AICEP Portugal Trade & Invest | San Francisco

Portuguese #Wine 🇵🇹🍷 exports grew 8.58% in #volume, and 1.25% in #value in the first half of the year, compared to the same period in 2023, according to ViniPortugal, the Interprofessional #Association of the #Portuguese Wine Industry and the entity managing the brand #WinesOfPortugal, to promote the image of Portugal as a wine producing country of #excellence 👌 #France 🇫🇷 (€53.4 Mi), the #US 🇺🇸 (€50.1 Mi), and #Brazil 🇧🇷 (€38.9 Mi) are currently the Top 3 main international markets for Portugal, in #value - €452.4 Mi were exported since January (at an average price of €2.64 per liter).  On the other hand, in #volume, 171.5 Mi liters were exported so far, with the 3 leadership positions going to France 🇫🇷 (17.5 Mi liters), #Spain 🇪🇸 (16.4 Mi liters), and #Angola 🇦🇴 (15.3 Mi liters). In 2023, the harvest in #Portugal was larger than normal, due to the restructuring of the vineyard that made it more productive, but at the same time, there was a reduction in wine consumption both in Portugal and worldwide - which unfortunately created a problem of a surplus of wine in wineries. Quoted in the statement, the President of #ViniPortugal, Frederico Falcao, considered the increase in #exports in volume important, firstly because it happens “at a time when the wine sector is faced with an excess of stock in cellars”, and because it means that Portuguese wines are desired in international markets demonstrating “competitiveness, resilience, and quality” 💪 However, he also stated that the sector continues “to face a challenge when it comes to the average price, which has reduced instead of increasing”. So the goal now is for the Portuguese wine sector to reach exports of €1,200 Mi and grow the average price to €3.19 per liter by 2030, to “guarantee economic #sustainability”, Mr. Falcão said in July in an interview. You can read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/gtYfW-T4 Filipa Anunciacao Sónia Vieira Eugenio Jardim Iara Martins

🚀 Being one of the leading #entrepreneurship and #innovation conferences in South America, #StartupSummit will take place this week, from August 14 to 16 in #Florianópolis, #Brazil 🇧🇷 To promote their #internationalization and increase their visibility in the #SouthAmerican market, 🇵🇹 10 #Portuguese #startups will participate in this year's edition. Let's meet them: - Deeploy – A recruitment and outsourcing platform for UX designers (Fernando Padovan) - STAB VIDA – To be to be “your easy genetics laboratory” is their mission (MedSecurance Project Orfeu Flores) - Enline Energy Solutions– Provides real-time and predicted monitoring and optimization for all types of electricity-related assets (Manuel Trigueiros Rafael Ferreira de Lemos) - FollowUp Global – A platform designed to help citizens legalize their work in foreign countries (Joshua Moreira) - greenmetrics.ai – Utilizes smart sensors and advanced data analysis to help adapt to climate change (Tiago Marques) - Hoopers Club – A global basketball platform that connects players, fans, and brands (André Sobral Costa) - Infinite Foundry – An industrial metaverse platform that combines 3D digital twin technology and virtual sensors (André Godinho Luz) - MyCareforce – A marketplace that connects nurses with available shifts in healthcare facilities (Pedro Cruz Morais) - USEFLOW – A gamified platform for internal communication, training, and development (Eden Wiedemann) - StarMountain – Developing a SaaS solution for end-to-end traceability of cannabis production chains (Diogo Souza) “Participating in this event, with great tradition and reference in the Brazilian startup ecosystem, follows the signing of a MOU in November 2023, which aims to deepen the collaboration, which has been taking place since 2018 between the two entities, and which seeks to reinforce bilateral support for Portuguese and Brazilian startups 🤝 looking to expand their operations to one or another geography”, says Pedro Sacramento, head of projects, operations & internationalization of Startup Portugal, in a statement. Startup Portugal supported 120 startups this year in 7 international events, 50 of which through Startup Portugal's internationalization program: "Business Abroad". And those 50 startups together have raised 100mi€ in investment and employ 600 workers 💪 The 7 events were: #4YFN, in #Barcelona; #WebSummit Qatar, in #Qatar; Web Summit Rio, in #RioDeJaneiro; #VivaTechnology, in #Paris; the #SouthSummit, in #Madrid; #Collision, in #Toronto, and now in Florianópolis, #Brazil 🌍 If you are attending the conference, you can meet the Portuguese delegation at the Startup Portugal Stand, and connect with Startup Portugal, AICEP | Brasil, Turismo de Portugal, Core Angels Atlantic, and Atlantic Hub 🇵🇹 You can read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/gDqgJkRZ

Powerdot 🇵🇹, which operates #electric vehicle (#EV) #charging points, just raised 165 million euros in green #financing - after the 100 million euros they raised this last February 🔋⚡🔌 The Portuguese company - which operates more than 7,800 charging points and has more than 15,000 points contracted in 2,700 locations - has operations in #Portugal, #Spain, #Belgium, #France, and #Poland 💪 According to the company, this substantial financing solidifies their EV charging industry leader position, and it will significantly boost their mission to deploy ultra-fast EV charging points across #Europe 🇪🇺, furthering the transition towards #netzero #transport, as they are set to expand their network to over 3,100 locations by 2026, enhancing the #technology and user experience while continuing to grow the team. This pivotal funding came from leading financial institutions, including ABN AMRO Bank N.V., BNP Paribas, ING, MUFG, Santander - which also acted as sole financial adviser and green financing coordinator -, and Societe Generale! 👌 “This substantial financing is a testament to our financial partners’ confidence in Powerdot’s vision and operational capabilities. With this funding, we are prepared to accelerate our implementation strategy, bringing electric vehicle charging solutions to more locations in Europe and supporting the widespread transition to sustainable transport”, says Luís Santiago Pinto, co-founder and CEO of Powerdot. Congratulations #Powerdot and all the team! 👏👏 José Maria Sacadura Thomas Monteiro Afonso Ramos João Pinho You can read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/gfEGWvBx

This Google's artificial intelligence-based tool which was recently launched in 15 new countries in #Europe and #Africa, including #Portugal, shows detailed monitoring of forest fires in '#Search' and '#Maps' 🔍🔥 “The European territory prone to fires has doubled in the last 50 years”, says Yossi Matias, vice president and head of Google Research, in a post on the Google Portugal blog. As Google implemented this new functionality over the summer, they have already mapped more than 40 forest fires in southern Europe, including fires in Spain, Greece, and Cyprus last June, as well as other fires from Portugal to Kenya 💪 And according to Google, after the start of forest fires in Europe and Africa and in the first week of July alone, around 1.4 million people already saw and used Google's forest fire #notifications — a tool designed to complement existing local efforts to help people access information and stay safe 👩🚒🚒 “We are making this information available, through #alerts and resources that provide #information to people who are close to a forest fire on how to stay safe”, Yossi adds, noting that “the forest fire #monitoring model powered by Google's AI is trained on multiple #data sources, including a wide variety of satellite imagery datasets.” These notifications are overlaid on #GoogleMaps driving directions, indicating to travelers whether their driving directions may have wildfires nearby 🚗 Forest fire boundary maps were already available in the #UnitedStates, #Australia, #Brazil, #Argentina, #Chile, and "#Mexico, but now the tool has also launched in #Andorra, #Bosnia and Herzegovina, #Croatia, #Cyprus, #France, #Greece, #Italy, #Kenya, #Monaco, #Montenegro, #Rwanda, #Slovenia, #Spain and #Turkey - and Portugal 🇵🇹 You can read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/gjGUzTBs

The #Barcelos #manufacturer of high-quality #clothing Pure Cotton, Lda is now controlled (75%) by the Canadian Alberta Equity Fund (#AEF). Thirteen years after being created by Helder Brito, Rui Costa, and Ricki Madsen, the company says this #investment will be directed towards its #growth #strategy, both for the #NorthAmerican market 🇺🇸🇨🇦, and other international markets - with more than 90% of the company's #sales corresponding to #exports, with a strong presence in North America and Europe 💪 To lead the #Minho company in this new phase, AEF recruited Sandra Ribeiro, who has several years of experience in #management and #operations in #fashion, #luxury goods, #jewelry, #furniture and construction materials, having worked before at LVMH, Louis Vuitton, LIB Baby and Kids, LATINO GROUP, PLF MEIAS E COLLANTS, Investwood, and Angora Furniture Manufacturing, Unipessoal Lda.. #PureCotton - which employs around 70 people and had a turnover of 7.2 million euros in 2022 - specializes in the #design, #development, and production of quality clothing for men, women, and children, and also owns its own brands Inimigo Clothing (luxury) and #DRT (lifestyle for young people). “Pure Cotton’s commitment to high-quality products, innovative design, and competitive pricing gives it a unique position in the global textile industry. We are excited to support the company’s growth by providing financial and human resources to accelerate its development,” said Mark Grunert, president of the Canadian fund. “This investment allows us to leverage AEF’s expertise and resources to realize our full potential. Pure Cotton's objective is to become a preferred partner for global luxury brands, emerging brands, and startups, developing and producing iconic pieces for their customers”, comments Sandra Ribeiro, CEO of Pure Cotton. You can read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/ep8ZQPbq

Together with the City of Lisbon (Câmara Municipal de Lisboa), Unicorn Factory Lisboa launched the “Innovation for All” Awards, a #Social #Innovation Challenge, with 360.000€ in prizes - one of the biggest awards in #Europe for #SocialInnovation 🚀   As cities grow, they face challenges that impact the lives of their citizens and innovation can play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges.  Because of that, this Initiative is targeted at #international #startups with #ideas and #solutions 💡 that can address the social challenges of modern cities in 3 categories: 1. 🎓 Quality of #Education: solutions focused on improving the lives of #students and innovating in Primary, Middle, and University education. 2. 🏩 Access to #Healthcare: solutions to increase the quality of life and support #patients in need of #medical care. 3. 👫Integration of #Migrants: solutions to promote social integration and improve the quality of life of migrants. ➡️ This initiative is a unique opportunity for #entrepreneurs, startups, and #scaleups of all nationalities 🌍, countries, and #industries to implement their solutions in the city of #Lisbon, with full support from the City Council and Unicorn Factory Lisboa, plus winning the prize of 360.000€ (€120,000 per category)! 💪 ‼️ 📅 Applications are open until September 8th 🔜 - so APPLY NOW: lisboainnovationforall.com Gil Azevedo Sofia Rolo

The documentary series “#Trafficked”, created by the Portuguese journalist Mariana Van Zeller 🇵🇹, was nominated for 20 categories of the prestigious Emmy Awards dedicated to #news and #documentaries - the so-called "News & Documentary Emmy Awards", including Outstanding Recorded News Program, Investigative News Coverage: Long Form, Science And Technology Coverage, Health Or Medical Coverage, Arts, Culture Or Entertainment Coverage, Business, Consumer Or Economic Coverage, Crime and Justice Coverage, Direction: News, Video Journalism, Editing: News, Sound: News, And Lighting Direction: News, and more 💪 Mariana is the first #Portuguese #woman to have her own show on National Geographic. In this series, she investigates human organ #trafficking, drug trafficking, bride trafficking, and "parallel" markets, that generate and negotiate billions of dollars throughout the world, and learns and explains how the most dangerous black markets work. Her documentaries and reports have taken her to some of the most unstable and conflicting places in the World, in #SierraLeone, #SriLanka, #Brazil, #Nigeria, #Mexico, and #Syria 🌍 Van Zeller graduated in International Relations at Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa 🇵🇹, starting her career as a trainee journalist at SIC, and later presented a travel program for a year. After that, she enrolled in a master's degree in Journalism at Columbia University, in the #US 🇺🇸 One month after arriving in the US, the 2001 9/11 attack happened and she was one of the few Portuguese journalists in #NewYork 🗽, then being responsible for covering and reporting all the events. Many congratulations on these nominations, and your impressive career Mariana van Zeller! 👏👏👏 The Emmy #winners will be announced in September, the 25th (news) and the 26th (documentaries), at the 45th news and documentary Emmy ceremony.

Portugal 🇵🇹 has 3 #startups in the #Top15, and a total of six in the "Sifted 50: Southern Europe Leaderboard" 2024, which ranks the fastest-growing #startups across #Andorra, #Cyprus, #Greece, #Italy, #Malta, #Portugal, #SanMarino and #Spain 📈💪 Meet the 6 #Portuguese startups that made it to the list: 🇵🇹  ➡ #4- Coverflex: is a #compensation #management #solution from #Braga that rolls #benefits, #insurance, meal allowance and discounts into one product. Cofounded by Nuno Pinto, Miguel Santo Amaro 🇵🇹🇮🇹🇪🇸🅱, Rui Carvalho, Luis Rocha, and Tiago Fernandes, the company raised a #SeriesA in 2023 led by SCOR Ventures, alongside Job van der Voort, CEO of Remote.  ➡ #9- Equal Food: "We make all food count" is the motto of this startup from Lisbon, motivated to do something about the 50m tons of fruit and vegetables that end up in the bin every year in Europe; they work with #farmers and businesses to give all food a second chance. With their CEO Alberto Mojtar behind the wheel, they raised money in 2022, led by Google for Startups.  ➡ #15- BRIDGE IN: This #Lisbon-based #startup offers ‘Employer of Record’ services and #payroll processing to companies looking to launch operations in Portugal and Europe. Launched in 2020 by Pedro Henriques, the company notched €4.9m #revenue in 2023, up from €648k two years prior.  ➡ #33- knokcare: This #digitalhealth company based in #Matosinhos (cofounded in 2015 by Jose Bastos and João Magalhães), offers #telehealth services: their #app lets patients book online video consultations with doctors. The company raised a €4.4m round in 2021 from investors Armilar, Mustard Seed Partners, MSM fund (Mustard Seed Maze), Triple Point Ventures, and Social Innovation Fund by Banco Português de Fomento.  ➡ #40- CASAFARI: The #proptech startup operates a #realestate #data platform used by more than 60,000 across Europe - founded in Lisbon in 2017 by Nils Henning, Mila Suharev, and Mitya Moskalchuk. Lakestar led its #seed financing in 2019, and since then, they have raised a €14.4m Series A in 2021 led by Prudence (#NewYork).  ➡ #42- HiJiffy: It is a #conversational #AI tool for customer care and communications used by more than 2,100 hotels, founded in 2016 by Tiago Araújo, José Mendonça and Pedro Gonçalves. This startup raised €3.8m in 2023 in a round led by Caixa Capital Risc, alongside LINCE CAPITAL and Portugal Ventures. Congratulations to all the Portuguese startups, the founders, and their teams! 👏👏 Sifted, by the Financial Times, is the leading #media brand for the #European startup community 🇪🇺, and you can check the full Leaderboard here (https://lnkd.in/dJ-uy2BW), and the full report here (https://lnkd.in/eq6_RWnd)

🚣 “The #Olympic Games are the biggest window of opportunity we have to present and promote our products and always bring leaps in #innovation”, highlights Manuel Ramos, founder of M.A.R Kayaks 🇵🇹, better known as Nelo, already a veteran of this highly competitive event, with a total of 117 #medals, 37 of which have been gold: 🥇🏆 • at its debut, in #Atlanta 🇺🇸 in 1996, the company won a medal; • in #Tokyo 🇯🇵 2020, the athletes who competed in their kayaks reached the podium 25 times, including 8 for gold; • this year, in #Paris 🇫🇷, M.A.R Kayaks is working with athletes from 38 countries participating in the speed canoeing events, and 80% of the 140 kayaks in the competition came from their Vila do Conde factory 💪💪 With 200 workers in #VilaDoConde, and an annual #production capacity of 4.000 kayaks and canoes, more than 90% of which are #exported to one hundred countries, the company does not foresee an immediate Olympic boost in business volume. “In 2024, we will be at €10 million, in line with 2023, but 2025 will certainly be a year of growth leveraged on the work we are doing now”, says Manuel. “The objective is to ensure that everyone feels the boat as an extension of their own body”, summarizes the former canoeing #champion, with a new model developed for Paris. “It is already a tradition to have new things every Olympic cycle. This year, we have technological advances, in #construction and #design, always thinking about improving athletes’ #performance, #speed, and #comfort”, he explains. Take a look at this year's Games "Canoe Sprint" schedule to see these top-of-the-line Portuguese kayaks competing in the French waters: https://lnkd.in/gWMskWwG You can read more about it here at Expresso: https://lnkd.in/gDS3RB8Q Nuno André Santos João Trocado da Costa Nuno Ramos

The Irish developer WElink Group is preparing an investment in the #Algarve Solara4 (WElink Energy) plant, in #Alcoutim (#Faro), to increase #solar capacity and create two #wind farms, and even a #battery storage solution 🌞💨🔋 According to Jornal Económico, the idea to make this plant #hybrid comes from #Solara4's ambition to produce electricity continuously (24/7), making the most of the connection point with 200 megawatts (MW). And the goal is to have everything ready by 2030, then have almost 500 MW, and close PPA agreements ⚡⚡ The investment will be split between €200 million for wind, €35-€40 million for solar, and €70 million for storage, plus a €100 million investment in the second wind phase 💪 “We are seeking to maximize the connection point with hybridization projects. There is still more room to optimize the project with solar over-equipment. We have been studying the wind resource for over a year,” says Hugo Paz Almeida, Project Director Iberia at Welink. And the company is also interested in participating in the storage auction announced by the Government, planning to install 80 megas of storage with four hours of capacity 👌 You can read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/gqmbMSKG Nuno Costa Alemão Luis Rosa Barry O'Neill Joss Ealey John Murphy