Startup Events

Best Startup Events in Portugal

Portugal's startup year peaks in November, when Web Summit and Portugal Tech Week fill Lisbon, and Porto, Coimbra and Aveiro run tech events of their own in the same weeks. After that the calendar is quieter: a few Lisbon conferences in spring and early summer 2027.
This guide lists startup, tech, investor and women-founder events across Portugal from October 2026 to the end of 2027, including Madeira. We checked every date on the organiser's own website or a reliable second source. Where a date isn't published yet, we say so, and we mark each event as Confirmed (date on the official site), Announced (date from a reliable second source) or Expected (based on past editions only).
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.

🔗 Add an awesome event

Best Startup Events in Portugal 2026–2027: Calendar from October 2026 to June 2027

DatesEventWhereTypeStatus
23–25 Oct 2026Techstars Startup Weekend MadeiraFunchal54-hour startup weekend, freeConfirmed
27 Oct 2026Entrepreneurship Awards (Unicorn Factory Lisboa)LisbonStartup awards, freeConfirmed
27–28 Oct 2026Innovating Health TogetherLisbonHealth innovation conferenceConfirmed
6 Nov 2026Coimbra, We Have It AllCoimbraStartup pitches and investor panelConfirmed
6–15 Nov 2026Portugal Tech WeekLisbon and other citiesFree tech festivalConfirmed
9–12 Nov 2026Web SummitLisbonGlobal tech conferenceConfirmed
9–13 Nov 2026Lisbon Beyond SummitLisbonB2B matchmaking and pitchingConfirmed
10 Nov 2026Porto Tech Hub ConferencePortoTech conferenceConfirmed
16–22 Nov 2026Aveiro Tech WeekAveiroTech week with a hackathonConfirmed
17–20 Nov 2026NDC PortoVila Nova de GaiaDeveloper conferenceConfirmed
19–20 Nov 2026DevOpsDays Portugal and KCD PortoPortoDevOps and cloud conferenceConfirmed
19–22 Nov 2026Lisboa Games WeekLisbonGames fairConfirmed
25 Feb 2027Building The FutureLisbonDigital and AI conferenceConfirmed
4–6 May 2027Portugal Smart Cities SummitLisbonSmart city and govtech fairConfirmed
27–29 May 2027NFC SummitLisbonWeb3 and digital cultureConfirmed
1 Jun 2027Lisbon AI SummitLisbonEnterprise AI conferenceConfirmed

Autumn 2026: October and November

Techstars Startup Weekend Madeira: 23–25 October 2026

📅 Techstars Startup Weekend Madeira 2026Confirmed
Dates23–25 October 2026
WhereStartup Madeira, Piso -1, Funchal
TypeFirst Startup Weekend on the island: 54 hours to form a team, build an idea and pitch it to a jury
Who it's forFirst-time founders, students and people changing careers
TicketsFree, registration required, limited places
Official sitestartupmadeira.eu
A low-risk way to test an idea. The winning team gets six months of Startup Madeira's virtual office and five hours of mentoring.

Entrepreneurship Awards and Innovating Health Together, Lisbon: 27–28 October 2026

📅 Unicorn Factory Lisboa Entrepreneurship Awards 2026Confirmed
DatesTuesday 27 October 2026, 14:30–19:00
WhereTécnico Innovation Center, Av. Duque de Ávila, 1000-140 Lisboa
TypeStartup awards with finalist pitches, marking Unicorn Factory Lisboa's fourth anniversary
Who it's forFounders, investors and corporate partners
TicketsFree, registration required
Official siteluma.com
A free afternoon with the city's startup agency, its investors and this year's finalists; the awards include a Rising Female Award. The same week, Health Cluster Portugal's Innovating Health Together conference (27–28 October, ISCTE) is the best Lisbon room for healthtech founders looking for a hospital pilot.

Coimbra, We Have It All: 6 November 2026

📅 Coimbra, We Have It All – Portugal Tech Week 2026Confirmed
DatesFriday 6 November 2026, 17:00–19:30
WhereEstação Coimbra-A, Coimbra
TypePortugal Tech Week evening with 12 startup elevator pitches and an investor panel
Who it's forFounders and investors in the Centro region
TicketsNot published; registration on Luma
Official siteipn.pt
Organised by Instituto Pedro Nunes, Coimbra's incubator, with the city council and the University of Coimbra. The panel includes Lurdes Gramaxo of Bynd VC, so it is a short route to Centro-region investors.

Portugal Tech Week: 6–15 November 2026

📅 Portugal Tech Week 2026Confirmed
Dates6–15 November 2026 (PTW Palace hub in Lisbon 9–13 November)
WherePTW Palace, Rua Gomes Freire 98, Lisbon, and events in Porto, Coimbra, Braga, Aveiro and Faro
TypeDecentralised tech festival of free events by many organisers
Who it's forFounders, tech workers and investors
TicketsFree
Official siteportugaltechweek.com
Organised by the 351 Association, the Portuguese startup association. Founders outside Lisbon can join without a Web Summit ticket, and on 10 November PTW Palace hosts a session on how AI tools change how women do business.

Web Summit and Lisbon Beyond Summit: 9–13 November 2026

📅 Web Summit 2026Confirmed
Dates9–12 November 2026
WhereMEO Arena, Rossio dos Olivais, 1990-231 Lisboa
TypeGlobal tech conference with the PITCH startup competition and ALPHA and BETA startup packages
Who it's forFounders, investors, corporates and press
TicketsGeneral attendee €1,295 including VAT on 19 October 2026 (prices change); women in tech tickets sold out
Official sitewebsummit.com
One of Europe's biggest yearly meetings of founders, investors and tech press. Startups can apply for a startup package instead of paying full price. Around it, Lisbon Beyond Summit (9–13 November, Myriad Crystal Center) books one-to-one B2B meetings in advance, and Startup Portugal's events page lists a Startup Guide Summit on 9 November with a discount code.

Porto Tech Hub Conference: 10 November 2026

📅 Porto Tech Hub Conference 2026Confirmed
Dates10 November 2026
WhereAlfândega do Porto, Rua Nova da Alfândega, Porto
Type11th edition of the north of Portugal's biggest tech conference
Who it's forDevelopers, tech companies and founders
TicketsPrice depends on when you buy; see the official site
Official siteportotechhub.com
The largest tech crowd in Porto, run by the Porto Tech Hub association, and a good place to meet engineers you may want to hire.

Aveiro Tech Week: 16–22 November 2026

📅 Aveiro Tech Week 2026Confirmed
Dates16–22 November 2026
WhereSeveral venues in Aveiro
TypeSeventh tech week with talks, workshops, demos and the Aveiro Tech City Hackathon
Who it's forStartups, students and the public
TicketsNot published
Official sitetechweek.aveirotechcity.pt
The city council runs it with Aveiro Tech City. The hackathon has challenges from companies such as Altice Labs; registration is open until 4 November. The same week, Global Entrepreneurship Week runs on 16–22 November; we found no Portuguese host programme yet.

Porto: NDC Porto, DevOpsDays and KCD, 17–20 November 2026

📅 NDC Porto 2026Confirmed
Dates17–20 November 2026
WhereTivoli Kopke Porto Gaia Hotel, R. do Barão de Forrester 69, Vila Nova de Gaia
TypeFour-day software developer conference with two days of workshops
Who it's forDevelopers, CTOs and technical founders
Tickets2-Day Conference Pass €990 plus 23% VAT
Official sitendcporto.com
Worth it for technical founders and for hiring senior engineers. Cheaper: DevOpsDays Portugal runs with KCD Porto, a cloud-native community conference, on 19–20 November in Porto; the venue is not published yet.

Lisboa Games Week: 19–22 November 2026

📅 Lisboa Games Week 2026Confirmed
Dates19–22 November 2026
WhereFIL – Parque das Nações, Lisbon
TypeGames fair with exhibitors, gaming areas and school visits
Who it's forGame studios, indie developers and players
TicketsSee the official site
Official sitelisboagamesweek.pt
For founders of game studios it is the biggest Portuguese audience of players in one place; the organiser cites more than 40,000 visitors.

Winter and spring 2027: February to June

Building The Future, Lisbon: 25 February 2027

📅 Building The Future 2027Confirmed
Dates25 February 2027
WherePavilhão Carlos Lopes, Parque Eduardo VII, 1070-099 Lisboa
TypeDigital transformation and AI conference (theme: AI. Scale to Compete)
Who it's forOrganisations, startups and the public sector
TicketsFree online ticket; in-person places by invitation from the organisers or sponsors
Official sitebuildingthefuture.pt
You can watch for free online. To get in the room with corporate and public-sector buyers, ask the organisers or a sponsor for an invitation.

Portugal Smart Cities Summit, Lisbon: 4–6 May 2027

📅 Portugal Smart Cities Summit 2027Confirmed
Dates4–6 May 2027, 10:00–18:00
WhereFIL, Parque das Nações, Lisbon
TypeSmart city, govtech and proptech fair with conferences and awards
Who it's forStartups selling to city councils and utilities
TicketsNot published
Official siteportugalsmartcities.fil.pt
If your customers are municipalities, this is where Portuguese city councils come to buy. Book meetings before the fair opens.

NFC Summit and Lisbon AI Summit: May and June 2027

📅 NFC Summit 2027Confirmed
Dates27–29 May 2027
WhereUnicorn Factory Lisboa, Lisbon
TypeSixth edition of a Web3 and digital culture conference
Who it's forWeb3 founders, creators and investors
TicketsTickets on sale; see the official site
Official sitenfcsummit.com
A community-run crowd of Web3 builders and artists at the city's startup campus in Beato.
📅 Lisbon AI Summit 2027Confirmed
Dates1 June 2027
WhereLisbon Congress Centre, Praça das Indústrias 1, Belém
TypeEnterprise AI conference
Who it's forAI founders selling to large companies
Tickets2027 price not published (the 2026 pass was €780 plus VAT)
Official sitelisbonaisummit.com
A one-day meeting of corporate AI decision-makers. It is expensive, so go if enterprise buyers are your market. For every Lisbon date, see our guide to must attend startup events in Lisbon.

Summer and autumn 2027

No Portuguese startup event for the second half of 2027 has a date yet. Web Summit has not announced its 2027 dates; it is expected in November, with Portugal Tech Week, the Porto Tech Hub Conference and Aveiro Tech Week around it again.

Dates not announced yet

  • SIM Conference, Porto: Startup Portugal's investment and matching conference ran on 14–15 May 2026 at the Alfândega do Porto, and Porto agreed to host it until 2027; expected in May 2027. startupportugal.com
  • Madeira Startup Retreat, Funchal: the seventh edition ran from 9 February to 20 March 2026; an eighth edition is expected in early 2027. retreat.startupmadeira.eu
  • Unicorn Week, Lisbon: the city's week of startup events was last confirmed for 2–6 June 2025; expected in June 2027. unicornfactorylisboa.com
  • Productized, Lisbon: the product conference ran on 18–19 June 2026 at the Museum of the Orient; expected in June 2027. productized.co
  • Encontro Ciência e Inovação, Lisbon: the national science and innovation meeting ran on 15–16 July 2026; expected in July 2027. cienciainovacao.pt
  • Semana da Economia, Braga: InvestBraga's business weeks, with Startup Braga demo days, ran in May and June; expected again in 2027. startupbraga.com
  • ETHGlobal Lisbon (last 24–26 July 2026), the Algarve Tech Hub Summit (last 5–7 November 2025, Lagos) and StartupWeek Ponta Delgada in the Azores (last 18–21 November 2025): no new date found yet.

Past events and events that moved

  • Startup Capital Summit, Coimbra: held on 3 June 2026 at the Convento São Francisco. It runs every two years, so the next edition is probably in 2028. startupcapitalsummit.com
  • Fintech Meetup Europe: held in Lisbon on 6–8 October 2026; the 2027 edition moves to Paris (5–7 July 2027). europe.fintechmeetup.com
  • PWIT Women & Leadership 2026: held on 17 October 2026 in Porto. portuguesewomenintech.com
  • Pixels Camp (last held in 2020) and the Lisbon Investment Summit (no edition since 2019) appear to have ended.

Recurring meetups and communities

  • Unicorn Factory Lisboa: frequent events at its Beato campus and other hubs. unicornfactorylisboa.com
  • Startup Madeira: talks, a game jam and Startup Weekend in Funchal this autumn. startupmadeira.eu
  • Instituto Pedro Nunes, Coimbra: meetups and training sessions for founders through 2026. ipn.pt
  • Startup Braga: acceleration programmes, including a Global Health Accelerator. startupbraga.com
  • Startup Grind Lisbon: talks and the Lisbon Pitch Awards. startupgrind.com/lisbon
  • Founder Institute Portugal: a pre-seed programme with a Fall 2026 cohort (8 October to 3 December). fi.co
  • Startup Portugal: a monthly agenda of events and open calls. startupportugal.com

Events for women founders in Portugal

We found these women-founder events and communities:
  • BORA Mulheres, Lisbon: a free entrepreneurship bootcamp for women. Its site says a new edition comes in 2027; the date is not out yet. boramulheres.pt
  • Portuguese Women in Tech (PWIT): Women & Leadership and Women & Wealth events in Porto and breakfasts in Lisbon; expected again in 2027. portuguesewomenintech.com
  • Geek Girls Portugal: free women-in-tech meetups and workshops, with chapters in Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Braga, Aveiro, Leiria and Faro. geekgirlsportugal.pt
  • Portugal Tech Week: a session on how AI tools change how women do business, 10 November 2026, PTW Palace, Lisbon.
For money, read our guide to funding for female entrepreneurs. If you organise an event for women founders in Portugal, send it to us and we'll add it.

Funding and support to know before you go

  • Startup Visa: a residence visa for non-EU founders. You need a contract with a certified incubator, €5,146.80 per person in the bank, and a business that could reach €325,000 in yearly turnover or assets within five years. Apply through IAPMEI. Startup Visa
  • Tech Visa: certified companies can hire highly qualified staff from outside Schengen faster; usually at most half of a company's staff can be hired this way. Tech Visa
  • Startup status (Law 21/2023): companies under ten years old, with fewer than 250 employees and turnover under €50 million, can apply for startup status. Startup Portugal
  • Tax for people who move: under the IFICI regime, people who lived abroad for at least five years and join recognised startups can pay 20% income tax for ten years; employee stock options are taxed at an effective 14%, only when sold. Compare other routes in our guide to startup visas in Europe.
  • Empresa na Hora: you can set up a company in one visit to a single counter; a standard request costs €360. Empresa na Hora

How to get the most out of Portugal startup events

  1. Plan around November. Web Summit, Portugal Tech Week, Porto Tech Hub and Aveiro Tech Week all fall within three weeks, so book meetings and rooms early.
  2. Use the free events. Portugal Tech Week, the Unicorn Factory awards, Startup Weekend Madeira and Building The Future online cost nothing.
  3. Apply for startup packages and pitch slots. Web Summit's startup packages and Startup Portugal's Road 2 Web Summit discount open months ahead. See more startup competitions.
  4. Look beyond Lisbon. Porto has the biggest developer crowd, Coimbra and Aveiro link to their universities, and Madeira has a growing founder community.
  5. English works. Big Lisbon and Porto events run in English; regional and municipal events are often in Portuguese.

List your event in this guide

Do you run a startup, tech or investor event in Portugal? Send us the name, dates, venue and official link, and we'll check whether it fits this guide. We list events for founders, with a real date and an official page.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.

🔗 Add an awesome event

Startup events in other countries

FAQ

What are the biggest startup events in Portugal?

Web Summit in Lisbon (9–12 November 2026) is the largest, with Portugal Tech Week (6–15 November 2026) around it. In Porto, the Porto Tech Hub Conference (10 November 2026) is the biggest tech event.

Are there startup events outside Lisbon?

Yes. Porto (Porto Tech Hub, NDC Porto, DevOpsDays), Coimbra (Coimbra, We Have It All, 6 November), Aveiro (Aveiro Tech Week, 16–22 November) and Funchal (Startup Weekend Madeira, 23–25 October) all have dated events in this guide.

Are there free startup events in Portugal?

Yes. Portugal Tech Week, the Unicorn Factory Lisboa Entrepreneurship Awards and Startup Weekend Madeira are free with registration, and Building The Future has a free online ticket.

Where can I pitch my startup in Portugal?

At Startup Weekend Madeira, at Coimbra, We Have It All (12 startup pitches), in Web Summit's PITCH competition and in the pitch slots at Lisbon Beyond Summit.

Are there events for women founders in Portugal?

Yes: BORA Mulheres (a free bootcamp, new edition in 2027), Portuguese Women in Tech events in Porto and Lisbon, Geek Girls Portugal meetups and a women's session at Portugal Tech Week (10 November 2026).

Can foreign founders start a company in Portugal?

Yes. Non-EU founders can use the Startup Visa with a certified incubator, and Empresa na Hora sets up a company in one visit. Read more in our guide to startup visas in Europe.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
2026-10-20 11:35 By country