São João, Startups & Talent

June arrives and Portugal shifts into that unmistakable rhythm of the Popular Saints: Santo António, São Pedro and, above all, São João. These aren’t just festivities; they’re full‑body experiences. And if you’re in Porto, you know there’s no description that does São João justice. You have to feel it; the noise, the smoke, the music, the hammers, the chaos, the joy.

In Porto, São João isn’t a night. It’s the night.

The city becomes a living organism: streets overflowing with people, 'martelinhos’ and sardines on every corner, improvised stages, fireworks that shake the river, and that collective sense of “we’re all in this together”. Curiously, or not, that same energy is what fuels Porto’s startup ecosystem.

A city that knows how to celebrate also know how to build. Collaboration isn’t a buzzword here; it’s muscle memory. Resilience isn’t a pitch slide; it’s cultural DNA. Creativity isn’t a workshop; it’s how the city breathes.

With the support of the Porto City Hall, the ecosystem has been growing consistently. Not in sudden hype cycles, but in the steady, deliberate way that actually lasts. Talent, investment, international ambition; all rising.

Anchored by players like Founders Founders, UPTEC, Scale Up Porto, Porto Digital, Porto Business School, ANJE and amplified by events like SIM Conference, Porto region has secured its place on the European map.

• +700 Startups and Scaleups (ScaleUp Porto Ecosystem Report, 2025)

• +17.000 employers (ScaleUp Porto Ecosystem Report, 2025)

• +€8.5B in ecosystem value (GSER Startup Genome, 2026)

• Top 60 Emerging Ecosystems globally (GSER Startup Genome, 2026)

Not bad for a city that still insists on grilling sardines in the middle of the street.

Porto isn’t just keeping up, it’s setting the pace.

And doing it without losing itself. That’s the part I admire most. The city grows, evolves, attracts, compete, but never abandons its identity. São João is the perfect reminder of that: tradition and transformation, side by side.

And just like weaving through the São João crowds, Porto’s founders know how to hustle, pivot, and find their own path forward; sometimes through unlikely shortcuts, other times through pure creative stubbornness.

So whether you’re dancing under fireworks or pitching your next big idea, remember: in Porto, innovation doesn’t replace tradition; it grows from it.

Always with that deep sense of belonging: to your neighborhood, your roots, and to a city that looks outward without ever forgetting who it is. 💙

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

See you at the next event.

Quote of the week

“Innovation is part of Porto’s identity, and the SIM Conference shows how our ecosystem is stronger and more collaborative than ever.”

Pedro Duarte (Porto’s Mayor)

Highlights of the week

• Goparity | Impact finance is moving into equity crowdfunding, launching funding rounds between €300K and €1M in Portugal.

• Trans-Atlantic Angel Conference (TAAC) #9 Final Demo Day, happening online on Thursday 25 at 4:00 PM CEST.

• Hire Your AI Team in Minutes | With Abdul Khan from Spinnable.ai this Thursday at BuildUp Labs.

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

• THE IMPACT CIRCLE 2026 is a matchmaking event bringing together ~500 curated leaders and over 15 corporations, connecting promising startups with companies shaping the industries of the future. Startups can apply until 1 June

• 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.  

Congrats

• Porto Ranks Among Top 60 Emerging Ecosystems Globally with 693% Ecosystem Value Growth in the 2026 Global Startup Ecosystem Report

• Lampsy, blue.auth, zeropact, Gazelle, GetVocal, MyCancer, metatissue, RT Beam Tech, Rootkey, DIGin, OctoHealth were the finalists of Startup World Cup Portugal. Lampsy will now represent Portugal in Silicon Valley, where it will compete against winners from more than 70 countries for the 1 million euros investment prize.

• ZeroPact won Caixa Capital award.

• Matterpieces (Construction Impact Award), Typeble (Digital Innovation Award), and OZU (People’s Choice Award), are the winners of Digital Built Demo Day organized by Técnico Venture Lab.

• UpSpeech (People’s Choice Award); VaultHaus (Digital Award); MYCancer (Impact Award), are the winners of HealthQ UP Demo Day

• MindMatch won PITX by Startup Leiria

• Jorge Pimenta as the new Vice President of EBN.

Something to read, listen and watch

📚PIONEERS - O Retrato da Mulher Portuguesa na Tecnologia

• 📚 Is AI Going to Take My Job? (Asking for a Friend Named Joe) by Susana Dinis Correia

• 📚 Thomas: the first YC-backed AI founder

• 📚 EIT Community Supernovas handbook on gender-smart innovation

📚A New Era of Midjourney

📚MAZE: a year of impact

📚Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2026 (#GSER2026) by Startup Genome

• 🎧 IA por IAs: Pare de copiar prompts

• 🎥 “Quando os Digital Twins Resolvem”

• 🎥 Bitalk com Ricardo Morgado, cofundador e CEO da LoopOS

• 🎥 Lyft was drowning in data and losing customers. CEO David Risher fixed it by getting in the car

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.