One year ago, we announced the launch of Techstars Lisbon in partnership with Semapa Next. We visited several cities and attended events across the world to select 10 amazing teams that are solving problems in manufacturing, transportation, logistics, sustainability, and travel and leisure.

Now, it is time to do it all over again! First and foremost, we want to meet as many founders as possible in-person – so we will be visiting cities across North America, Europe, and Asia conducting office hours with local startups, hosting presentations, webinars and generally trying to connect with as many great entrepreneurs, community leaders and investors as possible. Some of the cities we will visit this year will be Chicago, Boston, Singapore, Kiev, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Munich, Paris, London, Barcelona and Madrid. We also want to visit local tech hubs in Braga, Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra and Lisbon!

If you are interested in meeting with us, please apply for Office Hours here.

We are maintaining our investment focus in 2020 in Industrial Tech, Environmental Tech, Smart Transportation and Travel & Leisure Tech because we believe our program can add unique value in these areas. More specifically, Semapa Next can mobilize a wide array of strategic partnerships with leading local and international corporations to provide access to piloting opportunities, distribution channels and additional mentorship connections in these areas. 

I’m also curious about various business and technology trends that can lead to untapped opportunities to build global companies including:

Smart manufacturing – What products are combining different technologies to disrupt the factory stack? From intelligence to design to production, what products – full-stack or vertical platforms –  are combining technologies – such as Big Data, AI, Design tools, Digital Twin, middleware, edge computing, computer vision, AR, Industrial IoT, Robotics and/or 3D printing – to transform traditional linear manufacturing processes into agile, real-time collaborative processes? 

Circular economy – What products or businesses are being created that minimize waste and/or make the most of resources as part of their mission? For example, 2019 Techstars Lisbon alumni combines AI, satellite imagery and computing power to unlock timely and accurate insights of natural resources.

“Humanization” – Are there products addressing specific problems for families in the mobility and travel segments? What products are leveraging technology to make the human element or human interaction stand out as a key differentiator? For example, our alumni offers over 1,000 hand-picked guides for adventure experiences in Southeast Asia. 

Low code as a solution – What products are transforming “emerging” technologies into vertical low-code solutions with simple user-interface and easy configuration tools? For example, Techstars Lisbon portfolio company offers low-code tools to easily create mobile, AR location-based experiences for Festivals and Big Events.

Voice as a solution – What big problems for people and businesses can be solved with voice technology? What products are being developed to disrupt traditional business processes using voice technology as the driver for value creation? For example, our portfolio company is using voice technology to save 5 hours per week to busy professionals.

“Consumer apps for business” – What products are being built with simple & beautiful UX for traditional businesses? What products are using a bottom-up approach like Slack or Dropbox as a go-to-market strategy? For example, our portfolio company has proved that people (Courier drivers) still rely on the opinion of their colleagues to make professional decisions. 

If your work relates to any of these topics, apply for Office Hours to speak with us and learn more about Techstars Lisbon in partnership with Semapa Next. 

The applications are open now and you can get yours started online now!

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