Hey there, it’s ‘Good News’ Monday….

After some careful thought, we decided to extend the deadline for applications of our two startup programs in Lisbon, Lisbon Challenge and Beta-start, until the 7th of February.

We’ve been getting several applications, from all over the world, but we felt the need to give a chance to those who still want to apply and couldn’t make it to the first deadline.

If you’re building an early-stage tech startup, with a product or prototype, and want to boost your growth, you should apply to Lisbon Challenge:

  • A 3 month accelerator in Lisbon with free office space
  • Matching with top mentors and potential partners from companies such as Y Combinator, Seedcamp, Sendgrid, Faber Ventures, Uniplaces and Unbabel
  • Tailor-made workshops on the key challenges your startup is facing
  • Demo Day with more than 400 investors and entrepreneurs
  • No equity taken

And once you go through the program, you get to join our Alumni Network, where you’ll get exclusive access to top events and investment opportunities, international roadshows to San Francisco or London, and access to an interesting list of contacts to help your startup grow.

Here’s what some of our alumni have to say about Lisbon Challenge:

“We were in the very first batch of Lisbon Challenge. At the time, we had just launched our student accommodation platform and it was the perfect time for us to get all the feedback from mentors and occasional speakers that Lisbon Challenge brought to us. Lisbon Challenge and Beta-i really helped us kick-start our business.”

Miguel Amaro, Founder of Uniplaces

“Popcorn Metrics was born during the Lisbon Challenge. During the program we were able to get our whole team working together in a super focused environment which enabled us to quickly get the insights to make a massive “zoom in pivot” and focus on building our current product to enable marketers to set-up their Marketing Analytics Stack without depending on IT. We built a hugely valuable network of mentors, investors and other cofounders - a network that still gives great value today. As a bonus from Lisbon Challenge, we also springboarded from Lisbon Challenge into London based Seedcamp (the largest seed investment program in Europe).”

Paul Boyce, Founder of Popcorn Metrics

If you have an idea for a startup and want to get it started, apply to Beta-start, our pre-accelerator:

  • One month program in Lisbon with free office space
  • Focussed on these weekly topics: Problem, Solution, Viability and Go-to-market
  • Mentoring and coaching from inspiring entrepreneurs
  • Cool workshops on the main needs for idea-stage startups
  • Demo Day with potential partners, customers and early stage investors
  • No equity taken

Here’s what some of our alumni have to say about Beta-start:

“Beta-start and Lisbon Challenge are what I like to call as ‘the hands-on, practical MBA for entrepreneurs. Beta-start was a turning point for me: I came across the pre-accelerator when I decided that I wanted a project of my own – basically, I wanted to become an entrepreneur. Beta-start gave me the tools that I needed to make it real. The daily support and close mentoring are critical when projects are on such an early stage (earlier than Lisbon Challenge). I strongly believe that every entrepreneur should build their startups’ Business Model Canvas on paper, using post-its. The tools and knowledge that Beta-start gave me enabled me to systemise all the ideas I had on my head, and helped me pick the one that had more potential. That’s how Line Health started.”

Diogo Ortega, Founder of Line Health

 

Got any questions? Feel free to reach out.

For Lisbon Challenge contact Bashara Hinnawi, Lisbon Challenge Program Director, at [email protected]

For Beta-start contact Marta Baptista, Beta-start Program Director, at [email protected]