Global Partners


Founded in 1805 in Geneva, Pictet & Cie is today one of Switzerland’s largest private banks, and the leading independent asset management specialist in Europe, with CHF 357 billion (EUR 297 billion) in assets under management and custody at June 2012. Pictet & Cie is a partnership owned and managed by eight general partners with unlimited liability for the bank’s commitments. The Pictet Group, based in Geneva, employs more than 3,200 staff. The group has offices in the following financial centres: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Basel, Dubai, Florence, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Lausanne, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Montreal, Nassau, Osaka, Paris, Rome, Singapore, Taipei, Turin, Tokyo and Zurich.
 

Gide is a premier international law firm. Founded in Paris in 1920, the firm now operates from 17 offices worldwide. With 600 lawyers, drawn from 35 different nationalities, Gide offers some of the most respected specialists in all sectors of national and international finance and business law.

In each of its offices in Europe, Asia, North America and Africa, Gide
provides its clients with comprehensive knowledge of local markets,
regional expertise, and the resources of an international law firm.
 

Founded in 1988 by Aletta and Peter Stas and driven by passion, Frederique Constant has grown into one of the larger Swiss watch manufacturers. In 2011, production reaches over 120'000 watches, sold in over 2'700 points of sale in 100+ countries around the globe. Frederique Constant positions itself in the Accessible Luxury segment, with most of its watches selling at CHF 1'000-5'000 retail. The company is expected to continue its annual 25% growth, doubling in size every three years. Over the years, we have earned a reputation as a leading maker of Swiss luxury watches despite the relative youth of our brand. The quality of our watches and the detail involved in crafting each watch is only part of our success story; the rest was driven by watch aficionados and lovers of our brand who saw that we had something different and unique to offer. It is by appealing to this same group of people that we hope to make a difference in the lives of many by soliciting for their support to extend the same affection they have for the brand, towards charities and causes we are associated with.
 

Hosting Partners

 
     
   
CGD Group has distinguished itself in the Portuguese financial market through its impressive geographic diversification, having adopted a prudent policy of internationalisation, based on clearly defined profitability criteria.
The solidity and stability of its financial status is CGD’s most characteristic corporate feature, demonstrating its recognised capacity to increase volume of business and results, even in stages in which the domestic economy has fared less successfully.
Although operating as a universal bank, CGD is also fully involved in specialised financial services, providing customers with a full service international group.
Caixa Capital is the Private Equity and Venture Capital fund management company of Portugal's largest banking group Caixa Geral de Depósitos, present in over 20 countries and with assets above 120 billion Euros. Caixa Capital has a track record spanning over two decades of activity, since the industry was created in Portugal. It is a leading investor in terms of funds under management, portfolio size and diversity, currently with more than 700 million Euros under management and a portfolio of over 80 investments, between direct investments and fund of funds activity.
In terms of its early stage investment activities, Caixa Capital  is both active on the seed and start-up phase, in partnership side incubators, accelerators and business angels, as well follow-on investment opportunities above 1 million Euros along side major international venture funds. The team aims to support global expansion of Portugal related teams and companies and has dedicated teams focused on Enterprise IT, Web & Mobile , Healthtech, and Industrial & Clean Technologies. 
 
 
 
The Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness (IVACE) is a public entity of the Valencian givernment attached to the Regional Department of Economy, Industry, Tourism and Employment. The former Institute for Small and Medium Industry of the Generalitat Valenciana (IMPIVA) was renamed as IVACE accordingly to the  Restructuring Measures and Rationalization of Public Business Sector and Foundation of Valencian Government (D/L 7/2012, published at DOCV n.6886, october 22 2012).
 
The aims of the Institute are managing industrial policy of the Government and business support for innovation, entrepreneurship, internationalization and attracting investment and promoting technological clusters, industrial safety products and industrial facilities, metrology, vehicles and businesses and promoting savings, energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, as well as the management of the regional government's energy policy.
 
 

The Fundación InnDEA Valencia (the Foundation of the Region of Valencia for the Strategic Promotion, Development and Urban Innovation) is an entity promoted by the City Council of Valencia whose aim is to support and promote city’s development through innovation in its different aspects. InnDEA Valencia is developing its activities over a business system, which promotes innovation in the productive areas of the city of Valencia; a local management, which promotes urban innovation activities in order to modernize municipal services by developing its municipal services and offering a faster and more efficient response to our citizens; and a city management that makes Valencia an habitable and suitable place and becoming it to an international benchmark. All the projects carried out by the Foundation aim to promote urban development and innovation in the interest of its citizens in order to improve their life quality.
 
 
 

Silver Partner



Turismo de Portugal, I.P. is the central public authority responsible for promotion, enhancement and sustainability of Tourism activities. Learn more about the Institute’s structure and the main strategic guidelines underlying Tourism policy.

 

 

Bronze Partners


Euronext is the primary exchange in the Euro zone with over 1 300 issuers worth €2.6 trillion in market capitalization, an unmatched blue chip franchise consisting of 20+ issuers in the EURO STOXX 50® benchmark and a strong diverse domestic and international client base. Euronext operates regulated and transparent equity and derivatives markets. Its total product offering includes Equities, Exchange Traded Funds, Warrants & Certificates, Bonds, Derivatives, Commodities and Indices. Euronext also leverages its expertise of running markets by providing technology and managed services to third parties. Euronext operates regulated markets, Alternext and the Free Market: in addition it offers EnterNext, which facilitates SMEs’ access to capital markets. 

 
 

Luso-American Development Foundation is a private, financially independent Portuguese institution. Its main goal is to contribute towards Portugal’s development by providing financial and strategic support for innovative projects by fostering cooperation between Portuguese and American civil society. It was created in 1985, the fruit of a decision made by the Portuguese government to create a private institution that would be constant, flexible and independent in promoting relations between Portugal and the United States, in the expectation that this type of exchange would further Portugal’s economic, social and cultural development. Its initial assets were formed by transfers of funds from the Portuguese government and resources resulting from the Cooperation and Defense Agreement between Portugal and the USA in 1983. Its initial endowments were € 85 million and since 1992 it has lived exclusively from the income on its assets.

 

Founded in 1881, Banco Sabadell is Spain's fourth largest banking group. It specialises in retail banking via a multi-brand, multi-channel strategy and has achieved significant penetration in the corporate market and also among medium and high-income individuals. At the end of the first quarter 2014 its assets totalled €161,093.90 million, with a share capital of €10,185.87 million, 6.5 million customers, a network of 2,343 branches and 17,924 employees. Banco Sabadell forms part of the IBEX 35 index and has more than 237,000 shareholders, of which 46.1% are institutional investors. Historically, it has always been among the leading banks in everything related to the implementation of technology in its operations and has an extensive international network of branches and collaboration agreements that ensure it accompanies its customers on the five continents.

 

Since 1976, when Vasco Vieira de Almeida founded a small law office, up to the present day, our founding partner's unbending ethics and high professional standards are lived on a day to day basis by all of VdA's 200 plus staff. We are proud of the place we have reached at the top of legal advising in the country with the support of our team, made up of some of the best specialists in each area of business.

 

Local Support Partners


aicep Portugal Global - Trade & Investment Agency is a government business entity, created in 2007, focused in encouraging the best foreign companies to invest in Portugal and contribute to the success of Portuguese companies abroad in their internationalization processes or export activities.
Resulting from the merger between API and Icep, former investment and economic promotion agencies, aicep Portugal Global ultimate goal is to promote a competitive business environment that stimulates the international expansion of our economy.
 
Climate-KIC is Europe's main climate innovation initiative with a clear assignment: to support Europe´s most promising clean tech startups to become tomorrow´s leading firms tackling global climate change. At our Accelerator, we provide startups with funding and sound mentoring, world-class entrepreneurship educations in our Masterclass series and with international experience trough start-up tours and the yearly Climate-KIC Venture Competition. 
 
Climate-KIC Accelerator is the largest European clean tech acceleration programme running in 17 countries and regions of the European Union, being currently lead by the Valencian Energy Industries Association (AVAESEN) in Spain. 
 
Sinensis Seed Capital is an accelerator Venture Fund. We support the entrepreneurs in every phase of their project through Bbooster. At first, with the accelerator program and then, with the investment of Sinensis. This is an investment fund through which the most important investments in startups that leave its program of acceleration are made. It is composed by a group of businessmen involved in the internet industry and new technologies, with a target of 12 million euros equity.

 


Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through the study and practice of contemporary music. For more than half a century, the college has evolved to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business, leading the way with the world’s first baccalaureate studies in jazz, rock, electric guitar, film scoring, song writing, turntables, electronic production, and more than a dozen other genres and fields of study. With a diverse and talented student body representing 96 countries, and alumni who have collectively won 305 Grammys and Latin Grammys, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today—and tomorrow.

 
Business Innovation helps to build international companies, using a HYBRID INNOVATION approach and creating ECOSYSTEMS that supports entrepreneurs. Strategy and experimentation are coming together to boost results and increase productivity. Startups need to experiment the idea before they can really grow in a sustainable way. Aligning talent, execution and process in a common strategy is the first priority to get to the next level. Business Innovation, helps the companies through out this process achieving more robust results, with the 24 steps method from the Martin Trust Entrepreneurship Center at MIT, thus leveraging the MIT culture to create the new generation of entrepreneurs. We look only for ambitious entrepreneurs and innovative companies, that want to change the world, that can execute and deliver.
 
The history of ESIC is intimately linked to the business world. Since its creation in 1965. It has focused all its efforts in training the best business professionals. ESIC was the first business school created in Spain and it came about as an answer to the professionals who needed to improve their knowledge in the area of Marketing. Now, 49 years later, ESIC is one of the leading Marketing schools, recognised inside and outside of our borders as one of the best training centres of its kind. With more than 32,000 alumni, ESIC is a prestigious point of reference for companies and professionals.ESIC is organised into five different academic areas:
 

Lisboa City Hall presents a strategy to value the city economically and to attract investment based on the following assumptions:
• To promote internationalization and competitiveness of the city's economy in a local and global scale;
• Create, attract and retain talent, companies, investments and activities in strategic clusters;
• Increase innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in Lisboa;
• Turn Lisboa in an open space to explore new motivations, experiences and concepts;
• Place the city in the main networks and global production chains;
• Place Lisboa in major projects and international networks concerning cities.
 

 

PwC delivers the solutions that organisations currently demand in view of the risks, challenges and opportunities that derive from the globalisation of the world economy.
 
Our PwC Services:
  • Assurance
  • Consulting
  • Tax & Legal Services 
  • PwC solutions
  • Latin American Centre of Excellence
  • Tax Management and Accounting Services
  • Responsible Corporate Governance
  • Intelligent growth
 
Uber is evolving the way the world moves. By seamlessly connecting riders to drivers through our app, we make cities more accessible, opening up more possibilities for riders and more business for drivers. From our founding in 2009 to our launches in over 200 cities today, Uber's rapidly expanding global presence continues to bring people and their cities closer.

 

Communication Partners


Beta-i is a non-profit association created in 2010, with the mission of fostering entrepreneurship through 3 main acting principles: create and energize a culture and network of entrepreneurship and innovation, accelerate startups with global ambition and facilitate their access to investment, create space, services and products focused on startups. Overall, Beta-i has received over 2.800 applications and accelerated over 430 startups, of which 130 are active. Our events are the largest startup gatherings in Portugal, including the Explorers Festival, Seedcamp Lisbon, Silicon Valley Comes to Lisbon, Sandbox Lisbon, Startup Weekend and the first TEDx in Portugal. Beta-i was considered the biggest startup & entrepreneurship promoter in Europe by the European Enterprise Promotion Awards in June 2014.
 
 
Seedcamp is a pan-European London based accelerator launched in May 2007 by a group of 30 European investors that provides startups with seed money, mentorship, office space and support over a yearlong program. In addition to its accelerator program the company also runs initiatives to support the European startup community such as Seedhack and Seedsummit.
Mini Seedcamp Lisbon is taking place on the 2nd October. The aim is to accelerate local startup businesses through masterclasses, networking and immediate feedback.