by holiveira | Sep 13, 2017 | Corporates
We all know Lisbon is very much on the news. All the major media outlets, from the New York Times, to CNN or BBC, are hailing the Portuguese capital as THE place to visit, and one of the coolest (and at the same time hottest) cities in Europe. A-Listers like Eric Cantona, Monica Bellucci, Madonna or more recently Michael Fassbender all seem to know this…
‘Wired’ magazine also felt something, since they just did a story about Lisbon in their last issue, part of the special edition ‘Europe’s 100 Hottest Startups’, that annually covers the most important and relevant startup hubs in Europe.
The Portuguese capital was featured for the second time in a row, with several startups being showcased and Beta-i also being highlighted as a “key-incubator in the Lisbon scene”, and a “place to visit”.
Under the intro “Portugal’s vibrant capital is a buzzing, historic city that balances a laid-back vibe with a hunger to grow”, Wired goes on to say Lisbon is “a thriving city and the
core of the country’s startup ecosystem”, defining it as “a Global city: 62% of investment into Portugal comes from abroad. Lisbon is by far the biggest draw for these funds, taking two-thirds of that total”.
In
the following pages, they ask successful founders from startups Codacy and Unbabel to recommend their best sites and bites in the startup city,
Besides these references, Wired also highlights companies such as Attentive, and Uniplaces (alumni from our flagship program Lisbon Challenge), as well as Landing.jobs, a startup where we invested.
Wired found that “Portugal has a multilingual population rated as highly proficient in English. Forty-two per cent of its inhabitants speak two languages and 23 per cent speak three. A quarter of the population has a higher- education qualification”.
They also believe “operating costs in Lisbon are some of the lowest
in Europe. Cheap office space is abundant, with low corporation tax helping fledgling firms to get a footing. Salaries are also competitive compared to northern Europe”.
So, it looks like ‘Wired’ has been busy trying to really understand what’s happening in Lisbon… Are you?
by holiveira | Sep 13, 2017 | Corporates
For the past few years, we’ve seen some of the most disruptive startups shape entire industries with their innovative technologies and business models. You find companies like Uber, Airbnb or Tesla, that took entire markets by the storm to quickly implement their businesses and grow at an unsurmountable pace.
This growth and disruptive mindset have definitely shaken things up and for the well-established companies, or the so-called big corporations, it has caused some skepticism and aversion in some cases.
However, while some have chosen to swim against the current and look at these innovative new businesses as the ones to take down, others have brought their organizations closer to innovation and growth, by standing right next to these promising startups.
But the big question is: how can startups and corporates work together?
The main goal here should be to create partnerships where both sides can benefit. Giuseppe Zocco, co-founder of Index Ventures, believes “big companies are lately waking up to the fact that their industries are disrupted by the innovations led by startups. Instead of thinking ‘some incumbents are gonna lose, some startups are gonna win’, startups should be seen as potential partners. Partners to create more value for your company, more value for the consumer, and for the whole industry.”
Corporate companies can and should partner up with startups and there are many ways to make it happen. They can be a customer of the startup’s product, and let that solution improve efficiency within their own organization and deliver a better experience, or they can create a partnership to provide a joint solution to their customers, for example.
But, even though some corporate managers realize the importance and opportunity to work with startups, most of them don’t know where to start.
At Beta-innovation, our innovation team within Beta-i, we have taken the commitment to bring the startup and corporate world together. We have introduced many of the startup methodologies and tools to big companies such as Airbus, Deloitte, Fosun, Fidelidade, Amorim and SIBS.
How? By giving insightful workshops and talks, and by developing together with some of these companies vertical accelerators that are key to bring new ideas to their industries, such as Deloitte Digital Disruptors (Insurance), Protechting by Fidelidade & Fosun (Insurance and Health), Cork Challenge by Amorim Cork Ventures (Cork solutions), Smart Open Lisboa (Smart cities), SIBSPayForward (Payment solutions) or The Journey (Tourism).
So, in the end, the truth is that most corporates now look at startups not as threats but as opportunities, and we’re keen to keep helping both by bringing them closer.
