideas? Unicorn Factory Lisboa is running the Innovation Summer School, a 2-week hands-on bootcamp in Lisbon and Porto where high schoolers (14–18) team up to build real startups, tackle corporate challenges, and pitch to experts. Deadline for applications; Lisbon - June 26 / Porto - July 8.  

• Portugal at SF Tech Week 2026: applications are open until Jul 15

• StartUP Voucher Innovate: Applications for the StartUP Voucher Innovate, an initiative promoted by IAPMEI aimed at empowering young people to create their own jobs in technology-based fields, are open until August 25th.

• Portugal Tech Week Palace are officially opening submissions for: Sessions; Partners; Curators; Ambassadors; and, Volunteers

Congrats

• Portugal Tech Week was selected as a finalist in the “Digital Upskilling” category at the European Digital Skills Awards 2026 (EDSA26)

• Innovation Hubs from Insper Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa and Nova SBE … signed a partnership

• SCEMAI and Savearth selected for Startup Welcome Package in Germany

• Builtrix, Emissium, Empresta AI e GreenDash selected for Sage Impact Entrepreneurship Programme

• Elétrico Pitch, by Remote , is now confirmed for Portugal Tech Week 2026 and is accepting applications.

Something to read, listen and watch

📚O empreendedorismo jovem em Portugal by Carlos Resende

📚Pode existir uma rede de inovação ibérica? by Gil Azevedo

📚1.ª edição do European Startup and Scaleup Scoreboard by European Comission

📚“Portugal ainda está muito atrás dos seus pares no capital de risco” with Thijs Povel

📚Are ecosystem leaders wasting money on accelerators?

📚NVIDIA’s CEO handed Stanford students the playbook for the next 10 years By Ruben Dominguez

📚When AI builds itself by anthropic

📚Sifted 100: Southern Europe Leaderboard 2026

📚Prioritization of Risks from Artificial Intelligence - A Delphi Study of 272 International Experts

• 🎧 Michael Seibel on Lean MVP

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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.