Portuguese start-up Bandora is the big winner of the first edition of "Pitch at the Beach" in Portugal, which took place on July 2, 3 and 4 at the Oeiras Marina. The start-up, which is dedicated to the digital and energy transformation of intelligent buildings, managed to stand out in front of a panel of international investors and, as a prize, will be part of the Taguspark Incubator for two years. Bridgerlab (Peru) and TimeView (Portugal) completed the podium in second and third place respectively.
For the first time, this edition was held outside Mexico and featured a first. Although it wasn't one of the winners of its day, Your Friends Are Boring, a US start-up that has developed a platform for finding friends, represented by Spanish co-founder Clara Haba, managed to attract investment from international investor Luis Prieto and ends "Pitch at the Beach" with reason 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, bringing together start-ups, investors and keynote speakers in a relaxed atmosphere, by the sea, by the beach, in Portugal's most vibrant municipality, with the greatest technological capacity, the greatest purchasing power, where 1.7% of the population contributes to 13% of GDP. It's proof that, in Portugal, there are those who know how to create wealth and be on the side of growth
"This is yet another example of Portugal attracting talent, investors and start-ups. The projects we saw here were fantastic, most of them more mature than we would expect, with many Portuguese start-ups, proving that the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in our country is alive and well in terms of its ability to generate talent and projects. Now, it is essential that the business community and investors are 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, Bandora's CEO, couldn't hide her satisfaction. "We've already taken part in a few events and our pitches hadn't gone well. But here, the atmosphere, the relaxation, the engagement, the fact that it was so human helped us. We're very happy to have won, to be part of the Taguspark Incubator and we're looking forward to what's to come." About her start-up's project, the winner explains: "Bandora helps building managers make smart buildings less complex, improve their energy performance and keep occupants comfortable without additional investments in hardware."
More than 450 start-ups applied for this edition, which had around 170 participants, including start-ups and investors, from more than a dozen countries such as South Africa, Canada, Croatia, Estonia, France, Germany, India, England, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, Venezuela and the United States of America. This multiculturalism was evident in the various activities, including the poetry night on Saturday, where it was possible to listen to poems in Portuguese, English, Spanish, Swedish, Romanian and even Farsi (Persian language).
"Pitch at the Beach" is coming to Portugal thanks to the vision of Eduardo Baptista Correia, CEO of Taguspark, and Alexandre Fonseca, Co-CEO of Altice Europe, the local founders of this event that gives participants the opportunity to connect with the business and investment ecosystem in Portugal and Europe.
Winners:
GENERAL:
1st Bandora (Portugal)
2nd Bridgerlab (Peru)
3rd TimeView (Portugal)
Summary of winners by day:
Day 1:
1st TimeView (Portugal)
2nd Go4Us (Venezuela)
3rd Tripr (Portugal)
Day 2:
1st Bridgerlab (Peru)
2nd Wingdriver (Portugal)
3rd Youforget.me (Spain)
Day 3:
1st Bandora (Portugal)
2nd Doggies in Town (Spain)
3rd Inocrowd (Portugal)
"Pitch at the Beach" on social media:
Website: https://www.pitchatthebeach.com/
Instagram: @pitchatthebeach
Twitter: @Pitchatthebeach
LinkedIn: Pitch at the Beach
About "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 the growth of start-ups with global investors capable of investing capital and helping them get to the next level.
Global Entrepreneurship Network is an international company with a mission to operate a variety of programs in 200 countries designed to make it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and grow their business.
