by anunes | Oct 12, 2017 | Investors
Every day we are in contact with awesome startups and incredible founders and we always love to share what they are doing with others. In this case, we asked our very own Pedro Falcão, Managing Partner of LC Ventures, to share 7 startups any investor should keep an eye on:
Abyssal
Abyssal develops integrated Subsea Navigation Solutions for Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) in the Oil & Gas, Marine Renewables and Underwater Mining industries.
Colvin Co
The Colvin Co is born to change the way people buy flowers online by offering an intermediary-free product with an innovative design, for all your moments.
doDOC
doDOC focus on bringing companies to a new era of document creation where processes are automated, optimized and content-focused.
Egg Electronics
Is one of Europe’s most innovate manufacturers of personal charging devices. The company’s first product – EGG PowerStation – is a charging station that combines user-centered product design and engineering with over 100 combined man-years in the field of premium quality charging devices.
Landing.jobs
Landing.jobs is a candidate-driven tech careers marketplace, dedicated to matchmaking great tech talent with great opportunities.
PakketMail
PakketMail was founded with the goal to help webshops in their logistics. It helps many e-commerce-, retail- and wholesale businesses to save time and money in their shipping processes.
Seabery
Seabery Augmented Technology is a global tech company pioneering the development of Augmented Reality (AR) edtech solutions applied to skills training.
by amalienaustdal | Oct 10, 2017 | Corporates, Investors, Startups
Frank Borman, a retired NASA astronaut, once said: ‘exploration is really the essence of the human spirit’. Now, you don’t have to go all the way to space for exploration. There are plenty of wild and unexpected adventures made possible by a short flight. It seems like more and more people share the beliefs of Frank Borman. Nowadays, more people are traveling, going to far-away destinations, whilst seeking more immersive experiences.
More than ever, we are looking for ‘exploration’ and not just ‘holidays’. It is changing the face of the travel industry. New niches are being created, with new solutions entering the market. Three core themes driving the disruption of the industry are demand for sustainability, future traveler’s needs and innovation.
Sustainability
Not only have we become more aware of making our travels a lasting memory, we are also seeking to make a positive impact on the destination we travel to. The travel industry has become the largest industry worldwide, increasing our responsibility to protect and preserve the places we love to explore. Travelling is associated with a large carbon footprint and the derogation of natural and cultural heritage. As we are becoming more aware of this, travelers are starting to demand green and sustainable alternatives at every step of the journey. Now, 70% of travelers expect companies to demonstrate a commitment to preserve the natural environment. Many local and national economies rely on tourism, yet many are starting to realize the negative impact of tourism. Spain is a prime example of a country struggling with mass tourism. Forcing the nation to take constricted action to reduce the number of visitors in its most popular destinations. Thus, there are many changes being made in the industry; new regulations, innovative technologies and sustainable alternatives to combat the bad rep of traveling as an environmentally polluting activity.
The Future Traveler
Travel is about consuming experiences, and we all want a unique experience tailored to ourselves. Technology is making this possible. In turn, technology is making the needs of the future traveler more complex and higher than ever. We want more out of each experience. Each encounter on the travel needs to be unique, memorable, adventurous, effortless and personalized. The future traveler has technology at their fingertips, with access to personalized information, whenever, wherever. Before the trip, technology allows for a more seamless integration of planning tools for easy booking of hotels and add-ons tailored to your interests. During the trip, the connected traveler can easily navigate their way through the final destination and easily discover the offers around you. As a result of social media, the future traveler is seeking unique experiences, going off the trail for a killer image. It is no longer possible to satisfy the needs of the future traveler without innovating and offering tailored services to the individual.
Innovation
There are many technological innovations entering the tourism industry today. Crowdsourcing sites with reviews and advice make choosing restaurants and experiences easier. The sharing economy gives rise to new options in accommodation, such as Airbnb and Couchsurfing, as well as cheaper transportation and meal offers. Online platforms are making it easier to plan your holidays. Virtual reality is making it possible to experience your holidays before you go, to get a glimpse into what you can expect. Augmented reality can be your personal tour guide, tailoring the guide to your interests instead of a generic group tour. There are countless new innovations entering the market every day, improving our travel experience throughout the journey.
It is not a coincidence, that these three areas are in fact the three core themes covered for the Lisbon Tourism Summit. The Lisbon Tourism Summit is an event dedicated to the tourism industry; its innovators, challenges, and developments. Seeking to inspire, demonstrate new solutions and bring together key players in the industry.
As a final note, I will leave you with another quote. Some food for thought.
‘The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see” – Gilbert Chesterton.
by guest | Oct 9, 2017 | Corporates, Investors, Startups
The second edition of Protechting recently came to an end, with three winners selected for the Roadshow to China. We asked one of the founders of the three startups to report back to us on their experiences in China.
Gonçalo Consiglieri is one of the founders of Visor.ai: a chatbot and human messaging platform. Here is his story from the Roadshow to China with Fidelidade and Fosun.
We had the opportunity to participate in the roadshow to China organized by Fosun for the winners of Protechting. It was an amazing experience for several reasons.
We had the opportunity to meet the Fosun group and their associated companies. This was an amazing opportunity for us to get to know more about the company, their structure, and strategy. They can be a great partner for us in the future, both on the commercial side, and as a possible investor for our company.
This visit allowed us to meet the Chinese market and culture. It introduced us to the main challenges and opportunities, in case we decide to start operating in China.
We got to know more about services and trends leading the future of our sector in China. It was mesmerizing for us to realize the importance of WeChat in China and the multitude of utilities it has, not only as a Chat platform but also as a payment method. There are some possibilities and use cases that we can implement for clients in Europe, and it would also be a possibility to implement our system with this platform in the future.
During the visit, we also participated in an international pitch competition. It took place in the city of Ningbo and was transmitted on national TV. This was an amazing and exciting experience, where we had close contact with Chinese Startups and the ecosystem.
The experiences in China were great for us to enrich our relationship with Bdeo and Amiko, the other winners of Protechting, with whom we are exploring potential synergies. We are grateful to Rita Delgado from Fosun and José Maria Villa de Freitas from Fidelidade that joined us for this incredible experience and did a hell of a job, making us feel great and promoting our projects to the Fosun companies and partners that we met.
After this experience, we truly feel we are better, both as a startup and as people, due to all the experiences we had the opportunity to live and the people that we had the opportunity to meet.
A big thank you to Fosun and Fidelidade for all the opportunities that they gave us not only during this trip, but also since the first moment that we met in Protechting.
by tombento | Sep 28, 2017 | Corporates, Investors, Startups
On the night of April 7, 1775, Paul Revere, an American serial industrialist and professed patriot, got on his horse and rode the famous “Midnight Ride” to warn the Massachusetts Congress that the British were planning an attack on a site full of Patriot military supplies. Being well prepared saved the day, and gave Revere fame and what every man truly wants: a poem about him.
Now, I do not own a horse nor am I worried about an invasion. But I am here to remind you of the second coming of the Web Summit. It seems our Irish friends are pulling all the stops for the 2017 edition, bringing with them an energetic frenzy of thousands of entrepreneurs, businesses, innovators, speakers, and enthusiasts looking for the next big thing. And just like Paul Revere focused on preparation (just in case you were wondering if I was gonna nail this war metaphor or not…I did) here are 5 events you’ll definitely want to check out.
- The Pub Summit (November 6th)
Knowing that some of the most valuable connections are forged after hours over beers, we’ve once again partnered with the Web Summit team to host a series of fun-bursting Pub Crawls as part of their Pub Summit. Join us for a tour of Lisbon’s bustling bars and pubs and experience the charms of our fado bars, have a caipirinha and maybe hit one of the city’s nightclubs afterwards. In good Lisbon fashion, the Pub Crawls kick off in the early evening and run until you decide to call it a night.
- The Lisbon Startup Tour (November 6th)
Lisbon is not the new Berlin or Europe’s Silicon Valley. This year’s edition of our Startup Tour is meant to show you just that. Already on our third run, Google partnered up with us this year to take attendees directly into the offices of the best and most interesting startups around: Uniplaces, Unbabel, Hole 19, Pure, Aptoide, Tradiio and 19 others. We’ll wrap up the day with an awesome Espumante Party at Beta-i’s terrace, courtesy of Pure Hookup App, a close friend of ours and an Lisbon Challenge alumni.
- Beta-i’s Diaspora Gathering (November 6th)
This year we’re trying something new. Just before the WebSummit starts, we’ll bring together a small and unexpected group of Portuguese people from all over the world, who are doing amazingly interesting things. Imagine it: a Google DeepMind engineer living in Zurich, an IDEO lead designer living in San Francisco and a Rolls Royce chief project engineer living in Berlin walk into a bar…(shoot me an email if you think this would be your sort of thing).
- Beta-i & La French Tech Present: A Good Time with Food and Friends (November 7th)
I’m hoping the name says it all. It’s a bit of a private event, but I’m sure if you really want to, you’ll find a way or two to get around that.
- Beta-i’s Official Party (November 7th)
Once the first day of the WebSummit comes to a close, the Night Summit kicks in. And with it, our official party. Taking up the whole Time Out Studio in Mercado da Ribeira, we’re looking to host a typically cool and fun Beta-i party at WebSummit. Good vibes, drinks and live music for 1500 people. Tickets are free but you have to book yours to get in. Traditionally, we always sell out.
And that’s it. If you’re curious about any of these events, stay tuned for our next batch of newsletters with more news. If you can’t contain yourself, go ahead and shoot me an email.
Happy horse riding!
by amalienaustdal | Sep 28, 2017 | Corporates, Investors
Throughout history, our ancestors have had the urge to discover new and better places. The curiosity to explore has remained, and it seems to be getting stronger and stronger. I was bit by the travel bug at a young age, and have continued to explore the far-flung corners of the world ever since. But, a lot has changed since my first trip. As technology advances and costs are lowered, unexplored destinations appear closer, making it easier than ever before to jet off for the weekend.
With 8 million people traveling every day, travel has become commonplace, causing the industry to evolve quickly. But, there is one thing that is evolving faster: the traveler. Our expectations of travel, before, during and after the trip, are becoming higher and more complex.
Technology at our fingertips
Long gone are the days where you get lost on your travels and drive for ages searching for a place to sleep. Thanks to geotagging and GPS systems, the connected travelers have access to information about the location and everything happening around us. This access to technology is creating more personalized experiences, allowing us to get more out of our travels.
Jungle trekking is replacing beach holidays
Travellers want more active and culturally immersive experiences. Instead of lazy days on the beach, adventure holidays are the new experiences to bring back home. Think jungle trekking, shark diving, and heli-skiing. The same holds for where we choose to spend the night, from ziplining into a treehouse to underwater hotel rooms to hammocks high above the ground. Ecocube is a startup addressing this, by creating a unique experience where you inhabit the nature in a sustainable accommodation.
A quest for tranquility
Social media has given rise to the need for unique and out-of-the-box travel experiences, for the ultimate post on Instagram. However, this need has also given rise to the polar opposite – demand for a true escape. Away from emails and social media, to unplug and recharge. Some take it a step further and sign up for silent meditation retreats to avoid all forms of communication during their travels.
Lost in translation
Communication can often be an issue when traveling. Without a common language, misunderstandings will arise and you might end up eating something you never intended to eat (speaking from experience). Now, technology has advanced so that we can instantaneously communicate, allowing us to get a greater understanding of the people and the places we visit.
Virtual travel
Tourism boards have created virtual spaces to lure new travelers into visiting their countries. Ground Control has developed a virtual reality space for Porto to show new visitors what they can expect. VR allows you to ‘test drive’ your holiday and experience it before you go, to tweak your planning for the best possible holiday. Maybe this is the start of virtual travel in the comfort of your own home?
Travelling has never been easier. So, what are you waiting for?
Pack your suitcases… Next stop: Lisbon Tourism Summit!
The Lisbon Tourism Summit will explore the new needs of the future traveler, and exhibit the startups mentioned above. The Lisbon Tourism Summit is a gathering for tourism innovators from across the globe to address the challenges and developments within the industry. Together with Turismo de Portugal, Abreu, Airbnb, Amadeus, Barraqueiro, Nos and Pestana we will examine the driving forces disrupting the industry. If you want to learn more about future traveling trends, join us.
by Beta-i | Sep 25, 2017 | Investors
The Lisbon Challenge has just concluded the first stage of the program, the dreaded Bootcamp. After a careful selection process, we finally made the difficult decision of selecting 9 startups to join our accelerator and to receive initial investment.
Meet the 9 selected startups
- City Check – a location-based game app that allows families to play contextual games and find awesome characters while visiting the world;
- Luvotels – the booking.com for motels. Last minute, by-the-hour, discrete bookings of a room when passion can’t wait. Built on Ruby on Rails;
- MonitorFish – fish farming made easy using cognitive capabilities of artificial intelligence to ensure high quality and quantity of fish output;
- Parkio – connecting drivers with parking spaces. Parkio helps drivers to find parking and pay for parking on the go;
- Placeme – an online app that allows entrepreneurs to choose the location for their business by predicting sales potential and help manage it afterwards;
- Reckon.ai – a SaaS application that automates price optimisation, helping retailers to have the right product in the right place with the best price;
- Sparkl – offering ‘Beauty on Demand’, providing beauty services wherever you are;
- Tiger Time – a simple, yet powerful time management app that uses the leading productivity systems to help busy people study better and work harder;
- Wine MNT – the match.com for the wine industry. Wine MNT joins the two main players of the wine supply chain – producers and importers/distributers.
So, what have the startups learned so far?
The Bootcamp was an intensive week that lasted from the 4th until the 8th of September, where the teams worked on the initial steps of their business. All the startups worked with the business model canvas, made financial projections, defined their go to market strategy, drafted a competitive analysis, and presented their pitch decks. After 5 days of hard work, we were able to ultimately choose the teams to move on to the acceleration phase.
What can the startups expect from the next phase?
Now, the 9 promising startups will be going through the second phase of the Lisbon Challenge. During the acceleration, they’ll have the time to focus on validating their business, developing their product, and launching their startup from Lisbon to the world.
At the end, up to 4 startups will receive an additional 50K funding and 6 months of office space.
This article was originally posted on the Lisbon Challenge Blog.
