by dboonstra | Dec 6, 2016 | Uncategorized
Last week, the muscle of the Tourism sector gathered at the school of Hospitality and Tourism in Lisbon. Representatives from Turismo de Portugal, TimeOut Market, Pestana Hotels & Resorts, and Beta-i (among others!) came together to talk about where the next disruption in the industry will come from and how Portugal can align itself to be responsive to changing tastes and need.
The key theme that emerged from the event was that although technology and innovation would be key tools to keep Portugal at the global forefront, it is necessary to stay focused on the needs of the consumer rather than just use technology for the sake of technology.
Carlos Abade, of Turismo de Portugal opened the event discussing how Turismo de Portugal has been supporting and responding to the needs of startups in Tourism. Technology is, of course, at the heart of this, which led to a discussion on Smart Destinations and the future of Lisbon in this field with representatives from NOS and Conteúdo Chave, among others on the panel.
“A smart destination is the one that exceeds expectations” Luís Barata from NOS
After a series of startup pitches, Tech strong-(wo)man and Cisco GM, Sofia Tenreiro, took the stage to talk about the rising expectations of tech within tourism. She proceeded to demonstrate this by making the necessary addition of wifi to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
At Beta-i, we can see the value added to a startup when it works with a larger corporate, it can help with marketplace validation, getting the first big client, scaling up, the list goes on and on. So this next panel brought together startups and Corporates to discuss on stage the benefits and risks of these partnerships.
The most tourist-y panel was next with Francisca Van Zeller, a wine producer from Quinta Vale D. Maria and Joana Cardoso from EGEAC, discussing marketing Portuguese Culture as a Product. Ana Alcobia, GM from Time Out Market, was able to add depth to this discussion in her keynote presentation as she told the story of the Time Out Market and the philosophy that guides the curation of the businesses there:
“The Time Out Market is made for locals and that’s why we have 70% of tourists coming there”.
Secretary of State for Tourism, Ana Mendes Godinho, ended the fall edition of Tourism Day 2016, with a round up of initiatives that her office is pursuing to support startups. There was overwhelming support shown to startups from all the government figures present and a sense that new disruptive technology would lead the way forward for the industry.
by dboonstra | Nov 2, 2016 | Uncategorized
Web Summit is a Monster. A big beautiful Monster. Its big and incredible and terrifying. If you are like me, then you’ve found yourself scrolling down and down through the endless list of speakers, summits, parties, gathering and drinks and felt a little overwhelmed.
Well fear not! This is not a list of all the events of Web Summit in Lisbon, this is a much smaller, cuter, easier to handle list. I want to show you the nicer side-events. These are less about learning how self driving cars will hack our social media bubble, replacing APIs, launching us into a new age of VR Porn and a very confused IoTs! No, this is curated list of side-events that are more interested in networking with specific groups. So sit back and feel comforted in the knowledge that, no matter how much you plan, you can’t possibly go to everything and that’s ok.
7th November
The Lisbon Startup scene has been growing and if you want to see where the action happens and the meet the people pushing the frontier of the Lisbon ecosystem, then this is one to go for. Let’s take the first edition of Web Summit in Lisbon to showcase our startups to the world. Meet the best startups in town – register here to attend and get your own copy of the book Startup Guide Lisbon.
The Uniplaces office in Lisbon was considered by Inc was one of the coolest startup offices.
Are you strong, independent and don’t need no man? Then Woman, I’m calling you out!
This is an informal event between female founders, investors, journalists and startup/corporate employees. This is a great chance to make friends, talk business and swap tips on how to best tackle Web Summit in Lisbon. This is a women-only event and I have it on good authority that donning a dress is not the only requirement.
Ćao you ex-Yugoslavians! Fancy a drink and some fun with some people from your part of the world? Well here’s your chance. The purpose of this event is to gather people from Ex-YU countries to exchange ideas, network and have fun.
Sendgrid is one of the fastest growing companies from the US, and they’re coming to Lisbon for the Web Summit. Attend this meetup at Beta-i and learn from Sendgrid’s VP, Paul Ford. Beers are on us.
8th November
Web Summit in Lisbon is bound to be exhausting, if you want some help getting through the week then this might be the event for you. At this breakfast you will learn how to self-hack with techniques and technology to optimize your health and performance. Everyone wants to be a hacker- maybe this is your way to do it!
A number of Dutch tech companies have organised a mixer for the Dutch community- they chose a rooftop bar presumably because no indoor bar had high enough ceilings for the average Dutchie. Come on by enjoy a Biertje and Kroket!
The verb “Networking” seems to have two meanings – the first is what you tell your boss when she asks you about the latest conference, the second meaning is to party. This event caters to both meanings: first there is a meetup with Beta-i and Techstars, two leading tech accelerators. After 20:00 the gloves come off and the disco balls come out with an all out party until the wee hours of the morn.
The real trick of Web Summit, experts say, is in attending the parties, because once the sun sets that’s when the real deals get closed. So, with this in mind Beta-i and Tradiio decided to throw the best party in town where 1000 entrepreneurs, investors and executives will come together, under one roof, to listen to the best new bands and DJs of Portugal. Join us for the best party during the Web Summit at the iconic TimeOut Market in Lisbon.
Beta-i Tradiio Live will gather 1000 entrepreneurs, investors and executives at the TimeOut Market.
Techfugees Portugal is part of an international network made of engineers, designers, social entrepreneurs and NGOs dedicated to working together and sharing learnings to come up with tech solutions to help refugees from their first journey to their arrival and societal integration. Techcrunch editor at large and Techfugees founder, Mike Butcher, will share what has been achieved to date, and officially launch the Portuguse chapter of Techfugees.
9th November
During Web Summit, I am sure you will be surrounded by the most pro-tech people you will ever meet. This event provides a necessary counter balance to all this pro-tech propaganda by helping us to re-evaluate our relationship with technology.
If the USA is the land of opportunity, then startups are the ones pushing the new frontier out in the Wild West. This event is for startups looking to move to and excel in the land of the brave. Held in Microsoft Portugal’s Accelerator Hub The Reactor, this workshop is run by industry pros who have seen it all.
Lisbon has been compared to San Francisco and this bridge is just a coincidence – or not.
Amazon is a giant, if fact, they don’t get much bigger. Amazon wants to teach startups how they can use Amazon Web Services to keep IT costs down when scaling up. So come down and learn for the best.
Ok, so by now maybe you have been to a couple Beta-i events and you feel like you’re starting to get to know the ecosystem but have you heard of Pixels Camp? Bright Pixel is a venture builder studio – it incubates startups in the heart of the city in Chiado. Get over there and learn about one of the biggest hackathons in Europe.
10th November
Product Hunt is a leading destination for Product discovery. Founder, Ryan Hoover, is hosting a meetup to give launchers, startups and investors to mingle and meet. Registration for this one has ended but Paddy Cosgrave told us to Hack Web Summit in Lisbon, and who are we to disobey the great Cosgrave.
The so called Pink Street will be the epicentre of all the parties on the Web Summit week.
One of the major themes of Web Summit is music and as a result, a lot of music bosses are going to here such as Hans-Holger Albrecht (Deezer), Marian Goodell (Burning Man), Eric Wahlforss (Soundcloud), Jason Flom (Lava Records), Seth Farbman (Spotify) alongside musicians such as Ne-Yo, Tinie Tempah, Ja Rule and many others. With this many pros in the house, it would be criminal if there was no party! This is an other invitation only event- we’ll let you do what you like with that information…
So there you have you have it: just a nice short list of 13 events you should go to in three and half days. See, not every thing about Web Summit has to be absurdly long and scary. Short and cute!
See you at Web Summit. And if you need a place to get work done our office will be open to the community. Meaning there’s free wifi, plenty of desks, warm coffee, cold beer, 1 dog and 2 fish in a bowl, and more than 30 crazy booming startups for you to meet. Register here to let us know you’re coming.
by dboonstra | Sep 27, 2016 | Uncategorized
This week I had the pleasure of attending Road2WebSummit, the run-up event that has been building momentum for Europe’s biggest Tech-Event.
Amongst the Hotshots, Politicians and Gold-Diggers (I’ll let you decide where I belong on that list), was Web Summit resident pitch-king, Jack Costigan, host of the “How to Pitch” Workshop.
Web Summit sees hundreds of startups come and go, they’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly at their pitch competition, aptly named, PITCH (go figure…). So when Web Summit sent their man to show us the light, I thought this would be something worth sharing.
1. Know your Audience- Tailor your pitch
This is an important one because it informs the shape and tone of your pitch. Your audience may be looking to get different things out of the presentation, they may have different levels of knowledge, and, lets be honest, different levels of interest. You need make sure that you are giving them the information that they want.
Some examples of different audiences might be:
- Investors
- Media
- Startup Competitions
- Sales/Customer
2. Say it and say it early
You need to communicate exactly what you do as as early as you can. If people don’t understand early on, you run the risk of losing people’s attention and when the Q & A comes around first question being: “so what do you actually do?”
3. Keep it Simple
You probably know your company too well and your audience likely knows next to nothing. Your pitch needs to bridge this gap. If it’s a short pitch, Costigan recommends the pyramid technique. The pyramid technique breaks your pitch down into 3 key parts: Unique selling point, Industry and Technology. Each form a point on the pyramid and together they tell your story.
4. Keep slides to a minimum
Slides are important but too many of them and your audience could lose interest. Each slide should have a key message and together these should tell the story of your product and company. Costigan recommends a general rule of 6-12 with a minimal, well-designed appearance.
5. Pitch Q & A- Be prepared
This is not a surprising one but the Q & A separates a good pitch from a brilliant pitch. This is your chance to show you really know your industry and your product. You have likely been living your company for the last year so you should already be an expert- now you have to prepare yourself to show it. If there is something in your pitch that you are unsure of, its probably best to leave it out rather than risk being questioned on it later.
6. Finally, Practise Practise Practise
The most natural pitches are the ones most practised. Even Steve Jobs spent hours rehearing his speeches. Maybe you know the content but the best pitch will be the result of hours of practise and fine tuning.
So there you have it- you have all the pitch knowledge you need to be the next Elon Zuckergates- all you need now is, working product, huge invest, thousands of hours of hard work, a great team and more luck than Irish rabbit playing in a field of four leaf clovers.
Go out there and pitch your heart out!
by dboonstra | Sep 14, 2016 | Uncategorized
This Monday Lisbon City Hall hosted the kick-off event for the experimentation phase of the Smart Open Lisboa with great news. The 9 selected startups for the experimentation phase will get free access to Web Summit.
Smart Open Lisboa is a new program that challenges startups to improve the lives of regular citizens, pushing Lisbon towards becoming a smart city. After a week of labouring away with workshops and seminars at the Beta-i offices, the startups will now begin doing the fun stuff as they enter into a 6-week experimentation phase working directly with partners and potential customers validating and testing their solutions. Now they get to see what it all was worth!
Co-founders of Beta-i, Pedro Rocha Vieira and Manuel Tânger, set the tone of event sharing the importance of entrepreneurs claiming that, equipped with the right data and resources, they can develop sustainable solutions to problems faced by our cities.
After some words from the Duarte Cordeiro, vice mayor of Lisbon, the 9 pioneering startups began to showcase their solutions to a packed room of spectators.
Some of these startups include, 360waste, that seeks to create a more efficient way of managing waste collection through the use of sensors in container lids and advanced algorithms to find the best collection route. Anyone who lives in Lisbon knows the pain of the late-night garbage truck and would welcome a better solution!
Another startup that was also part of this list was Fi-Sonic, which seeks to use a network of multi-channel microphones distributed across the city to capture sound. Using this data, they seek to study and monitor the impact of sound in urban environments, with applications including noise monitoring and sound event identification (i.e. identifying people in distress, accidents, etc.)
Luis Araujo, president of Turismo de Portugal, closed the event by stating the importance of pushing Portugal and Portuguese tourism into a new technological grounds.
The next date to look forward to is the Demo day where we will see what the teams have been able to accomplish during the experimentation phase.
This event was made possible by the support of our partners; the Municipality of Lisbon, PT, Cisco, Turismo de Portugal and Startup Lisboa.
