Hello everyone and welcome back to Adamastor,

Hope you all had a great summer, whether you unplugged completely, traveled, or just caught up on some long-overdue sleep. Now it’s time to get back to building, connecting, and making things happen.

At Adamastor we’re excited to restart our weekly journey together, bringing you the most relevant events, resources, and opportunities for entrepreneurs, startups, and the innovation ecosystem in Portugal.

The next few months promise to be vibrant for our community. From local meetups to global conferences, from early-stage support programs to investment opportunities, the Portuguese startup scene is buzzing with energy.

Expect to see:

• 👉 Big events: several cities will host a number of startup gatherings that put founders, investors, and ecosystem builders in the same room. i.e. Techstars Startup Week Guimaraes; WebSummit; Lisbon AI Conference; Pitch nights; Founder Institute Portugal; Porto Impact Week 2025; Portugal Tech Week, …

• 👉 New funding opportunities: both public and private initiatives are opening fresh calls to support early and growth-stage startups. ex: IGNITION PROGRAM by Build Up Labs; Call INNOV-ID via Portugal Ventures; Startup World Cup; Digital with Purpose Startup Global Award, …

• 👉 Community growth: More international founders are choosing Portugal as their base, enriching our ecosystem and creating new collaboration possibilities. ex: Techstars Community Leader Academy; Launch in Lisbon, …

Adamastor will keep you in the loop with events, opportunities, and stories that matter and we can’t wait to hear what you think too.

Let’s turn this re-entry into a season of new ideas, meaningful collaborations, real impact, and moving the whole ecosystem forward.

See you at the next event

✍ Quote of the week

Peace, if it ever exists, will not be based on the fear of war, but on the love of peace. It will not be the abstaining from an act, but the coming of a state of mind.

Herman Wouk, The Winds of War

Week highlights go to:

• 🔷 Guimarães Hosts Techstars Startup Week again in October 2025. All information can be found here

• 🔷 Techstars Community Leader Academy returns in September as a key initiative from the 351 Portuguese Startup Association. This 2-day (Sep 20 & 21), community-led program will bring together 40 selected leaders to receive exclusive training supported by Techstars on building successful startup communities. Learn more

• 🔷 The Technology Fast 50 program is back for its third edition! Promoted by Deloitte, this ranking recognizes the fastest-growing technology companies in Portugal that are redefining the boundaries of innovation. This year, Google Cloud debuts as a partner in the Market Catalyst category, Startup Portugal returns to support Rising Stars, and the Impact, Venture Champion, and Women in Leadership categories remain. Applications until Oct 17

• 🔷 The world’s largest pitch and conference event for startups, next Sep 10 & 11 at Unicorn Factory Lisbon. Join the world’s biggest startup competition and get a chance to win 1 million dollars at the grand final in San Francisco. 👉 www.startupworldcup.pt

Congrats

• 👏 Goparity has been recertified as a B Corporation

• 👏 Plexus Tech acquires BI4all

• 👏 Simplifyer won the Digitalization & ICT category at the 𝙄𝙙𝙚𝙞𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙢 𝘾𝙖𝙞𝙭𝙖 2025 awards, powered by CRIA UAlg

• 👏 startUP Montemor-o-Novo celebrates 12th anniversary

• 👏 Bling Energy raised 15M

• 👏 Transperfect acquires Unbabel

• 👏 Lampsy Health; DAT - Dance, Arts and TangoTherapy; and, GreenDash the winners of RISE for Impact

• 👏 BloodFlow has raised 1.2M in Seed funding

• 👏 3F, Unsolo, and Academia de Jiujitsu Ocupacional were selected as the winners of 'BORA Mulheres 2025

Something to read, listen and watch

• 📚 Amid global slowdown, Porto sees 48% Economic Value growth

• 📚 California’s Portugal Startup Love, uma colaboração crescente by Filipa Pinto de Carvalho

• 📚 Beyond the money: what Horizon Europe means for the future of funding by Bernardo Seixas

• 📚 Inside MT Summit 2025: Helena Moniz on the Future of Machine Translation, Ethics, and Emerging Trends

• 📚 Mulheres no ‘venture capital’. Uma “minoria representativa”

• 📚 Rewarding talent: Country by country review

• 📚 AI Analysts in Venture: Why Funds Are Using AI Agents in 2025

• 📚 Storytelling quizz: How does your story stack up?

• 📚 How to Share Bad News by Kinga Magyar

• 📚 Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2025

• 🎧 João Lopes: “Não há motivo para a Bloq.it não se transformar na maior empresa de Portugal”

• 🎥 BORA Mulheres 25 : pitches of all 10 finalists

• 🎥 Choosing Good Quests: Innovation, AI, and Winning in a World of Regulation

• 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.