by cristina | Apr 30, 2021 | Corporates, Featured, Startups
Now in its fourth edition, The Journey returns to help disrupt the tourism industry, especially in demanding and urgent times like 2021.
The Journey – innovation for tourism
As every sector, Tourism has always had to adapt to external variables. The year of 2020 in particular, due to the covid-19 pandemic, has proven that adapting to challenges is key for the success and sustainability of the whole sector.
Taking Portugal’s case, tourism represents the sector with the largest economic export activity in the country – accounting in 2019 for 52.3% of services exports and 19.7% of the total exports, and tourism revenues contributing 8.7% to the Portuguese GDP. This reveals its innovation and strategy to be even more crucial.
Following the lead, The Journey program rises once again to its fourth edition, to find the most innovative solutions for the sector, focusing on its recovery and revamping.
This edition is 100% online, yet gathering international startups and the program’s partners to collaborate together into developing pilot projects that will be all about rapid test and implementation. These Pilots should be solving challenges felt in Hospitality, Parks & Monuments, Tours & Activities and Payments. This means that startups from all industries can take part in this innovation journey, given that the most varied technology will be creating positive impact.
The good news is that the Top 14 startups were already chosen for the bootcamp, where they will explore and establish pilot projects between them and partners. Here are the mighty fourteen:
Manages guided visits content used on the visitor’s mobile device and allows the analysis of usage data.
Travel tech company that provides Hotels, Airlines, and OTAs a scalable, white-label product to plan unique and personalized travel itineraries.
The first Cloud-driven tour guide system in app format and an alternative solution to traditional radio group guiding devices.
Transforms the way the world gets together in real life in a post COVID world.
Smart settlement / automation system for the hospitality industry.
AI-powered platform that converts any screen in the public and business domain into a smart, real-time engagement and performance measurement asset.
Frictionless payment through QR codes with no apps, emails, signups or contacts involved.
The google analytics for the physical world. Enables brick & mortar chains to make decisions based on the movement, behavior and interests of millions of people.
Order-and-pay solution for the hospitality industry. Restaurants, Pubs, Hotels, Arenas, and Resorts are made more efficient, while their guests are kept safe and secure.
Using data to help cultural spots (museums, restaurants, stores, and local brands) to understand the purchasing behavior of Chinese audiences.
Multifunctional product able to recognize a huge number of documents and barcodes with minimal energy consumption and maximum security.
Interactive virtual tours that increase only visibility thanks to the partnership with Google.
Solution to help companies/departments/teams to manage shifts to better fit the customers flows.
Digitalize in-person transactions for verticals such as hospitality, health care, retail, access control and ticket vending solutions for attended and self-service transactions.
After agreeing on a fit and work plan, startups and partners will be collaborating together. We’re looking forward to sharing some of those collaboration results in the near future.
Keep up with The Journey!
by cristina | Apr 19, 2021 | Corporates, Featured, Startups
Beta-i carried out an Ecosystem Survey to understand the evolution of the innovation market over the past 12 months among players in Portugal’s tech community.
The survey’s results show a growth in innovation and digital transformation projects during the pandemic.
One year after the beginning of the pandemic, these were the main takeaways:
- 71% of respondents say that the number of innovation projects developed between startups, companies, universities, and research centres has increased between March 2020 and March 2021;
- 50% show an increase in their number of innovation partners to find new solutions to the pandemic’s challenges;
- 47% of respondents give greater preference to seeking local partners rather than entities outside of Portugal;
- Collaboration has also gained new strength, with over 70% of the community upholding the growth of this belief;
- Innovation and digital transformation as agents of change increased 47%;
- 52% of the respondents’ optimism about the future remains similar to the pre-pandemic period, being a more skeptical or pragmatic stance based on issues that go beyond the pandemic context – such as diversifying innovation funding models and reducing bureaucracy and public procurement rules;
- At Beta-i, we also saw our number of projects increase compared between March 2020 (15) and March 2021 (22 projects) and a 22% revenue growth in the first quarter of 2021 compared to 2020.
Alisson Avila, our co-founder and Communication and Knowledge Expert, explained that “the survey was conducted with people who work with innovation and digital transformation, during a year where this was paramount. A year later, this 12 month survey was undoubtedly crucial for the ecosystem to understand the way it deals with uncertain environments and, above all, rethink the way it approaches innovation.”
“However, we must understand the context of the data before assuming a positive correlation. The results show a solid upcoming scenario at a digital level; nevertheless, it may not represent higher revenue generation. It will be essential to align this through 2021, to confirm the trend that collaboration for innovation is a culture and process for generating results in the market,” adds Alisson.
The survey had the participation of 54 players from the technology community, including founders of startups, leaders, large companies’ executives, researchers, and investors, mostly of Portuguese nationality. The answers were collected between February and March, 2021.
by cristina | Apr 15, 2021 | Featured
Beta-i’s team had the chance to join the global productivity movement and receive training on Getting Things Done. Because achieving the path to higher efficiency and effectiveness (so that you can create some well-needed personal time and space) can only be a good thing.
GTD is a personal productivity methodology that pushes you to redefine your approach to life and work. The method was created by David Allen, who published the Getting Things Done book in over 28 languages.
Through the GTD training, Beta-i team members could clear their minds and apply “order to chaos” with some fundamental methodologies:
- Capture: collect what has your attention
Write, record, or gather any and everything that has your attention into a collection tool.
- Clarify: Process what it means
Is it actionable? If so, decide the next action and project (if more than one action is required). If not, decide if it is trash, reference, or something to put on hold.
- Organize: Put it where it belongs
Park reminders of your categorized content in appropriate places.
- Reflect: Review frequently
Update and review all pertinent system contents to regain control and focus.
- Engage: Simply do
Use your trusted system to make action decisions with confidence and clarity.
Want to know more? You’d have to reach out to the Portuguese certified partner, who could help you out with this training, or clarify any doubts.
As per Beta-iers who attended the training, some of the output learnings translate into more efficient and empty email inboxes, no more postponed tasks and a lot of time savings.
by cristina | Mar 11, 2021 | Featured
Circular economy is one of the industries Beta-i is focusing on in 2021. Finding new solutions that will reduce or eliminate waste while optimizing resources is a priority. Besides, innovation in this area has a great potential to grow.
SOL Green Capital is one of the examples of this year’s effort for a more sustainable world. This is the Green and Circular economy vertical of Smart Open Lisboa (SOL), a startup implementation program designed to upgrade the city’s life. Smart Cities focus on Green and Circular economy.
Focused on the validation and integration of innovative solutions, SOL Green Capital complements Lisbon’s identity as the European Green Capital 2020. Also, it leverages on collaborative innovation to turn it even more people-friendly, green and sustainable.
SOL Green Capital has been taking applications from startups to work closely with the piloting partners Águas de Portugal, Brisa, Delta Cafés, Galp and SONAE Sierra.
Applications closed on March 7, 2021 with a total of 188 applications from startups in 39 countries. As the eligible solutions should focus on turning the city smarter, greener, and more sustainable, they must also address one or more of the six challenges presented by the program. All challenges were represented in the applications received:
After a first screening of all applications, the pre-selected applicants will be performing an online pitch before the jury. Afterwards, about 15 to 20 startups will be taking part in the Bootcamp of the program.
Only the ones with the strongest fit will be moving forward to the Experimentation Phase. This is where the startup teams will work closely with the program partners who have selected them and work on their pilots, together.
SOL Green Capital’s Bootcamp will take place in April 2021. The Experimentation phase will occur right after, from April to July of the same year.
by cristina | Feb 12, 2021 | Corporates
By the end of 2020, Beta-i has made what most of us do when the year reaches its end: a retrospective and look into the future. We have reached some conclusions and made sure our clients, the ones that accompanied us throughout the unusual months of 2020, knew what those were.
Together we proved that collaboration is crucial, intrinsic and the key to solve every challenge.
During the last year, Beta-i has emerged with a new brand and the statement of collaboration above it all. We embraced even more what we already knew: we are what we share.
That is why we decided to share with our clients more pieces of knowledge for them to enjoy. With the help of Yomu Books, we’ve delivered 156 books to 97 clients in 13 countries.
With one condition: the sharing must go on. These books must be shared among the teams, so that knowledge can keep on spreading. All 97 companies have received at least one of these books, that must change hands once read:
- Freaknomics by Steven D. Levitt
- Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters
- Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
We hope that this was the beginning of a journey of knowledge for 2021. Keep on sharing!
