The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive and in-depth view of the Portuguese startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem. It provides a detailed view of where we are today, who are the major players, what are the key KPI, how Portugal compares with other nations. It is also the voice of entrepreneurs that chose Portugal as the best place to start-up.

In addition to the number of startups and information about policies, regulation, public incentives, capital, talent, corporations, and key enablers of the ecosystem, this report analyzes key emerging trends, challenges, opportunities, and what is next for the Portuguese ecosystem.

This report was developed based on existing IDC research, public data, a survey carried out among more than one hundred startups founders, and more than 30 in-depth interviews with key ecosystem’s stakeholders. Based on the data and insights provided in this report, we can say Portugal is today one of the nations with the greatest potential for attracting and developing startups and scaleups. There are several aspects related to the ecosystem that can and should be improved, but the growth we have seen in the number of startups, unicorns, existing capital, and talent in the last 5 years has been impressive.

If we add other contextual factors – such as the fact that Portugal is considered the country with the best quality of life in the world, the second friendliest country for foreign investment, and the third safest country worldwide, with one of the best communication’s infrastructure in Europe – Portugal is probably one of the best places to startup!