The Portuguese start-up Bandora is the big winner of the first edition of “Pitch at the Beach” in Portugal, which took place on 2, 3 and 4 July, at The Marina of Oeiras. The start-up, which is dedicated to the digital and energy transformation of smart buildings, has managed to stand out before a panel of international investors and, as a prize, will be part of the Taguspark Incubator for two years. Bridgerlab (Peru) and TimeView (United Kingdom) completed the podium in second and third position, respectively.
For the first time to take place outside Mexico, this edition featured a premiere. Although not one of the winners of her day, Your Friends Are Boring, an American start-up that developed a platform to find friends, represented by Spanish co-founder Clara Haba, managed to attract the investment of international investor Luis Prieto and ends the “Pitch at the Beach” with reasons to smile.
For Eduardo Baptista Correia, CEO of Taguspark and local founder of the event, “Pitch at the Beach” is the best networking event in a business environment, which brings together start-ups, investors and keynote speakers in a relaxed environment, by the sea, by the beach, in the most vibrant municipality of Portugal, with greater technological capacity, greater purchasing power, where 1.7% of the population contributes to 13% of GDP. It is the demonstration that, in Portugal, there are those who know how to create wealth and be on the side of growth
“This is another example that Portugal attracts talent, attracts investors, attracts start-ups. The projects we saw here were fantastic, mostly with a level of maturity above what would be expected, with many Portuguese start-ups, proving that the ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship in our country is alive and well in the ability to generate talent, generate projects. Now, it is essential that the business fabric and investors be aware of what is happening in Portugal.”, explains Alexandre Fonseca, Co-CEO of Altice Europe and local founder of the event.
At the end of the event, Márcia Pereira, CEO of Bandora, did not hide her satisfaction. “We’ve already participated in some events and our pitches haven’t gone well. But here, for the environment, for the relaxed, for the engagement, for the fact that being so human helped us. We are very happy for the victory, to be part of the Taguspark Incubator and expectant with what is to come.” On the design of her start-up, the winner explains: “Bandora helps building managers make smart buildings less complex, improve their energy performance and keep occupants comfortable without additional hardware investments.”
More than 450 start-ups applied for this edition, which included about 170 participants, including start-ups and investors, from more than a dozen countries such as South Africa, Germany, Canada, Croatia, Spain, the United States of America, Estonia, France, India, England, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, Ukraine and Venezuela. This multiculturalism was marked in the various activities, including the night of poetry on Saturday, where it was possible to hear poems in Portuguese, English, Spanish, Swedish, Romanian and even Farsi (Persian language).
“Pitch at the Beach” arrives in Portugal thanks to the vision of Eduardo Baptista Correia, CEO of Taguspark, and Alexandre Fonseca, Co-CEO of Altice Europe, site founders of this event that allows the opportunity for participants to connect with the business and investment ecosystem in Portugal and Europe.
Winners:
GENERAL:
1.º Bandora (Portugal)
2.º Bridgerlab (Perú)
3.º TimeView (Portugal)
Summary of winners per day:
Day 1:
1.º TimeView (Portugal)
2.º Go4Us (Venezuela)
3.º Tripr (Portugal)
Day 2:
1.º Bridgerlab (Perú)
2.º Wingdriver (Portugal)
3.º Youforget.me (Espanha)
Day 3:
1.º Bandora (Portugal)
2.º Doggies in Town (Espanha)
3.º Inocrowd (Portugal)
“Pitch at the Beach” on social media:
Website: https://www.pitchatthebeach.com/
Instagram: @pitchatthebeach
Twitter: @Pitchatthebeach
LinkedIn: Pitch at the Beach
Sobre o “Pitch at the Beach”:
“Pitch at the Beach” is a Company based in Mexico, which is part of Angels Nest, with more than 6 years of presence in the angel investment market, considered the most active in Latin America, which promotes innovation, technology and growth of start-ups with global investors able to invest capital and help to reach the next level.
Global Entrepreneurship Network is an international company with the mission of operating a variety of programs in 200 countries designed to make it easier for anyone, anywhere, to start and grow their business.