For an entrepreneur, every moment of exposure and dissemination of his idea is a potential opportunity for growth, learning and, above all, business. Innovative ideas and disruptive solutions are what the fourth edition of the KPMG Private Enterprise Tech Innovator in Portugal is looking for, a national competition to find the most promising technological startup in the Portuguese market. Registration is open until July 5th.
More than a competition, this initiative is an open way to contact other innovators, receive mentoring from the international consultancy’s experts and to be able to join a global network of partners that can accelerate the journey to unicorn status.
How does it work? The competition is global, but there are phases that take place in each of the 24 countries that participate – including Portugal – and in which the national winners are determined. Here, a panel of judges made up of internationally renowned personalities linked to the academic world and the startup ecosystem will select the finalists from among all the candidates. Then follows the Portuguese final test, which takes place in July at the headquarters of KPMG Portugal, in Lisbon.
is the number of countries from around the world that will participate in the 2024 edition of the global competition
The best national project is then elected to compete in the Global Tech Innovator 2024 during the Web Summit, in Lisbon, where they will have the opportunity to present their innovation to potential investors and other entrepreneurs. “There are many innovative projects with enormous potential, which often go unnoticed, and the objective of this competition is to give visibility and exposure to national start-ups,†says João Sousa Leal, from KPMG Portugal.
History of big winners
After three editions, Tech Innovator in Portugal is looking for the next national representative of innovation. This competition has seen start-ups as notable as Defined.ai, led by Daniela Braga, or Musiversal, headed by André Miranda. In 2023, the award was won by Rauva, described as a “superappâ designed to democratize entrepreneurship and break down bureaucratic barriers that can delay the growth of new ideas.
Founded by Jon Fath in April last year, the company won the national edition of the initiative a few months after its birth and, in November, was at the Web Summit. “Winning the Portugal Tech Innovator in 2023 was one of the great moments at the beginning of Rauva’s journey”, he states, remembering that this “was a victory that ended up giving us a lot of visibility and recognition on the national scene”.
“Now, one year after the launch of Rauva, we believe even more in the potential of the national startup ecosystem,†he highlights Jon Fath
This path allowed them to access “more opportunities†to reach their target audience, small and medium-sized companies, and “was crucial for attracting partners and customers and leveraging our growth and credibility in the market†. Jon Fath has no doubt that the secret to success in this competition is to be disruptive.
“The biggest advice we can give to startups applying this year is to present a truly innovative solution capable of making an impact on the market and the economy,†he says.
As applications for the fourth edition of KPMG Private Enterprise Tech Innovator in Portugal are open until July 5th and the complete regulation can be consulted on the initiative’s website.
This project is supported by sponsors, with all content created, edited and produced by Expresso (see Code of Conduct), without external interference.
